Around three cases of child molestation or rape are reported every day according to the police while authorities believe that many more go unreported around the island. Are authorities doing enough to curb this growing problem in order to protect children from sexual predators? What in your opinion can be done to reduce these crimes against the innocent?

The US State Department which released its annual report into human trafficking claimed that in Sri Lanka women and children are subjected to sex trafficking in brothels and that boys are more likely than girls to be forced into prostitution in coastal areas for domestic child sex tourism.

Some child domestic workers in Colombo, generally from the Tamil tea-estate sector of the country, are subjected to physical, sexual, and mental abuse, nonpayment of wages, and restrictions of their movement.

Over the past two months, Ada Derana has reported on numerous child molestation and rape cases but authorities claim that this is only a fraction of the number of incidents that go unreported.

As carried on Ada Derana, an underage girl was raped inside the Bandaranaike memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) while the suspect was alleged to be a cashier there.

On June 17 a suspect was arrested over the raping of an underage girl in the Vakaneri area in the Valaichchenai Police Division. Police said the crime was uncovered after the victim in question had given birth at the Batticaloa Hospital on June 01.

Earlier this week Police discovered the body of a 7-year-old girl from Kirulapone who is suspected to have been raped by two teenagers and dumped in a drainage canal.

The Chairman of the Akuressa Pradeshiya Sabha was arrested over allegations of molesting a 14 year old girl in an incident which allegedly took place between March 23 and 30, police stated.

Meanwhile, a school van driver suspected of sexually molesting a four-and-a-half year old child was arrested by police earlier this week.

The 55-year-old suspect is the driver of the school van in which the girl travels to a preschool in Wennappuwa, police stated.

These are only a few among the numerous complaints that reach the police.

Are authorities doing enough to stamp down on these incidents? Is the Children and Women Bureau taking the necessary steps to curb this situation? What in your opinion can be done about the prevailing trend? How can we protect our children from these predators?