Recent Submissions
Eloping behavior among adolescents in the Gampaha District: A statistical analysis.
(International Conference on Child Protection 2025, 2025-10) Randeny, S.; Perera, A.; Perera, W. N. S.; Dharmathilaka, J. C. N.
Background: Eloping among adolescents is a critical issue in Sri Lanka, often linked to family dysfunction, psychological distress, and peer pressure. This study analyzed elopement cases reported in the Gampaha district using data from the database of child protection unit. The study aims to provide insights into the factors influencing adolescent elopement and its consequences.
Method: A retrospective quantitative analysis was conducted on 67 cases of adolescent elopement recorded in the child protection unit in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka from October 2021 to January 2025. The data included age at the time of elopement, caretaker at the time of elopement, duration of elopement, family background, status of schooling, partner characteristics, substance use, concurrent types of maltreatment and post-elopement outcome. Descriptive statistics were used to identify trends and risk factors.
Results: The commonest age group involved with elopements was aged 14–15 years (83.6%; n= 56). The stay with the partner varied from a maximum stay of 1 year to less than a week in 47.8% (n=32). Sexual abuse involved almost all the occasions and psychological distress, including depression and disturbed behavior accounting for 14.9% (n=10). Intimate partner violence was experienced by 4.5% (n=3) of them. The risk factors identified among the cohort included caretakers at the time of elopement. The analysis showed caretakers as parents (59.7%; n=40), mother (20.9%; n=14), father (10.4%; n=7), grandmother (4.5%; n=3), aunt (3%; n=2) or grandparents (1.5%; n=1) respectively. Among the adolescents 10.4% of them were not schooling before the incident. Post-elopement interventions included institutional case conferences taking decisions regarding safe guardianship, placement, psychological rehabilitation and re-establishment of the schoolwork.
Conclusions: Adolescent elopement is frequently associated with sexual abuse and identified risk factors involved dysfunctional families. The findings highlight the need for targeted legal frameworks, awareness programs, and stronger intervention strategies to protect vulnerable adolescents.
Factors associated with child labour in Sri Lanka.
(International Conference on Child Protection 2025, 2025-10) Wijesinghe, W. O. K. P. L.
Background: Child labour remains a significant socio-economic challenge in the developing world and it continues as an issue in Sri Lanka as well. Many children are forced to work to support their families, especially in sectors such as domestic work, construction sites, tea plantations, street vendors and small-scale industries. This study aimed to identify the root causes of child labour in Sri Lanka.
Method: This research followed a qualitative approach. The data was collected through secondary data. The government and non-government reports, web sites, academic journals, research articles and other online sources were used for data collection. The terms have used for the literature search such as child labor in Sri Lanka, factors affecting child labour, child rights, child policy. The study was conducted in 2024, by reviewing secondary data from 2016 to 2023. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: The study reveals that poverty, family economic burdens, low parental literacy, lack of decent work for adults, lack of opportunities for education and social exclusion are the primary factors of child labour. Additionally, gaps in law enforcement and social protection mechanisms contribute to the persistence of child labour. The study recommends enforcing the child labour policies, developing alternative support systems for vulnerable families, providing affordable childcare services, strengthening access to formal education and vocational training opportunities, enhancing social protection mechanisms and raising awareness of safety and rights are crucial in addressing child labour.
Conclusion: As the children must be protected for the future, the study also reveals it cannot be done only through the government and the support of all parties including community, to end the cycle of child exploitation and ensure child's right to safety, education, and a respectable future is essential.
Significance of a scene visit in an alleged clinical child sexual abuse case: A case study
(International Conference on Child Protection 2025, 2025-10) Jayasinghe, H. M.; Perera, U. C. P.
Background: Performing scene visits in clinical forensic medical cases are relatively rare. This case report is on a child who was chronically sexually abused by several people.
Case history: A 13-year-old girl was admitted to a local hospital complaining of chest pain. No physical cause was identified for the chest pain. With further questioning, she revealed a history of chronic sexual abuse by several people, including her brother, a policeman, and two other people. She was transferred to a tertiary care hospital due to child protection concerns. As the child was afraid to reveal the truth, it was a challenge to obtain the complete history. The history was obtained after talking with her several times. Psychiatry referral was done. Since one of the accused was a policeman in her area, it was requested to conduct the investigation by another police station. A case conference was held. Following many rounds of preparations, the child was accompanied by the ward staff and the medico legal team for a scene visit, with the police. Subsequently, a court order was obtained to transfer the child to a specialized rehabilitation center for long term management.
Conclusion: Scene examination of the alleged sites of abusive incidents is an important part of investigation in these types of clinical cases. Considering her safety, emotional impact during the procedure and the importance of a scene examination, the child was accompanied by the hospital staff for the scene visit. This helped in assessing the credibility of a child’s statement. Documentation of this scene visit will be immense help for the future court case. This will ensure that justice is served and that the welfare of the child is prioritize throughout the legal proceedings.
Mediation in gender specific conflict scenarios: Success stories and failures in organizational setting
(International Conference on Child Protection 2025, 2025-10) Siriwardana, G. K. Y. S.
Background: This study addressed a significant and timely research problem, how gender-specific conflicts, driven by systemic inequities, stereotypes, and power imbalances, hinder workplace harmony and productivity. While mediation is widely used as a conflict resolution tool, its effectiveness in addressing gender-related disputes remained underexplored, particularly in the context of organizational culture and gender sensitivity. This gap justified the need for a focused examination of gender-sensitive mediation practices.
Method: The qualitative research design involved a case study analysis supported by stakeholder interviews. Several organizations across industries in apparel had provided data through semi-structured interviews with mediators or counselors, Human Resource professionals like HR Manager (top level), managers in middle level, and employees in cutting, ironing, sewing and packing section also incorporated organizational documents related to mediation records and conflict resolution policies. A purposive sampling strategy was used to ensure diversity in participants' profiles. Thematic coding, using qualitative analysis software, highlighted patterns that contributed to the success of mediation.
Results: Preliminary findings highlighted the critical role of mediator training in addressing implicit biases and power imbalances. They also reported that organizations with structured support systems and follow-up mechanisms achieved higher resolution rates. In contrast, mediation often failed in cases where cultural sensitivity was lacking or power dynamics undermined equitable participation. Preliminary data indicated that organizations implementing gender-sensitive mediation strategies experienced a 30–40% increase in effectiveness in conflict resolution.
Conclusion: This study highlights gender –sensitive mediation training and supportive polices, which can help sustain resolutions. These include specialized training of mediators, creating an inclusive culture and institutionalizing post-mediation follow-ups that would help refine the framework of mediation, create equitable workplaces, and bring better outcomes of conflict resolution in gender-specific disputes.
Impact of USAID fund restrictions on gender equality initiatives for developing countries
(International Conference on Child Protection 2025, 2025-10) Silva, M. U. I.; Prasad, D. G. D. N.; Ediriweera, P. M.
Background: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a pioneering institution that has worked to promote gender equality in developing countries since the 1980s. This study examined the detrimental effects of USAID cuts in 2025 on the advancement of gender equality in these nations. The primary objective of the present study was to identify the impacts of these fund reductions on gender equality improvements in developing countries.
Method: This research employed a qualitative approach, in terms of secondary data, utilizing case study analysis and documentary analysis for data collection. This includes: the historical funding trends and strategic priority documents from USAID regarding reproductive health and USAID's foreign aid explorer and gender equality policy documents (as well as the Guttmacher Institute research concerning the implications of U.S. foreign assistance restrictions on reproductive health services, the World Bank Gender Data Portal for comparative gender development indicators, and UN Women reports on global progress towards gender equality. Additionally, the collected primary data, including USAID and US government reports, were analyzed using thematic analysis and theoretical analysis, adopting Constructivism as the main theoretical framework.
Results: The case studies of Serbia, Colombia, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala revealed that the aid provided to developing countries was not used transparently, resulting in socio-economic and domestic political instabilities. Many global indicators related to economic growth consider gender equality as a key determinant, and aid cuts will impact the economic development status of many developing countries, as well as exacerbate the increasing disparities related to gender. The study also showed that a sudden reduction in ongoing USAID-funded projects directly undermines the development sector, cooperation issues, and escalates gender-based violence due to a lack of advocacy. Moreover, funding reductions will slow the achievement of the SDGs by 2030.
Conclusion: These policy changes heighten geopolitical tensions and challenge the normative objective of gender equality. Consequently, developing countries can transcend dependency on donor involvement, enabling them to discover smarter alternatives to address core development issues, particularly gender equality.