On April 7, 2025, an appeal for justice took place opposite the Presidential Secretariat at Galle Face, Colombo, as activists, led by Dr. Thush Wickramanayake, demanded justice for an estimated 40,000 child victims in Sri Lanka. The protest, held from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m., was part of a broader campaign urging President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to address what organizers describe as a critical child protection crisis. The movement has gained traction through social media, with Wickramanayake publicly calling out the president for his perceived inaction.
Dr. Thush Wickramanayake, a prominent advocate for child rights, has been a consistent voice against child abuse in Sri Lanka. In an exclusive statement to Westvu.com, Dr. Wickramanayake shared her determination and the growing public support behind her cause. Standing among supporters on April 7, she said:
“I’m here with so many other people supporting me today. For the last five to six weeks, I have been coming every week in front of the Presidential Secretariat to request our president to give justice to 40,000 children. I am so glad that there are people who are actually hearing me—not the president, but the public are hearing me and they’re here to support the same cause.
So my request, my appeal to you, Mr. President, is: surely you must be hearing us, surely you must be seeing us, surely you must be feeling the pain of 40,000 children who are victimized, who are waiting for justice, whose cases are being backlogged at the moment. I would like to request that, one, as the executive president of this country, there is nothing you cannot do—absolutely nothing—in terms of finding justice for these children. So appoint a special presidential task force.
Number two, you have all the powers to hold the attorney general accountable. If they take six years to read just a 30-page report, that is not justice. Justice delayed is justice denied for these children. So you can hold them accountable and make a specific enquiry against the attorney general and also the National Child Protection Authority where these cases are being backlogged. Sir, this is not just one department’s fault; this is the fault of the entire system of child protection. So you can hold an independent public enquiry.
And I urge you to do that—not to let out people or blacklist people, but to have a more accountable and progressive system of resolving this issue. I hope that you will hear us today, Mr. President. You are appointing committees to deal with the taxes that America is imposing on us, but you don’t seem to care about the children of this country, born with our blood, who are living in this country.
So I urge you, Mr. President, to take action this new year. Maybe you can bring a good message for this new year, a happy message for our children who are victimized—that you will make them a priority of this system and new governance that you propose for action.”
