The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) reported receiving a total of 10,455 complaints related to children in 2025, highlighting growing challenges in safeguarding child welfare across Sri Lanka.
Of the complaints, 8,514 fell under the NCPA Act, while 1,941 were outside the Authority’s direct mandate. Sexual abuse remained a pressing issue, with 545 complaints of sexual harassment, 231 cases of grave sexual abuse, and 38 incidents of child rape recorded during the year.
The Authority also documented nine cases of child marriage, 150 incidents of cyber abuse, and 20 attempted suicides involving minors, signaling increased risks faced by vulnerable children.
Additional concerns included 42 children without birth certificates and nine children under the age of five left behind when parents migrated overseas for employment, underscoring the broader social challenges affecting child protection in the country.
The figures released by the NCPA have prompted calls for stronger measures to safeguard children and improve reporting, monitoring, and intervention mechanisms across Sri Lanka.
