Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Prostitution in Sri Lanka: a Legal Perspective

Abstract

Child sexual exploitation and child prostitution are some of the major challenges which Sri Lanka is facing as a developing tourist destination. Poverty, lack of education and inequality are some of the main causes for these kinds of issues. Sri Lanka is sometimes known as the heaven for sexual relationships among tourists due to the commonly found child prostitution services. This issue arises mostly in South Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand and Philippine. Sri Lanka has a beautiful coastline around the country as it is an island with an attractive tourist destination which bought the country a huge benefit for the country"s economy but on the other hand it exploits the countries future generation by giving a new face to these kinds of issues. This research will be focused on commercial sexual exploitation of children and child prostitution in Sri Lanka, how it is addressed in the legal framework and how the law has tried to prevent them and protect the children. Further, it discusses the legislative provisions of some selected jurisdictions such as North Ireland, England and Wales. Finally, this normative research which is based on a literature review focuses on the pros and cons of the Sri Lankan legislative provisions and proposes some recommendations.