Gang rape teenager orphaned in quake disaster

A teenager left orphaned and homeless after tsunamis swept the Sri Lankan coast was gang raped in the hours that followed, a top official said today.

Reports of other abuse have triggered an investigation in refugee shelters housing tens of thousands of people displaced by the catastrophe.

There were few details of the case of the 17-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted by six men after the tsunami struck a week ago.

It happened in Galle on the southern coast – the country’s hardest-hit area - but the girl was not in a refugee centre at the time, said Harendra de Silva, head of the National Child Protection Authority.

Experts said children already traumatised by the massive natural disaster were now especially at risk in overcrowded refugee camps.

“When there is displacement and chaos, the possibility of this type of behaviour is higher,” de Silva said. “These are all vulnerable children and opportunists are taking advantage of these children without parents and in open camps.”

At least two cases of suspected abuse of children have been reported to the protection authority, both in refugee shelters, including one alleged attack by a man who tried to molest his granddaughter, de Silva said.

As yet, the scope of the problem is unclear. All the reported cases were in the stricken south, de Silva said after touring camps in the region.

With nearly one million losing their homes, Sri Lanka has immediate concerns of survival, rolling out relief lorries as cargo planes ferry food, drinking water and medical supplies from donor nations.

But psychological and behavioural problems are certain to become more important as the authorities gain control over the life-threatening issues.

De Silva said his organisation, a government body, is investigating complaints of sexual abuse in centres housing tens of thousands of survivors. Children suspected of being abused are taken under the protection of child probation authorities.

So far, the cases of suspected abuse have been isolated. But officials are concerned that the trauma of the catastrophe, coupled with the close quarters in the refugee centres, could result in many more incidents.