FNO accuses govt. of beckoning sex industry
Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s draft bill amending the Penal Code has proposed to lower the age of female consent to 14, but no MP had protested, the Federation of National Organizations (FNO) on Thursday (21) said.Dr. Wasantha Bandara said that previously the age of consent was 16 and anyone engaging in sex with a girl, under 16, was considered a rapist.
“With these amendments the age of consent of a girl has been reduced to 14. The age of the man who can be held accountable for such actions has been increased to 22 from 18.”
Dr. Bandara said in his opinion the government has two objectives for lowering the age of consent.The main reason for this proposal is the government’s desire to create a market for the lucrative sex industry, he said. Dr. Bandara said that prostitution is aimed at certain categories of tourists, Indians who will arrive in Sri Lanka after the country signs the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA), and Americans who will come in after Sri Lanka signs the status of forces agreement (SOFA) for what they euphemistically term rest and recuperation.
The secondary reason is to appeal to a handful of Muslims who adhere to fringe beliefs, he said.
“Previously several Muslim parties representing fringe beliefs had asked the government to reduce the age of marriage for girls to 14. Accommodating this request is one reason for the proposal to lower the age of consent proposed by the Minister of Justice,” he said.
