With increasing child abuses cases reported in Sri Lanka, the government is planning to impose tough punishments against the offenders, an official said on Monday.

Discussions are underway with the Ministry of Justice and other law enforcement officials to introduce severe punishments on culprits, said Asoka Alawatta, acting Secretary of the Child Development and Women’s Affairs Ministry.

Meanwhile the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has demanded to introduce capital punishment on those convicted of child abuses.

The chairman of the NCPA, Anoma Dissanayake has suggested that the only way to control the current trend of child abuses is to impose stringent punishment.

The NCPA has received more than 20,000 complaints of child abuses so far in 2012.

The Cabinet Spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella also said the government is considering changing laws relating to child abuses, “Punishment has to be introduced at least to create fear psychosis among the perpetrators.”

The police said with 975 cases in the first six months of 2012 there is a considerable rise in the child abuses and the increase in access to computers, Internet and mobile phones has assisted in the rise of child abuses in Sri Lanka.

Xinhua-ANI