By: Isuru Parakrama
May 24, Colombo (LNW): The Pallegama Hemarathana Thero case is a high-profile child sexual abuse allegation involving one of Sri Lanka’s most senior Buddhist clergy, and it has triggered anger, anxiety, and a sharp debate about power, accountability, and victim protection.
It is noteworthy to state that public support for the victim is low. The weak support for the child reflects deeper social problems in Sri Lanka, especially stigma, deference to religious authority, and a tendency to treat abuse cases as embarrassing family matters rather than crimes.
Because the allegations involve a minor, and the accused holds an exceptionally revered religious office, concerned parties see the case as a test of whether Sri Lanka will apply the law equally to powerful figures.
First, the allegation involves child sexual abuse, which is one of the most socially condemned crimes and leaves little room for sympathy toward the accused. Second, the accused is not an ordinary suspect but a senior monk with enormous religious standing.
According to multiple reports, Pallegama Hemarathana Thero was arrested after allegations that he sexually abused an underage girl, with the reported abuse linked to events in 2022 and the victim described in some accounts as 11 or 15 years old depending on the stage of reporting. The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) reported the matter to court, which led to his arrest and a travel ban, while the girl’s mother was also arrested on claims that she aided and abetted the abuse. Later reporting indicates the magistrate granted bail with strict conditions, including sureties and a foreign travel ban.
Why the child gets little support
Sri Lankan society often fails to respond to child abuse cases in an open and proactive way, and that this attitude discourages guardians from seeking justice. In practical terms, families may fear shame, community backlash, or social isolation, so the victim is left with less visible public backing than she should receive. When the accused is a senior monk, that hesitation becomes even stronger because many people are reluctant to challenge a respected religious figure.
Reports say the allegations involve a minor girl, and the case has already moved through arrest, remand, and bail proceedings, which means it is being treated as a serious criminal matter. Yet public discussion has often centered on the monk’s status, the court process, or institutional delays rather than on the child’s trauma and protection. That imbalance can make the victim appear isolated, even when the legal case is active.
Further fuelling the controversy, lawyers appearing for the suspect stand in high ground of audacity to publicly claim that sexually abusing young girls is “common” in Sri Lanka on the sidelines of denying the allegations levelled against their client, in a gross generalisation of child abuse as a matter to be not taken seriously.
On a separate occasion, former Minister Dilum Amunugama made a highly controversial public remark about the case, allegedly referring to the victimised minor as “a prostitute”, in what can only be described as an insensitive and disgusting statement. Dinesh Muthugala, a well-known biology tutor, also echoed these sentiments, using Buddhist cultural tales to justify the perpetrator’s actions and shape public opinion in favour of forgiving the culprit.
Several factors appear to suppress support for the child: fear of confronting clergy, social pressure to avoid scandal, reluctance to question religious institutions, and a broader culture that still underreports abuse. Child abuse cases involving clergy and teachers remain difficult to surface because of these attitudes. So, the lack of support is not about the strength of the allegations alone; it is also about how society responds when the alleged offender is powerful and the victim is a child.
Analytically, this is a test of whether Sri Lankan society places child protection above status and silence. If a child victim receives little public solidarity in a case this serious, it suggests that stigma and hierarchy still outweigh empathy and accountability in many communities. That is why the case matters beyond the courtroom: it exposes how vulnerable victims can remain, even when their abuse becomes public knowledge.
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