Colombo Additional Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrema today (05) directed the CID and the Women and Children’s Bureau to prepare a program to prevent children from accessing pornographic websites until school starts in the country.
Officials of the CID and the Children and Women’s Bureau had stated before the court that steps would be taken to discuss the matter with the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and formulate an appropriate program.
In a background where schools are currently closed due to the covid situation, education is conducted online and children have easy access to pornographic websites, the magistrate said when bringing the suspects before the court arrested in connection with the online sale of a minor girl for sex.
During the hearing, the magistrate further said that mobile phones or computers could not be prevented from falling into the hands of children and that children use these devices for educational purposes while their parents are away from home for work.
The magistrate further stated that in such a situation, children can easily access pornographic websites.
The owner of a website and a financial manager who were arrested on suspicion of publishing advertisements for the employment of a minor girl were remanded till the 19th of this month by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court for refusing to grant bail.
The two suspects who were arrested by the CID were remanded today after being produced before the court yesterday.
The suspects’ bail application was rejected due to the seriousness of the charges against them and the public outcry that could ensue if they were released on bail.
The Magistrate ordered the police to remand the suspects until the end of the investigation and to expedite the investigation regarding the suspects.
The court also rejected a request made by the lawyers of the mother of the girl who was remanded in connection with the incident to release her on bail.
