Government official says people in Sri Lanka's North facing many social issues

A Sri Lankan government official in the war-torn North says that violence against northern women has increased in the past one year with many social issues also plaguing the community.


Jaffna District Secretary Imelda Sukumar has told the media that there were numerous social issues in the area including unregistered premature marriages and pregnancies among minors.

She has said the number of such cases varied from 20 to 100 every month and that most of the incidents were reported from hospitals in the area.

She has observed that the main reason for the youth to take up various lifestyles is the frustration they suffer as a result of being neglected by their parents.

Sukmar says the government officials are addressing the issue. She has said that women field officers have commenced a campaign to educate the youth and their families on the social ills while the Women's Affairs and Childcare Ministry was also engaged in a programme to address the social issues in the Jaffna District.