The sexual harassment of a 15-year old rugby player of the first fifteen team at St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya by six players including the captain from St. Peter’s College, is a serious happening that triggered shock wavest all around.
That such a deplorable act emanated from a leading Colombo school is bad especially when sports is all about character and discipline where schools are looked to as the nurturing trunk of children.
Still worse is hearing the victim’s parents venting that their complaint to the College rector did not see any action taken which led them to report the matter to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA).
The alleged abuse of the boy has consequently ended up in courts after the alleged players failed to comply with NCPA summons and provide statements on the allegations.
This can of worms happening against all human morals and against all norms of sports at a top Colombo schooling institution goes against all moral ethics. While the alleged abuse said to have been resisted by the victim at a training camp leading to his assault by the six players indeed smells so diabolically dirty of these ruggerites bringing down the name of sports which is all about absolute discipline where the moral name of the game is to ‘play the game’ as true sportsmen.
The parents being driven to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) which had reportedly stated that the parents had complained the incident to the said authority when their complaints to the school authorities found lukewarm response has resulted in the matter ending up in courts which issued summons on the Peterite rugby captain and five other players.
The court summons to appear on May 15 consequent to the National Child Protection Authority reporting the matters to courts was consequent to the players failure to appear before the NCPA when issued notice to appear before it and issue statements on the allegations by the victim’s parents.
Subsequently, the six players had appeared in courts a day ahead on May 14 following their attorneys filing a motion and given bail after Police did not object considering they were schoolboys with the next hearing fixed for May 27.
Sexual abuse offences are a punishable offence under the Penal Code carrying five years’ imprisonment, substantial fines, or both.
For the record, St. Peter’s, last year’s reigning President’s Trophy Knockout Champions failed to take part in this year’s tournament following the abuse scandal of a teammate by other players.