From Victim To Suspect
By Raisa Wickrematunge
Shanthini Kongahage
In a bizarre turn of events, the victim has become a suspect in the Wijerama rape case.
Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said that the four suspects who were initially arrested had made the claim that the 47-year-old woman was a prostitute.
The men claimed that they had had many assignations with this woman for money, Jayakody said.
The police in turn had become suspicious, as the woman was not a resident of Ahangama as had previously been reported. Instead, she is said to be a resident of Maharagama, and therefore should have been familiar with the Pamunuwa area, where she was said to be going.
As such, Jayakody said, the police were now looking into the victim’s background and assessing ‘where she went and how she behaved” to determine whether the rape charge was false. “We are conducting an investigation to find out the truth,” Jayakody said.
According to the original statement given by the woman, however, she was traveling by bus on January 24, and had alighted at Wijerama Mawatha. While she was walking near a petrol shed, a trishaw driver had arrived and offered to show her the way to her destination. The driver had then taken her to a secluded area by a well where the four men had forced themselves on her. However, the well was surrounded by several houses, and the woman should have asked for help if it was a genuine rape case, Jayakody said.
Two men were almost immediately arrested as suspects, while two more were arrested three days later, police spokesman Jayakody confirmed.
While the police remained suspicious, women activists are adamant that the woman is a victim. Chairperson of the Eksath Lak Vanitha programme, Shanthini Kongahage said that according to information she had received, the four who were arrested were employees of the nearby university in the area. “The university has said it is not happy with what has taken place, and have pledged to take action. But up to date, there has been no action taken,” she said.
Kongahage said that it was up to the police to mete out justice towards the suspects, especially as they were working in the vicinity of a university where young girls were often found. Similarly, if the woman was indeed a prostitute as the suspects claimed, police should have been aware that there was such a woman loitering near a university, Kongahage said, just as they should have knowledge of the character of the trishaw drivers in the area. She alleged that there were indeed witnesses to the rape, saying that it was these witnesses who had dialed 119 and alerted the police.
However these witnesses were now not coming forward to give evidence, as they were afraid they would put themselves in danger, she said.
Kongahage said that the Lak Vanitha unit was monitoring the situation from afar to see how the investigation was to be conducted.
Even if the woman was a prostitute, Kongahage added, the four men had no right to force themselves on her. The woman had subsequently been admitted to hospital, but the medical report would only be shown to police.
“Let the university take responsibility. We are waiting to see after 2 weeks how the investigation is conducted,” Kongahage said. She added that she had personally gone to the Mirihana police to request that the case be handled properly.
“We can’t allow men to rape women like that, especially so close to a university,” Kongahage said, adding that parents and the public should unite to condemn such an act. Yet Sri Lankans were keeping silent when there were so many rape cases each day, she said. Kongahage referred to the situation in India where people were “still fighting.” As such, she continued to demand that justice be done.
Sepali Kottegoda of Women’s Media Collective said that a woman’s occupation did not justify her being raped. “Under what law does it say that you can be raped if you are a sex worker?” Kottegoda asked. She added that as the victim was initially found to have been gang raped and admitted to hospital, it had to be queried why the investigation had taken a different turn. Lessons should be taken from India which had responded with such outrage to a similar incident of gang rape, which had taken place on a bus, she said. However, policy makers often turned a blind eye towards incidents of sexual violence against women, and it was left to women’s organizations to campaign against such incidents.
“This is a social issue which has a criminal impact, if a woman can’t walk on the street alone. It could be anyone’s mother, sister or daughter,” Kottegoda said. Despite the gravity of the issue it was often left to women’s organizations to campaign for investigation into incidents such as the Kahawatte murder and rape cases, which have “disappeared into the woodwork.” Equally interesting was the state response on the incident. The Minister for Child Development and Women’s Affairs, Tissa Karaliyadda declined to comment on the incident, as did the Chairperson of the National Committee of Women, while members of the Women’s Bureau were not available for comment.
Secretary to the Ministry for Child Development and Women’s Affairs, Eric Illayapparachchi said that the case was now a police matter, while adding that in the meantime steps were being taken to implement the Human Rights Action Plan that will safeguard the rights of women. As a preliminary step, he added, 335 children and women’s development units had been established, five in each district, devoted to safeguarding the rights of women. “We have flagged this as a serious incident, and it is in the hands of the police. But in the long run, we must take national level measures to safeguard women,” Illayapparachchi said.
Despite these reassuring words it remains to be seen whether the woman concerned will receive justice or see herself becoming a suspect in the case- accused of raising false rape charges against the four who have been arrested. While police do have a duty to investigate the claims made by the suspects, it was chilling to observe suspicion turn towards a woman who had been hospitalized following the incident. The outcome of the investigation is yet to be seen, but women’s rights organizations continue to hope that justice will be served for the woman, regardless of her occupation.
Shantini Kongahage where were you when Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake was impeached unlawfully. That was also a crime against a woman. You all should have stood up for the right of that woman. Shame on you Shantini. You are trying to survive through women. But disregarding what happened to Dr. Bandaranayake because Rajapaksa is involved in this. Shame on all the women’s organizations in Sri Lanka. Just eating tax payers money.
Even a prostitute have a right not to be raped . Rape belittles the human and cringe the victim into submission in a powerless position . Prostitutes and courtesans ply their trade and should have the freedom to decide where she would oblige . Police should not decide whom to bring before the law on the grounds for this is male power used excessiively on a helpless human . May be she gave wrong information on her identity knowing the minds of her interrogaters … so a prostitute the victim invited rape and gang rape in this incident !The great RAeligious leaders The Buddha and Christ had compassion on these women and not judgment !Christ did not allowe a prostitute to be stoned !
It is rape if it did not have the consent of the woman. It does not matter if she was/is a sex worker or if she wore short clothes. No means no. It is a criminal offense to force a woman.
Even prostitutes (Commercial sex workers) can be raped and the police should take action based on facts and not on history.
mmm. so instead of investigating whether the woman was raped or not police is wasting time to see whether the victim was a prostitute or not which is irrelevant. Sri lankan police Koheda yanne malle pol.
“Methsevana” where prostitutes are rehabilataed is behind Sri Jayawardhenapura University.It is pity that the Chairperson of Lakvanitha appears to be not knowing that.
It seems like these men have “connections” and are trying to weasel their out of it and our boys in green seem to want to wash their hands of this matter without ensuring justice is carried out… pititful. Her being a prostitute is irrelevant.
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places to visit and live. Rapes and murders happen everyday against foreigners and locals. I have single handedly stopped people from my country, especially women to visit SL as it is too dangerous to visit.
Dear Madam,
Please follow this case to root end than only ALL WOMEN can walk free even night time. .
indians are brave sri lankans are coward i think. they are afraid,afraid and afraid, they raped and murdered by their own people. the law is very weak in sri lanka, saudi law is the ideal law in sri lanka. eye for an eye tooth for a tooth. people use to say sharia law is barbaric then , what about the crimes committed by the human BEASTS in sri lanka is it human.
in sri lnka the criminals are wel aware of the country s LAW which is very weak so they wanna try everything on women,child,teengers or even boys. they know nothing is going to happened to them.
if a poor man steel a coconut or jacket fruit, then our police force show their colours on him, i mean all their skills. this is sri lanka
even she is a protitute no one has the right to gang rape her, she is doing a business to feed her family. the rapists should be give maxium punishment 10 to 15 years in jail. So others will not even think.
where we stand sri lankas a buddhist country, where is the budda teaching and way of life. show the world of lord buddha and his way of life. i dont think so only very few have been practising buddha s preaching, even the monks dont folow it.
tell me what crime is not committed in sri lanka. who is the law and what have they done.dont blame in westerner or others for your sins.
so it means anyone can rape a women in sri lanka later they may complain to police she was a prostitude, this is very funny. this is part of the governemnt to look after the women in sri lanka. because people are very hot and horny in sri lanka beacause they have been watching sex and porn movies every seconds i presume.
so the government should implement a new tough law to overcome these kind of problems and security for our women. very soon victims will take law in to their own hands its not very far if the law did nothing for the victims and the criminals walk free like a lion and may try over and over.
This is normal business in a corrupt, lawless Banana Republic with Jungle Law. This is the only Nation in the entire Universe where people assault them selves, shoot to kill them selves, tie them up to trees them selves and now rape victims becomming prostitutes. God save former democratic Sri Lanka.
What happened in India is NOT acceptable. The circumstances around this Sri Lanka case is not clear and these ladies should not just jump up and down relating this to the case in India. If the women is a prostitute and went with these people willingly, there is no rape case involved. Since she was caught to police, she might have fabricated this. The best is to assist the police to solve this puzzle without making premature judgement to help earn little money for the maintenance of these useless organizations.
First, all these activists should work to enhance the living standards of women by spending at least a small percentage of money they get from NGOs to carryout their activities so that women do not fall into such jobs to afford their living.
Second, these activists should work to enact laws to discipline women dress codes and behaviors so that they do not provoke males unnecessarily. Women should have equal rights, but that does not mean that they can walk in the public half naked.
Uneducated police or sometimes they tried to have sex with this women. Now they say you need to admit you as prostitute or give up the case. Try to find our weather these 4 people have any relationship with any politician in that area or Colombo.
It doesn’t matter whether the woman is a prostitution or not. Prostitutes should not be raped as they are human beings as well. There is a reason behind her complaint and it should not be brushed under the carpet as it may encourage three wheeler drivers to break free as they wish in future. In a country where the chief justice is not spared of grave injustice what can be done about poor ordinary women.
Even a prostitute does NOT deserve to be gang raped. Sex for money is a transaction between one man and one sex worker. Primitive Backward Sinhalese tribal mentality is worse than that of the Taleban