UN Child Rights Committee Urges Sri Lanka ,Decriminalize Homosexuality

The Sri Lankan government has been asked to revoke laws that criminalize homosexuality and members of the LGBT community by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. 

Sri Lanka’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child is monitored by the UN Child Rights Committee, which has urged the government to revoke laws that criminalize same-sex relationships. 

The Committee also urged Sri Lanka’s government to combat discrimination against LGBT people, outlaw harassment of LGBT people, and bring those responsible for violence against LGBT people to justice in paragraph 16 of its fifth and sixth periodic reports on Sri Lanka. 

What Sri Lanka said to the UN Child Right Committee-

Sri Lanka promised to reform the Penal Code “to bring them into compliance with international human rights standards” and accepted the Committee’s recommendations.  

The Committee also emphasized that children “were perceived as perpetrators” under the current sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code.  The Sri Lankan government clarified that “the law was inherited from colonial times and that under the current State practice, children were not considered perpetrators.”

The resounding statement from the UN Child Rights Committee directly refutes the false narrative being spread by groups like Urban Citizens, led by SLPP Organiser Sharmila Gonawala, that the proposed Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, amending section 365 and repealing section 365A, will harm children and violate Sri Lanka’s UN obligations to protect them.

In a recent letter to the president, more than 100 advocates for children’s, women’s, and human rights—including the Child Protection Force, the Stop Child Cruelty Trust, and other experts—expressed support for the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill. They cautioned him not to believe the “lies” being peddled by those with vested interests, who claim that other provisions in the Penal Code offer better protection for kids and that passing this law will expose kids to abuse. 

Conclusion-

The UN Child Rights Committee’s request for Sri Lanka to decriminalize homosexuality is a step in the right direction. It signals an end to centuries of discrimination and illustrates that homophobia has no place in society today. We hope that this action will encourage other countries to follow suit, so that all people can live with dignity and without fear of persecution, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Furthermore, we urge Sri Lanka to take meaningful steps towards implementing these changes as soon as possible, ensuring justice and equality for all its citizens.

In the end, you can check the UN Child Rights Committee report