Sri Lanka, Sept. 25 -- Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra told Parliament yesterday that Sri Lanka has achieved a significant milestone in protecting the rights of the child with the introduction of the Penal Code (Amendment) Act aiming at ending corporal punishment against children and enhancing penalties for those who harm children.

This amendment will provide answers to the various forms of violence that children in Sri Lanka have faced for a long time, he said.

A large number of complaints have been received about physical and mental violence against children every year. But the laws and regulations were not enough to enforce the law against the perpetrators. Now, with the enactment of this law, ...