Sri Lanka, June 2 -- The United National Party (UNP) has called for broader national action to address child abuse, warning against attempts to frame the issue as being confined solely to religious institutions.

Issuing a special statement on the issue, UNP urged authorities not to "silo" or politicise the issue along religious lines as child abuse is a wider societal problem.

It called on the government to hold inclusive consultations with all relevant stakeholders to strengthen existing child protection laws.

Referring to a recent newspaper editorial on child ordinations, the UNP argued that such practices are linked to economic hardship faced by vulnerable families.

"The government must immediately focus on establishing a strongly-...