Sri Lanka to use fingerprinting in public employment to combat child abuse
Mandatory background checks will be introduced for employees working with girls and boys in government institutions. Criminal background records and periodic checks, including for existing staff, will be used. The goal is to boost prevention and institutional accountability.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka is ready to implement mandatory fingerprint screening for those applying for jobs with state agencies that involve direct interaction with children, marking a significant shift in the country’s child protection system.
Run by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), the new programme seeks to prevent people convicted of child abuse from holding positions that allow them to come into contact with children.
The initiative comes amid systemic deficiencies in child protection, characterised by long delays in investigations and prosecutions, and inadequate institutional accountability.
For many victims, justice has eluded them for years, highlighting the critical need for preventative measures rather than reactive responses.
Under successive governments, institutions charged with protecting minors, including the Women and the Child Affairs Ministry and the NCPA itself, have struggled with limited resources, uneven law enforcement, and shifting policy priorities.
Meanwhile, abusers have continued to live and work within communities, with documented cases of those convicted of abuse retaining or obtaining jobs that put them in close contact with minors.
In this context, the NCPA is implementing an existing, underused legal framework by making fingerprint checks mandatory for hiring and maintaining public sector employment.
The core of the proposal is a directive to be issued under Section 18 of the NCPA Act, which empowers the relevant minister to issue binding directives to government departments and statutory bodies regarding the prevention of child abuse. Although the provision has existed for years, it has never been implemented in this way before.
Preethika Sakalasooriya, head of the NCPA's legal division, said the draft directive has been legally reviewed and given the green light by the Attorney General, with the approval of the new Board of Directors.
Once issued, it will apply to all departments, quasi-governmental institutions, boards, and commissions working with children.
“This is a special step,” said Sakalasooriya, who describes the decision as a historic first for Section 18 on preventive screening. She noted that institutional leaders will be responsible for screening and removing offenders from positions involving contact with minors.
“No one is indispensable,” she added. “We want people who won't harm children to be in jobs that have access to children. Paedophiles try to get into and stay in jobs that give them access to children. There is such a threat, and that's why we are trying to reduce it."
The proposed measure relies on a fingerprint-based criminal record system under the Prevention of Crime Ordinance.
Although the law dates from the 1800s, a 2017 amendment significantly expanded its scope, making fingerprinting mandatory for child abuse offences.
Thanks to this amendment, 13 offences that fall under this legal definition have been designated as requiring fingerprinting. These include sexual exploitation, trafficking, child molestation and cruelty, kidnapping, procuration, adoption-related crimes, and recruitment of children for armed conflict.
Previously managed manually, the database is now digitised, allowing police stations across the country to access and verify data more efficiently.
Under the proposed directive, all new employees at state institutions who are expected to come into contact with girls and boys will be required to present a police clearance report certifying that they have not been convicted of child abuse-related offences.
Existing employees will also be subject to a periodic reassessment every five years. Furthermore, the regulatory framework proposes mandatory mental health assessments, to be implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Health.
Sri Lanka's commitment reflects global trends, although systems for registering convicted sex offenders differ significantly from region to region.
As of 2022, at least 41 countries and regions have implemented laws regulating the registration of sexual offenders, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India, and South Korea.
Some countries maintain publicly accessible registries, emphasising transparency and community outreach, while others limit access to law enforcement through regulated disclosure programmes.
The effectiveness of these registries remains controversial, as opponents raise concerns about privacy, proportionality, and lasting rehabilitation.
Nevertheless, for Sri Lanka, the framework suggested by the NCPA represents a step toward institutional accountability, prioritising the safety and protection of minors in public settings.
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