Page 17 - KDU INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

KDU International Journal of Criminal Justice (KDUIJCJ)
Volume I | Issue II| July 2024

hours recording her complaint and also accepted the photo and video
evidence of the Family Violence she and her child had endured for three

years. She requested the Police to obtain a Protection Order for her as she

had submitted audio clips of her husband’s voice threatening to slice her
and bury her in the garden. She then proceeded to a Women’s shelter

where she and her child were comfortable and started living a violence-

free life. She also visited the Judicial Medical Officer who referred her to a
Government Consultant Psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist diagnosed Lisa as

having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and referred her daughter to the

Child Psychiatrist at the Children’s Hospital. Subsequently, the Bureau of
the Sri Lanka Police where she lodged a complaint summoned her for an

inquiry and made her sign a document written in Sinhala that she was
willing to go back to her husband and live with him and give him another

chance.

She was unaware of the contents of the letter as it was not translated or

the contents of the letter or its implications were not explained to her.

While she was at the shelter, the Police started visiting the shelter and
began to torment her. Male Police Officers visited her shelter during

different times of the day and tried to enter a shelter which was meant for
women and girls. The perpetrator had his car parked and remained in it,

waiting for the victim to emerge from the shelter. The perpetrator's

relatives too were seen in the vicinity of the shelter. The staff of the
shelter and its office were targeted and harassed and information about

the victim was sought from them. Some of them resigned from their jobs.

The woman survivor was happily recovering from the trauma and was
responding well to Art Therapy. She also started a course leading to a

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