The Communication and Media Unit and the Centre for Gender Studies of the University of Kelaniya, in collaboration with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), Sri Lanka, successfully organized a capacity-building workshop for journalists under the theme “Let’s Not Turn a Blind Eye to Child Abuse – Taking a Stand to Protect Rights.”

Held on July 7, 2025, at the Auditorium of the Staff Development Centre, University of Kelaniya, the workshop was conducted under the supervision of Senior Lecturer Saman Rajapaksha, Director of the Communication and Media Unit. The event was presided over by Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, and was conducted in parallel with the International Conference on Child Protection 2025—organized by the Centre for Gender Studies in collaboration with the NCPA and UNICEF Sri Lanka under the JURE Project—which is scheduled to be held from July 25 to 27, 2025.

The workshop aimed to empower journalists from both electronic and print media to actively engage in the protection of child rights and to avoid turning a blind eye to incidents of child abuse.

Key resource persons included Dr. Manoj Jinadasa, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya, who delivered a session on “Social Media, the Child, and the Responsibility of the Journalist”; Dr. Manoji Harishchandra, Department of Philosophy, University of Kelaniya, who spoke on “Let’s Read the Child Mind with Compassion”; and Ms. Shanika Malalgoda, Director (Planning & Information), NCPA, who presented on “Child Abuse and Media Reporting.”

The event also saw the participation of Senior Professor Anuruddhi Edirisinghe, Director of the Centre for Gender Studies; Dr. H. R. Sanika Sulochani, Deputy Director of the Centre for Gender Studies; Ms. Lakshika Menikbowa, Assistant Director (Media & Information), NCPA; representatives from the NCPA; academic staff members of the Department of Mass Communication; staff members of the Communication and Media Unit and the Centre for Gender Studies; and students from the Department of Mass Communication.