Touristโs Video Highlights Uncomfortable Encounter in Sri Lanka
A tourist named Hugh shared a video of an uncomfortable encounter during his visit to Sri Lanka. He first approached a woman for his video and took a photo with her to showcase Sri Lanka and its tea culture. After this, she asked him for money, saying she had a five-year-old child. Hugh gave her 500, but she then asked for more. As the interaction continued, she began touching him in ways that were unwanted and inappropriate, which made him clearly uncomfortable. He repeatedly asked her to stop and tried to leave the situation. Later, Hugh said he avoids giving money because it often leads to repeated demands, describing the experience as distressing and disrespectful.
@Dr_HariniA@Lakmali89 Given how widely this clip has circulated internationally, I urge you to use it as a precedent to ensure justice is delivered - not just for this case, but also:
2700+ sexual harassment cases reported annually.
130,000 domestic violence complaints.
1 in 4 women experiencing physical or sexual violence.
Most abusers are known to their victims.
Expedite the cases. There is a backlog that is awaiting some form of justice.
@gayaradesilva You are absolutely right on all of it. But while you rant about it, please also push the official media to take more of a role in this case so that we push the justice system to make an example out of this instance for the sake of all who experience #SexualHarassment in #SriLanka
Public Harassment Data that is so ugly and should be spoken about more:
90% of Sri Lankan women and girls report experiencing sexual harassment.
97% of perpetrators were male.
This is not โrandom.โ
This is not โisolated.โ
This is systemic.
https://t.co/I6b0WO0bXy
@SL_PoliceMedia This happened in September and police complaint made then. The victim basically forced the police to do something by putting it on social media. Would she have done so if the police acted promptly? Shit show by the police.
@SL_PoliceMedia This happened in September and police complaint made then. The victim basically forced the police to do something by putting it on social media. Would she have done so if the police acted promptly? Shit show by the police.
@Nizzmek@SL_PoliceMedia It's not him who tarnishes the name of the country, but people like you who value the name of the country more than what that barbaric act did to the mental state of that innocent woman!
#EndSexualHarassment
1/
This video is not just disturbing โ itโs revealing.
A foreign woman travelling alone in her tuk is stopped by a man on a scooter
He asks her for sex
Then he exposes himself
He does it with the confidence of someone who expects nothing will happen to him
https://t.co/tDdM00zKi5
3/
@SriLankaPolice
You have a video.
You have a face.
You have a crime.
There is no ambiguity.
No delays. No โinternal inquiryโ excuses.
This case must be pursued publicly โ identification, arrest, and charges.
This needs to set a precedent.
#lka#lk#SriLanka#WomensRights
@Katalyst_Off @MemeKingc Sadly it isn't so. #SexualHarassment has been normalised in #SriLanka by men in authority and sadly women too; a popular female journalist ended her letter to the public with the word #HARASSMENT but focuses the entire letter on the country's image instead
https://t.co/wKDd7NrMG8
๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐๐๐ฃ, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง-๐๐ฃ-๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐ค๐ง, ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐จ.
My dear Sri Lankans,
Last week, Sri Lanka went viral and sadly, for all the wrong reasons. A friend sent me a video that was spreading rapidly on Instagram. It showed a female tourist driving a tuk-tuk in the Arugam Bay area, filming herself, most likely for TikTok. Minutes into her ride, she said she was being followed by a local man on a motorbike. When she pulled over, he stopped too and walked right up to her while the camera was still rolling.
What happened next was nothing short of disgraceful.
The man who was a complete pervert, because there is no softer word for him, asked her if she wanted sex. When she firmly said no, he simply wouldnโt accept it. He unzipped his shorts, exposed himself, and made lewd gestures, trying to lure her. Shocked and frightened, the tourist quickly drove away, warning her viewers to beware of such Sri Lankans. She later posted the full video online, and within hours, it spread across the world.
The police are now searching for him, but by the time he is caught, the damage to our countryโs image will already be done. Once again, Sri Lanka has been shamed by one manโs disgusting behaviour.
We constantly hear that tourism is our biggest hope for economic recovery. We hear about campaigns, promotions, marketing strategies, and new plans. But there is an uncomfortable truth we keep avoiding. No amount of glossy advertising can save our tourism industry if our behaviour keeps driving visitors away.
Yes, the government must do its part. But so must we as the ordinary citizens. The people who meet tourists on the roads, in restaurants, on the beaches, in taxis and tuk-tuks. We cannot keep pretending that tourism is something only the government must fix while we ignore whatโs happening right in front of us.
Letโs start with the word many avoid using and that is HARASSMENT.
Read full article: https://t.co/CQX2X1PNNU
#dailymirrorlk #dmonline #srilanka #SriLankaNews
@LazeenahS 2/
This is what I meant by leverage!
Check out the views and comments on this post that I reposted (I hope you do the same):
https://t.co/pUMnkMKhoy
@LazeenahS Your concern is valid. The issue is locals rarely report harassment due to fear of social shamingโwhich in itself is WRONG!!
Cases like this, publicly documented, create leverage to force the government and institutions to act decisively against such crimes.
@ExtremeSD1 @udendra It is because our country has unintelligent people like you that our country doesn't prosper! The public is foolish not to take action! We MUST #EndSexualHarassment
@NewsWireLK@WomenSlK@WINSriLanka@werc_sl 2/
Also, look into why authorities seemed to have not taken any action on this case until the video was posted on social media!
@anuradisanayake@Dr_HariniA you want something worthwhile to talk about on public podiums; this is it! Not the banter between the opposition and you!!