Second autopsy: Focus on sex abuse

As protests continue demanding justice for the maid who worked at former minister Rishad Bathuideen's Colombo residence and died of burn injuries, her body was exhumed on Friday for a second post-mortem examination at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital yesterday.

The exhumation followed a court order after a state counsel told Colombo's

Magistrate that a second autopsy was necessary to determine the period during which the 16-year-old maid was sexually abused.

Following a B report moved by the State Counsel at the Colombo Magistrate's Court, the Director General of Health Services was directed to appoint a three-member committee comprising pathologists to conduct a second autopsy on the body.

The grave which was under police watch at the Dayagama West cemetery

was opened up in the presence of Colombo Medical Faculty Professor Jean Perera, Colombo University's Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department Head Dr. Sameera Gunewardena and JMO Dr Prabath Senasinghe and the body was taken to the Peradeniya Teaching hospital.

In this backdrop, civil society groups, especially women and child rights organisations and plantation workers, continued their protests across the country on Friday and yesterday demanding justice for the girl. They called on the Government to protect female domestic workers and take steps to eliminate child labour.

The protests were carried out in Hatton, Dickoya, Vavuniya Batticoloa, Balangoda and Bogantalalwa.

Last week, the maid's family members handed over a petition to the Human Rights Commission seeking justice.

Meanwhile, police investigators have tracked down eleven domestic aides who had worked at Mr. Bathuideen's household since 2010.

Police in Colombo and suburbs this week carried out raids on suspected households which employed underage children as domestic aides. The raids were carried out based on public complaints.

Police said those who want to give information can contact them on their hotline 0112433333.