Sri Lanka has volunteered its commitment to become one of 12 Pathfinder Countries to the ‘Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children’ (GPEVAC).  As a Pathfinder country, Sri Lanka pledges to develop and implement a new strategy in line with the SDG 2030 Agenda, in order to deliver the vision of a world where all children grow up free from violence and exploitation.

As such, Sri Lanka's National Partnership to End Violence Against Children was launched on the 2^nd of June under the patronage of the Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs Chandrani Bandara, Hon. Deputy Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife Sumeda Jayasena, Board Member of the GPEVAC Prof. Savitri Goonasekere and many dignitaries including the Attorney General- President's Counsel Jayantha Chandrasiri Jayasuriya, Secretaries, of many Ministries, the United Nations Resident Coordinator Ms. Una Maccauley and the UNICEF Sri Lanka Representative Tim Sutton. 

Emeritus Professor of Law Prof. Savitri Goonesekere delivered the keynote address at the event stressing on the responsibility of the state towards our children. As a Board Member of the GPEVAC she also shed light on how Sri Lanka’s role as a pathfinder country comes with an added responsibility to live up to its commitments. 

The launch was followed by an expert panel discussion on violence against children in Sri Lanka which was moderated by the Director - Public Affairs, Policy and Advocacy of the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka Ms. Madu Dissanayake. The opening remarks of the discussion were made by Prof. Gameela Samarasinghe of the Department of Sociology of the University of Colombo highlighting the key issues and recommendations in the Country Discussion paper on Preventing Violence against Children in Sri Lanka. 

Senior Lecturer at the Open University of Sri Lanka Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Ms. Ambika Satkulanathan, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology of the University of Colombo Dr. Farzana Haniffa, and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Colombo Prof. Piyanjali De Zoysa were the speakers at the discussion.  

The national partnership presents an historic opportunity to unite behind a national movement to protect our most precious asset –our children.