She revealed this yesterday (17) at the Evidence-Based Policy Making Forum held under the theme of "Every child has a right to be happy,healthy,protected and loved." at Sri Lanka Institute for Development Administration (SLIDA) premises.

The Forum was organized by the School of Postgraduate Studies of SLIDA in collaboration with the Ministry of Child and Women Affairs.

Addressing the occasion, she further said that the number of abuse cases reported last year was around 10,000 and the non-reported cases may be higher than this alarming number. Efforts are also underway to raise awareness around issues of violence, to improve service delivery, to strengthen reporting and data gathering systems and to work with the Ministry of Justice to expedite cases of child abuse, she added.

Dr. Sepali Sudasinghe, the Senior Consultant of SLIDA and a large number of officers from SLIDA and the Ministry of Child and Women Affairs also participated on the occasion.