Ninety three percent (1,717) out of all reported cases have been solved and investigations into the other incidents are ongoing,, he added.

ASP Gunasekara said that the victims of 1,501 incidents were girls under the age of 16 years and that 1,209 out of them had willingly engaged in intimate relationships.

However, he stressed, an intimate sexual relationship with a girl under the age of 16 is an offense: According to Section 363 (e) of the Penal Code as amended by Act. No. 22 of 1995, in cases where the girl is below the age of 16, sexual intercourse with consent is also considered rape. Proof of the act of intercourse is sufficient to prove rape.

In the case of Muslims, the law on statutory rape is not applicable to a person legally married under the age of 16 years who engages in sexual intercourse with her husband. Since the legal age of marriage is now 18 years for all Sri Lankans, this exception is only applicable to Muslims.

Society as a whole should take responsibility for this situation, especially the parents should be more careful about their children, the Spokesman said.