Identifying Sri Lanka’s Societal ills – Who are promoting – who are victims & the dangerous outcomes if not addressed

 

Below is a compilation of statistics publicly available covering all the current ills of society which are being presented as “normal” and promoted to make profit for those selling or tasked to promote immorality. The statistics cover substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, prostitution/sex industry, pornography/online harms, smoking, alcohol, crime/domestic abuse, social‑media influences. The outcomes are also shown as well as the role of Family, School, Religious, Government, Institution (NGO / Health / Law Enforcement / Private sector) and measures for media accountability & funder transparency.

 

Multiple data sources show rising harms across drugs, HIV cases linked to LGBTQIA promotion, online sexual exploitation, alcohol‑related deaths, youth smoking/addiction and crimes against women & children.

 

The pattern:

digital exposure + substance access + weakened family cohesion + poor enforcement → accelerated youth vulnerability, public‑health burden, social fragmentation and long‑term economic cost.

 

If no action is taken: within 5–10 years Sri Lanka faces a generational health, social‑cohesion and productivity crisis. Immediate multi‑sector action is required.

 

The situation is worse than terrorism.

 

1. Domestic Abuse & Family Violence

 

• According to theSri Lanka Police Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Women and Children (2024), there were over 85,000 complaints of domestic violence and child abuse recorded between 2021–2024, marking a 22% increase compared to the pre-COVID period (2017–2019).

• TheDepartment of Police (Crime Statistics 2024) reported that around 30 women are assaulted by partners or family members daily, on average.

• TheMinistry of Women, Child Affairs & Social Empowerment (2023) noted that 1 in 3 women in Sri Lanka has experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner during her lifetime. (UNFPA Sri Lanka, “Violence Against Women National Study”, 2023)

• Child Protection Authority data (2023)recorded 11,258 child cruelty and neglect cases, of which 4,129 involved physical abuse within homes.

 

Trend:

• Reports rising annually by 5–7%, linked toeconomic hardship, alcohol abuse, unemployment, and increased stress following the pandemic and financial crisis (2022–2024).

 

If No Action Is Taken:

• Disintegration of family cohesion, normalization of violence
• Psychological traumaamong children manifesting as aggression, truancy, or substance abuse.
• Cycle of violencerepeated across generations, with increased social instability and public-health costs.

 

Solutions:

• Family Level:Early-stage counseling, awareness on healthy conflict resolution, community vigilance.
• School Level:Incorporate empathy, communication, and non-violence modules in civics/health curricula.
• Religious Level:Regular sermons on compassion, family duties, and forgiveness; temple/church/mosque family counseling.
• Government Level:Full enforcement of the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (No. 34 of 2005),
• Institutional Level:Workplace anti-harassment training, victim-support leave policies, referral links to counseling services.

 

Sources:

1. Sri Lanka Police,Crime Statistics Report, 2024.
2. National Child Protection Authority,Annual Report, 2023.
3. Ministry of Women, Child Affairs & Social Empowerment, 2023.

 

1. Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking)

• TheNational Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) reported a record 111,807 drug-related arrests in 2023, a 35% increase compared to 2021. (NDDCB Annual Report 2023)
• Heroinand methamphetamine (Ice) accounted for nearly 72% of all drug seizures, showing a strong shift toward synthetic substances. (Sri Lanka Police – Drug Raids Statistics 2023)
• TheWorld Health Organization (WHO – Country Profile 2023) noted that 8% of Sri Lankan males and 1.5% of females are regular alcohol users, with youth consumption rising steadily.
• Tobacco and smoking:According to the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), 1% of adults smoke regularly, while 12% of schoolboys aged 15–19 have tried cigarettes at least once. (Global Youth Tobacco Survey – Sri Lanka 2022)
• TheMinistry of Education (2024) acknowledged a notable rise in student suspensions due to possession or use of intoxicants near schools in Colombo, Gampaha, and Kurunegala districts.
• Underage drinkingis increasing — a 2023 UNICEF youth health survey found 11% of teens aged 13–17consume alcohol monthly, mostly at peer gatherings or family functions.
• Over 230,000 school children in Colombo District addicted to drugs – prisons official”

 

Trend:

• Substance abuse nowcrosses social classes, driven by music videos, social media, and online drug marketing.
• Increasing number offemale and student arrests for possession of “Ice” — a previously adult male-dominated trend.
• School-based detectionof drugs doubled between 2021 and 2024. (Ministry of Education Drug Monitoring Division, 2024)

 

If No Action Is Taken:

• Surge indrug-related crimes, theft, and gang recruitment.
• Higher suicide and self-harm rateslinked to substance-induced depression.
• Public health burdenincreases from liver, heart, and respiratory diseases.
• Collapse of workplace productivity and family stability due to addiction.

 

Solutions:

• Family:Open dialogue on addiction, monitor social circles, model sobriety.
• Schools:Anti-drug clubs, peer mentoring, collaboration with NDDCB education units.
• Religious Institutions:Faith-based rehabilitation and youth recovery initiatives.
• Government:Stricter regulation of alcohol/tobacco marketing; expansion of public rehabilitation centers and rural outreach especially media & social media/activists.
• Institutions:Enforce zero-tolerance drug policies; provide counseling and employee-assistance programs.

 

Sources:

1. National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB),Annual Report 2023.
2. Sri Lanka Police,Drug Raids and Arrest Statistics 2023.
3. World Health Organization,Country Alcohol and Drug Use Profile – Sri Lanka 2023.
4. National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA),National Survey 2022.
5. UNICEF,Youth Health Behaviour Survey – Sri Lanka 2023.
6. Ministry of Education,School Safety and Substance Monitoring Report 2024.

 

1. Pornography, Prostitution & Sexual Exploitation

 

• In 2023 alone, more than100,000 pieces of child-pornography material were produced and released on the internet in Sri Lanka, according to the Acting IGP.
• The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received8,746 complaints in 2024, including 580 sexual abuse cases of children, among which 25 cases involved sexual exploitation for commercial purposes.
• Data from the first half of 2024 show1,016 cases of cruelty to children (a 41% increase over same period 2023). Sexual harassment cases among children rose to 403, including 37 cases of grave digital sexual abuse (distribution of nude photos etc).
• Online sex-industry reports: The media reports dozens of websites/mobile apps openly advertising hundreds of paid sex services daily, including with women aged 18-27 and “some underage girls”.
• A survey referenced in the 2023 UPR report found that over28% of children have experienced “online violence” (receiving indecent messages/links) in Sri Lanka. 

 

Trend:

• The illicit trade has shifted from traditional venues (spas, brothels) to encrypted online platforms, live-streaming and mobile apps, making regulation harder.
• The rise in child-sexual-exploitation materials correlates with the increase in smartphone/internet access and unsupervised online time among children.

 

If No Action Is Taken:

• Child exploitation, trafficking, sexual crime will increase, particularly via digital channels.
• Mental-health damage, desensitisation to sex, premature sexualisation of youth, distorted intimate relationships – social incurable diseases
• Erosion of family trust and moral norms, increasing public-health and legal-system burden.
• Breakdown of society at all levels.

 

Solutions:

• Family Level:Supervised internet/device use; moral discussion about sexuality; clear media boundaries.
• School Level:Online safety education; values-based sexual-education integrated with consent, respect, digital hygiene, no CSE-LGBTQIA promotion.
• Religious Bodies:Reinforce the sanctity of marriage, chastity, respect for human dignity; community awareness.
• Government Level:Enact & enforce robust cyber-laws (including age filters, damaging content takedowns); strengthen child-protection agencies; require platforms to report child-sexual-abuse materials.
• Institutional Level:Media watchdog partnerships; corporate policies blocking exploitative content; promote safe-internet certification for schools and youth-services.

 

Sources:

1. Over 100,000 child-porn releases in 2023 — Acting IGP.
2. NCPA complaints 2024 – 8,746 total, 580 sexual abuse, 25 commercial exploitation.
3. Child cruelty & cyber-harassment first half 2024: 1,016 cruelty; 403 sexual harassment; 37 grave digital abuse.
4. Online sex-trade intensifying via websites/apps advertising pay-services.
5. 28% of children experienced online violence (indecent messages/links) per UPR report.

 

1. Social Media Influence & Ideological Indoctrination

• According to the “DataReportal – Digital 2025: Sri Lanka” report, there were approximately20 million social media user identities in Sri Lanka in January 2025, equivalent to ~35.4% of the total population.
• The same DataReportal report shows that there were ~12.4 million internet users in Sri Lanka at the start of 2025, giving an online penetration of about 53.6%.
• Research for youth (ages 15‑29) indicates that7% of that age group can be considered “active internet users” (daily usage) in Sri Lanka.
• A survey of youth in the 15‑29 age group found that6% of them reported using the internet in order to access social media platforms.
• The Census & Statistics Department (CSD) report states that digital literacy among youth aged 20‑24 in 2024 was7%, among ages 15‑19 it was 91.6% and ages 25‑29 90.5%.

 

Trend:

• The digital and social‑media footprint among youth is large and growing, making the environment vulnerable to external ideological influence targeting identity, culture, gender and consumerism. Youth vulnerable to be fooled into variety of scams & immoral activities presented as “modern”/”fashionable”
• With youth daily access high and digital literacy strong, the channels for exposure to foreign ideas and value systems are increasingly open.
• The combination of unsupervised access, fast‑moving platforms and globalised content means ideological messages (including around gender identity, lifestyle, consumer culture) can bypass traditional cultural filters.

 

If No Action Is Taken:

• Youth risk losing national identity and cultural grounding, as foreign ideologies may gain greater influence via social platforms.
• There may be a rise in mental‑health issues among youth: comparison anxiety, insecurity, rebellion, self‑harm – tied to high online engagement and exposure to conflicting value systems.
• Imported ideological confusion (e.g., gender identity debates, normalisation of non‑traditional lifestyles) may gain traction without being contextualised within local culture and values.
• The accumulation of these risks erodes family, community and national solidarity, and increases vulnerability to external ideological influence.

 

Solutions:

• Family Level:Promote media literacy at home; set clear device and screen‑time limits; encourage discussions about identity, culture, purpose and values in the digital age. Make them understand the dangerous outcome. Show examples of how young lives have got ruined.

• School Level: Introduce a critical thinking curriculum; teach digital hygiene, online‑safety and value‑based identity education; equip students to recognise ideological influence and peer‑pressure.

 

• Religious Bodies / Community Level: Teach clarity of purpose and identity grounded in moral codes and local cultural/religious heritage; convene youth forums on identity and digital citizenship.

• Government Level: Develop and implement digital‑ethics regulations; oversee online content oversight (especially foreign‑funded/ideologically‑driven content); support local digital platforms that promote national culture and values even “experts” who are now appearing on both state & private media to promote the same advocacy terms that fooled youth in the West.

• Institutional Level:Promote national digital platforms and safe online ecosystems; encourage universities, NGOs and youth‑programmes to collaborate on digital literacy and identity‑resilience.

• Media Regulation: Monitor and regulate external funding and influence streaming into social‑media platforms that promote ideological messages inconsistent with national culture; require transparency of foreign funding of digital campaigns; promote public‑service content that reinforces national identity, culture and values.

 

Sources:

1. “Digital 2025: Sri Lanka” – DataReportal.
2. “New Media Culture enables Digital Identities of Youth in Sri Lanka” – research from LDJF.
3. Youth internet/socia­l‑media usage (ages 15‑29) report.
4. CSD digital‑literacy statistics report (2024).

 

1. Decline in Marriage, Divorce & Falling Birth Rates

 

Current Data (Sri Lanka):
• In 2022, there were 171,140 marriages registered.
• In 2023, the number of marriages fell to 151,356.
• In 2024, marriages further dropped to 139,290.
• Births in 2023 were around 247,900.
• Live births in 2024 were recorded at 220,761.
The birth‑rate has been falling sharply: from about 328,400 in 2018 to 220,761 in 2024 (approx. one‑third decline).

 

Trend:

• Young adults are increasingly opting out of marriage or delaying it, influenced by economic strain (cost of weddings, housing, child‑rearing which are being promoted to discourage marriage & family) and also by shifting cultural/ideological norms (greater individualism, Western‑style independence).

 

• The falling birth‑rate reflects not only fewer marriages but also smaller family size preferences, delayed child‑bearing, and possibly increased uncertainties (economic, social, migration) reducing fertility.
• Together the decline in marriages + births point to demographic transition pressures: fewer new family units forming, fewer children being born, and a growing share of older dependents. This is prevalent among Sinhalese & Tamil families only.

 

If No Action Is Taken:

• Population decline risk, shrinking workforce, potential labour shortages and higher elder‐dependency burden as fewer young people replace older generations.
• Erosion of traditional family values and structures, increased loneliness, weaker interpersonal support networks, and potential rise in social isolation among unmarried or childless adults.
• Weakening of national identity and demographic stability: with fewer new families and children, social cohesion may be impacted, and the country may face a demographic drag on growth and resilience.

 

Solutions:

 

• Family Level:Encourage conversations about the value of early marriage (within reason) and family responsibility; provide support for couples to marry and form families (financial planning, counselling).

 

• School Level:Integrate life‑skills education covering family, parenting, responsibility, the benefits of stable partnerships and raising children; make students aware of demographic trends and choices.

 

• Religious Level:Offer marriage‑preparation courses and community matchmaking initiatives; mobilise faith communities to support young couples and reinforce family formation as a valued choice.

 

• Government Level: Provide family‑friendly incentives — for example housing subsidies for married couples, childcare support, tax relief for families with children; promote policies that make marriage and family‑building economically feasible.

 

• Institutional Level:Encourage workplaces to adopt family‑friendly policies (flexible working, parental leave, childcare support); institutions (universities, NGOs) to promote positive family narratives.

 

• Media Regulation: Monitor and restrict anti‑family, anti‑marriage narratives and foreign‑funded ideological messaging that undermines traditional family structures; encourage media content that affirms marriage, parenting and inter‑generational continuity.

 

1. Crime, Domestic Abuse & Public Disorder

 

• In 2024, approximately 130,000 complaintsof domestic violence were registered — this includes violence in the home and related family‑abuse cases.
• In 2023, there were 2,252 reported casesof sexual harassment against women (including incidents in‑home, online, public transport) and many more suspected to be unreported.
• Drug‑related crime is rising: for example, in 2022 around 152,979 personswere arrested for drug‑related offences — representing a 13 % increase amid the economic crisis.
• In a household survey on perceptions of personal/family security, 0%cited “drunken disorder” and 31.2% cited “drug distribution and sale” as causes of insecurity in Sri Lanka.

 

Trend:

• The data show increasing domestic abuse and sexual‑violence complaints, suggesting weakening respect for law enforcement and protective systems.
• Drug‑use and related arrests rising indicate that poverty, economic stress and social‑dislocation are feeding crime and public‑disorder.
• Social media and online platforms are increasingly cited in harassment incidents (online locations noted in the sexual‑harassment breakdown) — suggesting the digital sphere is contributing to the problem.
• Community trust in protective institutions may be eroding as issues persist and many crimes remain under‑reported and unresolved.

 

If No Action Is Taken:

• A spiral into lawlessness: increasing criminal offences will undermine safety, public trust, and the rule of law.
• Erosion of moral authority — households and communities may lose confidence in protective structures; social cohesion could weaken.
• Communities may become fragmented, vigilantism or informal justice could rise, and the burden on policing, health and welfare systems will increase.

 

Solutions:

• Community Level: Encourage neighbourhood vigilance groups, citizen‑watch programmes, community policing partnerships, local safe‑spaces for victims.
• Religious/Community Bodies: Teach civic virtue, moral conduct, respect for law, compassion for victims; mobilise places of worship and community centres as safe‑havens and educational hubs.
• Government Level: Strengthen policing — with community collaboration, victim‑support services, better training (especially for gender‑based violence and domestic abuse), improved drug rehabilitation and prevention programmes.
• Institutional Level: Ethics training in all institutions (schools, workplaces, civic organisations); programmes promoting social responsibility, pro‑social behaviour, and intervention for at‑risk youth.

 

Integrated National Response Framework

 

1. Family Level

• Restore moral instruction, discipline, and intergenerational guidance within households.
• Limit unmonitored technology use; encourage family interaction, shared meals, and discussions on values.
• Encourage mentorship by grandparents or older family members to transmit cultural and ethical knowledge.

 

1. School Level

• Integrate national ethics, civic responsibility, and social values into the curriculum.
• Reinforce positive media engagement; teach critical thinking to resist harmful ideological influence.
• Promote cultural identity and awareness of local heritage through structured activities and learning modules.

 

1. Religious Level

• Organize respective religious programs to promote family cohesion, virtue, and morality.
• Deliver sermons addressing addiction, immorality, digital corruption, and the importance of responsible behavior.
• Establish youth mentorship initiatives in collaboration with religious communities to foster moral development.

 

1. Government Level

• Enforce the Online Safety Billrigorously to regulate harmful online content.
• Establish a National Morality & Family Protection Taskforceto coordinate policy across ministries.
• Restrict the influence of foreign-funded NGOs and entities that promote ideological narratives conflicting with national values, culture, and morality.
• Immediately survey all NGOs that are promoting the above cited ills using foreign funding & take action against them.
• Immediately investigate media – social media – activists and even “experts” that are also funded to subtly promote societal ills that have been identified above.

 

1. Institutional Level

• Implement family-first corporate policies, including flexible working hours, parental support, and child-friendly programs.
• Partner with religious and civic bodies to provide moral education and community engagement initiatives.
• Encourage institutions to actively promote ethical standards, social responsibility, and youth mentorship programs.

 

1. Media & Foreign-Funded Entity Regulation

• Mandate full transparency of funding sources for media and NGOs, particularly foreign-funded entities.
• Restrict content that undermines family values, faith, or national identity; monitor ideological campaigns.
• Promote media accountability, cultural preservation, and public-service content emphasizing ethics, morality, and heritage.
• Set of society-groups at village-town-district level to monitor all locals via foreign funded NGOs promoting programs that aspire to disillusion youth & lead them astray through seemingly “innocently worded” programs.

 

Without decisive, multi-level action, Sri Lanka risks replicating Western social decay: collapsing family systems, gender confusion, child exploitation, demographic decline, and national moral erosion. These are nothing to feel proud of. Those that promoted such will disappear or make further hay from the victims.

 

Coordinated intervention from home to state level — rooted in culture, faith, and duty — is essential to protect Sri Lanka’s children and preserve its civilization.

 

Societal ills, often promoted through ideologically driven narratives, online platforms, and profit-driven exploitation, disproportionately target our youth and vulnerable communities, eroding family cohesion, moral grounding, and national identity. That is their aim. They are funded for this purpose.

 

If left unchecked, the consequences are irreversible: generational trauma, demographic decline, collapse of social trust, and the loss of cultural and ethical foundations that have sustained Sri Lankan society for centuries. The stakes are higher than any external security threat; this is a war for the moral and social survival of the nation itself.

 

The path forward demands immediate, coordinated action across families, schools, religious institutions, government, and civic organizations, rooted in our cultural heritage, ethical responsibility, and duty to future generations. Every new school curriculum that attempts to sneak changes that destroyed the youth in the West must be rejected.

 

Every level of society must act—protecting children, restoring family bonds, regulating harmful digital content, and reinforcing values that promote integrity, respect, and national cohesion.

 

Sri Lanka’s future depends not only on surviving external threats but on defending its moral and social fabric. Without decisive, multi-sector action now, we risk the slow disintegration of the very civilization we inherited. The time to act is not tomorrow—it is today.

 

Shenali D Waduge