"අස්වාභාවික​" සමලිංගික ඇසුරක් ද? බාල වයස් ලිංගික අපයෝජනයක් ද​?

Abstract

On 8th February 2024, Mawbima and Dinamina newspapers reported an incident involving a 14-year-old underage boy who went missing during the Kandy Perahera and was later found in the company of a 24-year-old man. Both publications emphasised that the individuals were in a homosexual relationship, with Dinamina further describing this as "unnatural behaviour." However, both newspapers failed to address the issue of statutory rape that occurred in this incident, instead choosing to focus on the individuals' sexual orientation. Such reporting may trivialise the gravity of the crime and contribute to the stigmatisation of the LGBTQIA+ community.