Media conference held on the 03rd August 2021 explaning the contents of the letter sent to the president of Sri Lanka by the Bishop of Kandy and his priests regarding the death of Ishalini and exploitation of children of the plantation sector.
“As the Bishop and Priests in the Catholic Diocese of Kandy (Central Province), we were very saddened and shocked to hear about the death of 16-year-old girl Ishalini, a parishioner of St. Anthony’s Church, Dayagama in our diocese. It is our firm conviction that a young girl like Ishalini should have been in school and not as a domestic worker in an unfamiliar setting without any protection mechanisms. It is a shame on us as Sri Lankans, including the present and previous governments, that Ishalini’s parents were in debt and an economic situation that compelled them to send a young daughter as a domestic worker”.
Bishop of Kandy in his letter made 07 demands on behalf of the tea plantation community.
This was stated in the letter sent by the Bishop of Kandy, Rt. Rev. Dr. Vianney Fernando and his priests of the diocese to his excellency the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The contents of the letter s was explained during the Media conference held on the 03rd August 2021 at the Human Rights Office in Kandy along with Frs. Nandana Manatunga, Ivan Jayasundara, Surendra Pragash & Fr. Christy Paul.
