Secret photos of daughter, heavily armed police, helplessness: a family’s three-week trip to Sri Lanka came to an abrupt end. The girl has even been in therapy since then.
Dream beaches, picturesque landscapes, gigantic temples: on paper, the island state of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean offers everything a (holidaymaker) heart desires. But for a family from the Vienna Woods, the journey there turned into a nightmare. She had to leave early and her youngest daughter (13) has needed therapeutic help ever since.
Photos of underage girls
But what was the trigger? “My daughter was playing at the pool when she noticed a group of drunks from India pulling out their cell phones and specifically taking pictures of women and underage girls in bikinis,” says the father (43). The 13-year-old also became an involuntary subject for photos.
The Lower Austrians immediately reported the incidents to the reception. “Unfortunately, we were ignored for a long time and the police were called far too late,” says the father of two. Finally, heavily armed men in uniform stood in the foyer. “They treated us like perpetrators, we had to hand in our passports and were interrogated in a windowless room. “My daughter was completely at her wits’ end and was traumatized,” says the man.
“As paralyzed”
Six hours later, at least one report was filed. From that moment on, however, they felt like prisoners in the hotel – constantly accompanied by a ‘guard’. “It was unbearable. When we saw the Indian men sitting at the breakfast table in a good mood the next day, my daughter became paralyzed. We just wanted to get away,” says the 43-year-old, who then flew home with his family ten days earlier than planned at his own expense. He has since contacted lawyers, the ministry and the embassy. “It’s a huge mess what happened here!”
The Lower Austrian also holds the travel agency responsible: “It cannot be the case that rooms in a family hotel are given to a group of men who only stay there to party and harass women and children.”
The hardships are not over yet
But the family’s hardships are not over, even in the Vienna Woods. “My daughter needs rest and extensive psychotherapy to process what she has been through. And if we are unlucky, we will have to go back to Sri Lanka for the ongoing trials,” the father said.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
