Some Christian schoolchildren in Sri Lanka, especially children of non-traditional church pastors, are targeted by both bullies and teachers for their faith, according to a study by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, Christian Daily International reported.
Between 2023 and 2025, the NCEASL found multiple incidents of religious freedom violations against children of minority religions in the majority Buddhist country, including discriminatory practices, acts of intimidation and physical violence, often linked to religious tension in the localities, according to the alliance recent report, “Growing Up Believing: Exploring Children’ Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Sri Lanka.”
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The study found Christian children face “bullying from peers and targeting by teachers, with children of pastors of non-traditional churches being more vulnerable to discrimination and bullying. This includes teachers scolding Christian students for attending church, forbidding them from reading their Bibles during breaks, and making them attend school on Sundays.”
In one incident, a student was coerced into participating in non-Christian rituals at school and threatened by teachers with expulsion for refusing, the report notes.
Apart from school, in some of the incidents of violence against Christians, children were indirect victims when their parents or churches were targeted. In one incident in 2025, non-Christian religious leaders who demanded a pastor’s church be discontinued in Hambantota District subjected his 12-year-old son to intimidation when he was alone at home, the report stated.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Edward Ross and originally published by Christian Daily International.
