Women’s Commission Takes Suo Motu Cognisance Of Allegation Of Rape Against Kerala Church Priests

The National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of allegation of rape and sexual exploitation against five priests of the Kottayam-based Malankara Orthodox Church, Business Standard has reported.

According to the daily’s report, the commission has said that it is closely monitoring the developments in the case.

Last week, victim's husband had complained that at least five priests sexually assaulted his wife for almost 20 years. The case came to light when when an audio clip of her husband complaining to a church official was posted online.

According to reports, the women was forced by a priest as a teenager in the 1990s. When she confessed to a second priest, he allegedly blackmailed her into sex. This cycle of abuse and blackmail continued for years, the victim has said.

"The main culprit, the Father, promised to marry her and continued to manipulate her. The Father was a student at that time. Even after finishing his seminary and becoming a priest, he continued the same pattern. Even after we got married in 2006, the priest continued to sexually abuse my wife, blackmail her, saying that he would tell me everything. I got to know all this only in February," NDTV quoted the the victim’s husband as saying.

NCW member Rekha Sharma, who met the victim at her house, said it was unfortunate that the priests have misused their position.

"It's to be noted that one of the accused passed on the information to the other accused about the victim. I will be calling them as hooligans, as they have misused their position. We will ask the head of the Church why these things are happening," Sharma was quoted as saying by the Business Standard.