Church In The ‘Spotlight’: Woman Alleges Sexual Abuse By Shillong ‘Brothers’ Since The Age Of Five 

As the #MeToo campaign spreads to different parts of the country, a woman from Meghalaya has now named two priests from a Catholic Church, accusing them of sexual abuse. She claimed, in a Facebook post, that Br Francis Gale of the Christian Brothers and Br Muscat of Don Bosco sexually abused her since she was a five-year-old kid.

On sharing the story with a family member when she was young, she was humiliated and ridiculed. Since then, the victim has attempted suicide thrice. She claims that her poor background made it easy for the predators masquerading as priests to cover-up any cases from becoming public.

This abuse happened until she started menstruating, at the age of 12. She refused to meet the priests since then, scared of being impregnated, The Indian Express reported. The abuse occurred while she lived in Shillong.

She was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, “He would call victims to his side of the table. While we chose toffees from the drawers, he would slide his hands up our thighs. The #MeToo has triggered a lot of distress, but it also brings me hope and belief that justice will come. I do hope that in some small way, my story will make perpetrators feel less empowered to abuse with impunity.”