The rape of women in any country in any part of the world is the demise of freedom and above all- dignity. They are not only the jewel in a democracy, rather the jewellery that decorates a country.
Women are to be respected, not to be commoditised or pulverised. But in India, just how safe women are can be simply measured by gazing past the newspapers that carry any related reports.
Chances are- and truth be told- there may not be a day in the world’s largest democracy where some women or girl- age doesn’t matter to the vile abusers- is not torn apart, her dignity splintered to tatters by men who think of women as objects. So shocking is the state of affairs in a country boosted by its economic enterprise that even priests and those associated with the churches are involved in shaming the women.
In case your heart isn’t filled with remorse yet, this piece of news may do that within seconds. Two of four priests from India have been nabbed by the police in charges related to rape.
Of the four that have involved in the crime, two, in fact, handed themselves over to the police. At this moment of time, the land of Ayurveda, boat houses and, plenty of coconuts- the culturally vivacious land of Kerala isn’t the happiest place in India, truth be told.
At present, an intense police questioning and a probing session are taking place in Kerala in order to establish the true extent of the damage wrecked in Kerala. Here’s the most shocking perspective about the treacherous crime.
Not only was the woman raped first, but was blackmailed later on. There’s a high possibility that the woman was repeatedly raped. The victim is 32-years-old. One can already understand the extent of mental suffering endured by the sufferer.
At this moment, though, the fourth priest is yet to be found by the police and is alleged to be on the run. And that is again, not the only shocking perspective about the latest incident of rape in India.
The woman is married and when her husband initially found out about the shocking incident that rocked his wife’s life in February, the case finally found some wheels in motion. There were threats and blackmails that were constantly rubbed against the already aggrieved. One’s ought to wonder- can things get any worse for someone who is already suffering?
Apparently, after an audio clip containing the voice of the husband of the rape victim and a church official went viral, the police registered a complaint.
According to the latest revelations in the investigation, “Consent obtained through blackmail is rape.” Upon finding the shocking truth about what had happened to his wife, the husband even complained to the church officials.
There was nothing that they would do to come to his and his wife’s rescue. One can only wonder what might have gone in the hearts and minds of the couple? The concerned church in the incident is known to be the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church whose priests, it is now clear, are involved in the heinous crime.
At the same time, an internal inquiry has also been initiated by the said church. Thankfully, at least, at some point in time, the church has gotten serious about a crime that’s jarred the life of an innocent, which leaves one to wonder what took the so-called benevolent institute of faith so long so as to initiate some course of action?
The most dramatic part of this case, albeit also the most shocking one isn’t simply about the rape; rather when had the crime first begun. The 32-year-old Kerala woman first experienced the grave crime when she was only about 16. Would you believe that?
The following has been unearthed according to the police complaint.
One among the four priests had allegedly started sexually abusing the woman when she was 16, the act would continue well into the later years. BBC published the following on its website:
“When she told another priest about this during confession, he allegedly blackmailed her into performing sexual acts in exchange for telling no-one about the abuse she had suffered.
The woman said she was subsequently raped by two other priests to whom she had turned for help. She said both threatened to shame her publicly if she did not have sex with them.