It turns out that people like Nithyananda not only exist in India but around the world. A recent case in Brazil brings to light how these apparent ‘God-men’ are just sexual abusers in disguise, so much so that even a five-year-old is not spared.
Sexual abuse is definitely a horrendous crime, and is extremely traumatising but is sadly not an uncommon phenomenon. We have seen cases in past and won’t be surprised if new ones come up. That’s how bad a state we are in.
The Case In Brazil
The accused is a fifty-four-year-old priest, Father Joao da Silva who also happens to take English classes for children. It is through these classes that the father found his victim.
The five-year-old girl was traumatised to an extent that her parents took her to a psychologist when they noticed her troubled and refused to attend her classes. The psychologist suggested that there are chances of sexual harassment, and the parents should look for signs. They did find evidence but in the most shocking way possible.
The girl probably did not understand, and hence could not explain what had been done to her, but she did manage to draw it out. Hidden among her books were six drawings that showed how the girl had been abused, and details of the pleasure the priest got, and the pain the girl went through were clearly depicted.
The priest is currently in custody and is being interrogated. Surprisingly, the priest has confessed to the crime.
Going by the Brazilian Penal Code, the priest might be imprisoned for eight to twelve years and the girl is left scared for the rest of her life. It is sad that no compensation can ever be made for such sexual abuses.
Moreover, what is disturbing is the kind of support these God-men acquire over the years, and how that acts as a protective covering for them to take the liberty to misuse and abuse their followers. Sadly, this is not something that happens in one or two countries, but incidents like these tend to flash on our news feed almost on a regular message. This is an alarming message to the kind of blind-faith that exists in the society.
What’s surprising is how easily such incidents are silenced, and this serves as a major advantage for God-men like Father Joao da Silva to continue to do what they do, with immense financial and public support.
When one thinks of it, questions like “What made you do it?” will often go unanswered, and we are always left with assumptions. It was probably her innocence or even her age, or maybe she just deserved it. Imagine the things a five-year-old girl could have possibly done to provoke a fifty-four-year-old man.
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