Dear Editor,

I WRITE to express my disgust that there are religious leaders who walk among us pretending that they are normal and virtuous, when in fact they are sick in their heads and are guilty of committing heinous acts of rape and sexual assault.

In recent times, there have been countless reports of sexual crimes committed by religious leaders locally, regionally and internationally. It is particularly disturbing that many of their victims are vulnerable women and children who are members of their places of worship. It is unthinkable that so many religious leaders violate their positions of trust and authority to abuse women and children who look up to them for spiritual guidance and comfort during difficult times in their lives.

Sexual abuse straddles all religions, but whether it occurs in Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhists or other faiths, it is a vile act of betrayal when perverts who are put on a pedestal by trusting religious practitioners choose to target the naive and innocent to commit depraved acts.

To me, what is even more repulsive is when these perverse religious leaders go unpunished and continue to be well respected by their church members. Worst of all, they are protected by the silence of ashamed and fearful victims and by high officials in their religious circles.

Recently, there was the scandal of a religious leader who referred to himself as a pope and who was reportedly sexually involved with a number of female adult members of his congregation with the audacity to videotape his sexual sessions.

There are other accusations out there, such as the case of a Rosignol pastor who was tried and found guilty and jailed for 40 years for raping of a child below the age of 16. Then a Muslim scholar was accused of raping nine boys while he was a teacher attached to an Islamic school.

A pandit allegedly raped a Number 60 Corentyne girl when he went to the family’s home to pray for her since she was unwell.  Another pandit was accused of raping a 16-year-old after she had gone to accompany her grandparents to a mandir in Eccles. The rape was committed under the pretext that he needed to perform a spiritual ritual on the girl.

One swami who collected large sums of money to set up ashrams in India and the United States proceeded to rape a Guyanese at a function in Trinidad. There are also stories of Jewish rabbis who have committed all kinds of sexual perversions against women, children, boys and girls.

The sexually perverse acts by some Roman Catholic priests are historical and monumental, especially against little boys. These persons have disgraced their religions and their communities. We have also seen our elderly women ages 70, 80 and 90, being raped in their homes in Guyana. Within recent times, there were incidents in Wakenaam, Bartica and Georgetown. These atrocious acts are committed by youthful persons. The victims often wait years before they are ready to speak. They are too ashamed, or confused, or afraid of not being believed. But eventually they tell someone, and once they start speaking, some cannot stop.

Sexual crimes are a disease in our society and the laws must be changed, so that the perpetrators are punished severely. I am also calling for a serious approach by society with a  national register of sexual perverts who have served time in prison. Their homes must be marked or a visible sign be placed on the fence or the lawns for easy viewing by the public, bearing the offender’s name and the words, “Sexual Predator Lives Here”.

The police in the respective communities should also have photos posted at their stations if a convicted sexual pervert lives in their jurisdiction. Further, if these people are changing their addresses, then the police must be informed. But wait! The police are also caught up in raping people who go to report crimes. They are raping their female prisoners and even children! What are we to do in a country where we can’t even trust the police with our children when it comes to sex and rapes?
We are also aware of a case a few years back where a GDF corporal raped his two-year-old stepson.

Let us as a society make a serious stand to control and eventually stamp out this problem with a no-nonsense approach.
All these sexual crimes beg the question: what is the role of our religious organisations? Can they do something and help?
Our religious leaders need to move their focus away from politics and other activities and concentrate on the spiritual upbringing of their congregation members. They need to focus on teachings that will lead to stopping rape and sexual assault. They need to play a bigger role. Parents also need to teach their children about what constitutes a good touch and a bad touch.

We all need to play a bigger role. The fact that toddlers are being raped by their family members is a national shame.
Let’s enact legislation that would ease the way for survivors to take legal action against their abusers.
Where is the humanity in us? Let’s do something about it and stop this evil.

Regards,
Haji Roshan Khan