NWC wants to abolish ‘confessions’ in church for the protection of women

• The National Commission of Women recommended the abolition of the practice of ‘confession’ in churches as the priests are alleged to be using their secrets to blackmail and sexually exploit the women.
• The recommendations come after such a case took place in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
  
• The commission also believes a central agency needs to investigate the increasing incidents of rape and sexual assaults on women in the churches of Kerala.

The National Commission of Women (NWC) recommended the abolition of the practice of ‘confession’ in churches as it can lead to these women getting blackmailed by the priests.

The chairperson of NCW, Rekha Sharma, also believes that a central agency needs to direct a proper investigation into the increasing incidents of rape and sexual exploitation on women in Kerala churches.

The recommendations come in the backdrop of the case against Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church where four priests have been accused of sexually exploiting a married woman belonging to their church and of blackmailing her. The priests said that they would reveal her secrets, that they got to know of during her ‘confessions’, if she spoke up about her assault.

The matter came to light when her husband wrote a letter to the church complaining against the priests.

The woman was also socially harassed and had to leave her teaching job as her photograph was circulated on social media.

NCW had constituted an inquiry committee to note the alleged sexual assaults propagated against women in churches. The commission has sent the findings to the prime minister, the union home minister, union women and child development minister and the DGPs of Kerala and Punjab.

In another incident, last month, a nun, in the Kottayam district, alleged that Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal raped her and had unnatural sex with her multiple times between 2014 and 2016. Several such case have been coming up lately.