A 65-year-old priest in Kerala was arrested on Sunday for indulging in unnatural sexual abuse with a 10-year-old boy in Kochi's Kunnathunad area. The incident took place at a boarding school, King David International School, where the boy studied. Father Basil Kuriyakose was the principal of the school.
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Kuriyakose was taken to a court on Sunday after the arrest. He was booked under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. Section 377 of IPC criminalises sexual intercourse against the order of nature. It also criminalises homosexual sex.
This was the first time that an incident like this was reported against Kuriyakose, the Kunnathunad police told International Business Times, India. The 10-year-old boy who studied in class five reported the incident to his elder brother who had gone to meet the child and then informed his mother about the incident. The mother lodged a complaint with the police, following which the offender was arrested.
In India, one out of every two children is sexually abused and most of it goes unreported. In most of the cases, the abuser is a male known to the child. National statistics reveal that about 53% children are abused. The highest number of cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
The national helpline for reporting child abuse in India is 1098. Apart from reporting to the police, the victim or his/her family can also get in touch with rescue organisations.
