INDIA
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Eleven men have been arrested in Kerala in the past three weeks for allegedly raping minor girls, indication of an alarming rise in cases of child sexual abuse.
One of the arrested men is a Catholic priest. Father Robin Vadakkamcheril, the vicar of St Sebastian’s Church in Kottiyoor in Kannur district, was arrested on February 27 on the charge of raping a 16-year-old girl and getting her pregnant. The incident came to light after the girl delivered a baby. It was also revealed that the priest had allegedly offered money to the victim’s father to take the fall for his crime. On Friday, a priest and two nuns accused of protecting Vadakkamcheril and trying to cover up the crime surrendered to the police in Kottiyoor. The priest and one of the nuns are members of the Wayanad Child Welfare Committee, media reports said.
Then, on March 7, six men were arrested in Muttil in Wayanad district for allegedly raping seven minor girls – all of them inmates of an orphanage, and between 13 and 14 years of age – for two months.
The same day in Walayar in Palakkad district, three suspects were taken into custody for the alleged rape and murder of two sisters, aged 11 and nine years. The body of the older girl was found hanging in her home on January 11. Less than two months later, on March 4, the younger sister was found dead at home under similar circumstances. The police investigation revealed both had been sexually assaulted before they were killed.
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