CHILD ABUSE IN THE NAME OF A RELIGIOUS RITE

An internationally accepted fact is that Children have the right to a joyful childhood irrespective of cast, creed, community, religion, region and economic status. We always say that a child is always a child and deserves a childhood free from exploitation and abuse. We all agree the fact that we are bound to help every child to get a future full of hope. Yet millions of children are being robbed of their childhood every day by the unscrupulous, despite the interventions of the Governments and Non Governmental organizations. Child Abuses damage children’s physical and emotional development. Therefore, it is high time that the society as a whole has to come forward to put an end to any act that is likely to interfere with the child’s education, or is harmful to the child’s mental or physical health and social development. It is at this context that this note is drafted.

Kuthiyottam is a Hindu religious ritual, symbolic of human sacrifice, which is the relic of the barbaric age, resulting in a serious child abuse. It is becoming more and more popular over years in certain parts of South Kerala. Is it not paradoxical and deplorable that such a rite is still practiced in the most literate state, where the abolition of child labour and all types of child abuses is the talk of the day and felt as the need of the hour?

Kuthiyottam is the main offering at the Chettikulangara Devi Temple. Now it is spreading to other Kali Temples at Onattukra area of south Kerala. It is a ritualistic symbolic human sacrifice. For performing this offering purportedly to please the Goddess, young boys between 8 to 14 years are normally hired from poor families offering benefits in cash and kind to the parents of children. Then the boy is taught Kuthiyottam, a ritual dance in the house of the performer by Kuthiyotta Teachers, amidst a big social gathering before the portrait of the deity. The family that is hosting the event spends a huge amount of money for decorating the premises, giving remuneration to the conductors and artists hospitalities and other extravaganza to all the visitors.

In the early morning on Bharani, after the rituals, the boy’s body is pierced with a silver wire and the other end of that is tied around his neck and an areca nut fixed on the tip of a knife held high over his head. Then the boys are taken to the temple, accompanied by a procession with beating of drums, music and other classical folk art forms. On the way to the temple tender coconut water is continuously poured on his body. Finally the boys are made to stand at a position facing the Deity and made to dance. This ceremony ends with dragging the wire pierced to the skin whereby a few drops of blood come out. It is belied that the person who makes this offering and his family will get all prosperities and the children who are subjected to this symbolic Human Bali will turn to be inauspicious persons for the rest of their life. Is it not a serious child abuse?

Human sacrifice has been practiced in various cultures in the history supposed to please or appease Gods and get prosperity or to please the Spirits of the deceased. However, today even the once popular practice of animal sacrifice has virtually disappeared from all major religions. At this context is it not a shame for all of us that the practice of piercing the body of a child to offer a few drops of blood to apparently to please the Goddess is happening in our society.

I humbly appeal to the Governments, NGOs, Human right activists and the judiciary to immediately intervene and do the needful to prohibit this barbaric practice symbolising human sacrifice, which amounts to child abuse that damages children’s physical, social and mental development.