Dalai Lama Kisses Boy and asks him to “Suck his Tongue” | Combating CSA

 An incident happened at Tsuglagkhang and it has the whole world greatly upset. During an event organized by the Dalai Lama, an 87 year old Buddhist priest. In attendance were more than 120 students who completed a skill training course hosted by the M3M Foundation, a charity organization of a prominent Indian real estate group. Dalai Lama called a young boy on stage and first asked him to give him a peg on his cheek. The boy obliged and Dalai Lama offered a hug, Dalai then continued and held onto the boy. The leader then again asked the boy to kiss him  on the lips, saying “ I think here also”. He cups the boy’s chin and kisses him on the mouth as the audience laughs and applauds. The boy slowly moves his head closer to Dalai Lama but appears only to touch his forehead before withdrawing. From what happened, you could see that the boy felt uncomfortable. Dalai and his followers are claiming this was an innocent greeting. Millions around the world disagree, rightly so! Sucking a minor’s tongue is an inappropriate manner of greeting. When the boy was asked to give a peg on the cheek, he did it willingly because he initally saw it as a normal act, but when asked to suck the tongue he was skeptic about it.

Religious Leaders & Institutions: Centuries of Child Sexual Abuse

Religious institutions, which commonly rely on volunteers and hold a high degree of trust are especially susceptible to incidents of child sexual abuse. In many cases, the abuser is in a respected position, such as a leader, whose authority a child would be hesitant to question. Religious Institutions hosts youth programs, including Sunday school overnight camps and daytime excursions. Abusers at religious institutions can draw power from many factors. Communities often have immense faith in religious leaders.  Due to this immense faith and trust in religious leaders, children often fear they won’t be believed if they speak up. Victims also avoid speaking up because they don’t want to be labeled as the reason for the institution’s backlash or collapse

Dalai Lama’s act should be condemned and deemed as inappropriate; also, the followers of Dalai Lama need to stop defending him. In global disgusting situations like these, who suffers the most? The young victim suffers the most. Due to what happened at Tsuglagkhang Temple, the young boy could be subjected to shame, public discomfort, and low self esteem. The young boy needs to connected to resources to start his healing journey. This incident occurred in the Sexual Assault Awareness month, which is the more reason why parents should gather more information and educate their children. Parents needs to know some preventive measures. Here are a few preventative measures:

1.       Parents, learn as much information as you can about child sexual abuse. Here at combating CSA, we provide a lot of resources for parents.

2.       Teach children body boundaries; let them know the actual names of their body parts. Classify and explain “Private Parts” so they know such places are off limits.

3.       Teach them the different kinds of sexual abuse alerts from Combating CSA’s resource page.

4.       Foster a relaxed talking relationship with your children. This will make them comfortable to share details of their young life with you.

5.       Finally, keep regular tabs on your children. Know their whereabouts, friends, playgrounds, and locations, and every minute detail for their life.

These preventive measures will help you safeguard your children. Stay alert and safeguard child from sexual abuse.