A religious association that professes child molestation and human trafficking in Lebanon

A shock left by a religious association that abuses child molestation and human trafficking in the midst of the Lebanese and international community, so how can those who claim transcendence and humanity be far from it? The issue of the religious association is still the message of life that the Lebanese judiciary accused of criminalizing human trafficking and crimes of beating, abuse, and sexual harassment, interacting in Lebanon After the decision of the Public Prosecutor's Discrimination.

Two days ago, the Discriminatory Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, requested the prosecution in the mission de vie file, based on Articles 380 and 519 BC, requesting expansion of the investigation into the child trafficking case, and referred the file to the Appeal Public Prosecution in Mount Lebanon for the appropriate action.

The Appeal Public Prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, Judge Ghada Aoun, based on the discriminatory Public Prosecution file, accused the Mission de vie group of violating articles 380 of a judicial decision and 519 of sexual harassment.

The monk molested children, condemned and raped

Commenting on the scandal that shook the Lebanese street weeks ago and still is, sources familiar with the case explained to “Al Arabiya.net”: “The Lebanese judiciary claimed a monk (a religious man who acts as a priest) from within the association called (Y.) for harassment, based on The testimony of children who were in the association, as their statements were identical in terms of condemning the immoral and moral acts he committed against them.”

However, the irony in the case that caused an uproar in Lebanon is that the association did not take any action against this monk, which is the size of the crime he committed despite the evidence against him, and the most it did is that it changed his duties in the association.

The offender is free and there is no accountability

The sources also confirmed, “The management of the association, since the issue was raised late last year, has removed this person from the duties that he was performing and has assigned him other work, and this if anything indicates his “involvement” in the issue of harassment. However, the “Resala Hayat” association did not expel him, but rather She kept him under her wing and within specific tasks.”

In addition, the informed sources indicated that “the children who were subjected to investigation confirmed in their testimonies that in addition to being harassed by this person, they were also beaten by one of the association’s nuns.”

The association’s official refused to implement the judicial decision, which the Lebanese judiciary considered a violation of the law, and refused to take measures against the monk accused of molesting children and hand them over to the Union for the Protection of Juveniles.

The investigation has begun and the bank secrecy of the group's accounts has been lifted

While the sources familiar with the case explained, “The judiciary requested the lifting of banking secrecy from the “Resala Hayat” group to verify its funding sources.

Last December, the association turned into a "scandal" that was closely followed by the local media and pioneers of social media, after a ruling was issued by the Juvenile Judge in Mount Lebanon in which it assigned the office of the "Union for the Protection of Juveniles", an association contracted with the Lebanese state, to go to " The New Life House” to transfer minors from it to other centers and destinations, and “obligating the life message to hand over the items required to be protected and the official documents that pertain to them, in the file of transferring children, including infants, from the care of the Maronite Congregation to other centers and destinations, as they are in” Danger,” after they were suspected of being sexually abused and harassed at one of the association’s headquarters in Mount Lebanon.

The response of the notorious religious association

On the other hand, the association denied all the suspicions it had, armed with its reputation for twenty years in helping children and the elderly, and with positive testimonies of children who were in its custody, which it published on its Facebook page. Convinced of its innocence, the association resisted implementing the decision to transfer 12 children from its headquarters.

The head of the Union for the Protection of Juveniles in Lebanon, Amira Sukkar, told Al Arabiya.net: "The involvement of a person in a particular case does not mean that the association to which he belongs is also involved, and harassment is a phenomenon that exists in all societies, and the basis remains for the harasser to be held accountable."

She also added, "We appreciate the work of the "Life Message" group in the field of caring for homeless children, and the issue is not personal but a right issue, and we hope the group will continue its humanitarian mission.

It is noteworthy that the issue of the disappearance of two infants and the refusal of the "Life Message" group to hand them over to the judiciary after the arrest of two nuns from the group formed the basis of the case.

Informed sources confirmed, "The two children are in a safe place and there is no danger to their lives, and they have been handed over based on judicial decisions."

The Maronite religious reference is being achieved

For its part, Bkerke, the highest Maronite religious authority in Lebanon, entered the case file, as the “Resala of Life” group was affiliated with the Maronite Order, by appointing it a bishop to follow up the investigation into the file.

Informed sources confirmed to Al-Arabiya.net: “The church investigation in this case proved that it was not fabricated, as was promoted by some parties, and there is a tendency after the investigations are over that Bkerke takes a decision to change the management of the group.

In the context, Amira Sukkar said, “I bet with love and patience on the expected ecclesiastical decision after the investigations that are still ongoing, and this decision will give us hope and protect our children and children from acts of harassment.”

It is noteworthy that the children who fell victim to the monk from the “Resala of Life” group are subject to psychological follow-up by the concerned authorities. The group was left with only a number of boys affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs, which recently sent social delegates to the group to investigate whether they were also harassed.