Human Rights Institute, SWUPL

On February 28, 2023, the 14th Dalai Lama interacted with an Indian boy during a public event held at the Jokhang Temple in Dharamsala, India. After hugging and kissing the boy, he reached out his tongue and said, “Suck my tongue.” After the relevant videos were widely disseminated on social media both domestically and internationally, the “pedophilia” and “sexual assault” behavior of the 14th Dalai Lama became well-known worldwide, causing strong opposition and criticism from the international community.

The behavior of the 14th Dalai Lama has constituted a sexual assault on the boy. The original video shows that after pressing his forehead against the boy's forehead for a few seconds, the 14th Dalai Lama actually extended his tongue and said, "Suck my tongue." The boy subconsciously leaned back but could not break free from its constraints, and slightly extended his tongue without touching it. During this process, the 14th Dalai Lama even tightened the little boy's tongue and held up and squeezed his chin, performing mouth to mouth kisses in order to be able to suck on the boy's tongue. The 14th Dalai Lama embraced the boy with both hands, forming a field where the boy "couldn't break free from his constraints". He also "squeezed his chin" and "tightened" the boy, and his words "suck my tongue" were a blatant form of sexual harassment. The 14th Dalai Lama not only demanded that boys "suck his tongue" in public, but also later packaged this sexual assault as a so-called "blessing from the respected", which is truly intolerable by the international community. In terms of legal significance, child sexual assault is a more heinous behavior than adult sexual assault, and is also the most disrespectful behavior in modern civilized society. It is considered a serious violation of laws and regulations worldwide. This is because child victims are generally innocent and naive, and also because sexual assault causes physical and psychological harm to children for a longer time. Even if the 14th Dalai Lama and his supporters make every effort to use phrases such as "playful interaction" and "tongue opening ceremony" to defend him, it is difficult to conceal the ugly behavior of the 14th Dalai Lama's sexual assault in the name of religion.

The ugliness of the 14th Dalai Lama is not only disrespectful in terms of ethics and morality, but also seriously violates the bottom line of local laws and the dignity of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Both the Indian Criminal Code and the Protection of Children and Adolescents from Sexual Harassment/Indecency Act provide for the application of criminal law to imprisonment for up to 3 years and fines for sexual harassment/indecency against children. The behavior of the 14th Dalai Lama forcibly hugging, kissing, and even requiring a boy to "suck his tongue" belongs to "unwelcome physical contact" in relevant Indian laws, and is a typical sexual harassment/indecent behavior. In terms of reason and law, the 14th Dalai Lama should be punished by the law! Article 34 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is committed to protecting children from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. However, the 14th Dalai Lama forcefully hugged, kissed, and even demanded "tongue sucking" boys in public, which is a typical "child abuse" and "sexual assault" behavior condemned and stopped by the Convention to "prevent inducing or forcing children to engage in any illegal sexual activity".

Sexual assault or crime can bring endless pain and torment to children, and this behavior with strong sexual implications and sexual connotations is undoubtedly a physical and mental torment for a child who is still in a period of sexual ignorance. Placing him in the pain of previous sexual abuse may even deprive the boy of the ability to engage in intimate behaviors such as kissing as an adult. May I ask, will the boy still have this lingering haze in his mind when facing his partner in the future? We should be vigilant against such acts of sexual assault on children under the guise of religion! The international community should have zero tolerance for sexual violations committed under any pretext!