A protest was held Sunday at a Buddhist temple on Chicago's Southwest Side--where a monk accused of sexual assault formerly lived and worked.
Protesters affiliated with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) distributed flyers about Camnong Boa-Ubol, who has been accused of sexually assaulting two underage girls and impregnating one of them. Despite these allegations, Boa-Ubol is still actively overseeing another temple in Long Beach, Calif.
According to SNAP, P. Boonshoo Sriburin, the head monk of Chicago temple Wat Dhammaram, was well aware of Boa-Ubol's alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old child. In 2000, the young girl gave birth and a DNA test proved that the monk fathered the baby, ABC Chicago reports. A second woman has also accused the monk of similar attacks.
(Scroll down to watch video from Sunday's protest.)
"The head of the temple was well aware of it and yet no one from the temple reported this incident to the police," SNAP founder and president Barbara Blaine told ABC. "We believe these officials of this Buddhist temple have been reckless at putting children at risk."
The abused girl's parents reportedly told leaders of the Chicago temple about the abuse in 2000, and were told that Boa-Ubol would be returning to Thailand, the Chicago Tribune reports. Instead, the alleged sex offender was sent to a California temple and continues to work with children.
Sriburin told the Tribune that Boa-Ubol should be able to continue practicing his faith, and said he chose not to inform the California temple of the sex abuse allegations.
But SNAP feels the temple should still find a way to remove him from his post or, at least, warn those who worship at their temple, as the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
"He shouldn't be in a position where he has trust and authority over children," SNAP outreach director Barbara Dorris told the Press-Telegram. "We feel they (the temple) should warn people that this man has this record."