Moscow: Orthodox Church against sexual abuse and moral degradation

Metropolitan Ilarion: new law needed on "age of consent for sexual relations". In 2021 the sale of sex-toys in the country grew by 18%.  Patriarchate points to need to protect the population from excesses.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Moscow Patriarchate intends to call for a new law on the "age of consent for sexual relations", as Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeev) explained in his programme "The Church and the World" on the Russia-24 channel. According to the Orthodox Church, which remains opposed to extramarital relations, this measure could help to distinguish between cases of truly consensual sexual relations and those in which the extremes of violence can be seen.

As Ilarion explained, "the line between the two situations is often quite thin, and jurists and courts are not always able to resolve the issue fully". It is not by chance that the Church considers sexual contact to be permissible only within the marital union, the Metropolitan said, because "relationships outside the age limits and marriage consent are always fraught with dangers and consequences".

The various initiatives and abuses by people older than the partner are especially to be watched, while a new law could prevent any abuse, according to the patriarchate. Ilarion also called for a ban on so-called "adult shops" in Russia, arguing that the Church's position on this is very clear: "We are opposed to any form of degradation in the sexual sphere", although the Church certainly cannot force the State to close such shops or prevent advertising in this area.

In fact, even in the absence of official statistics, the sale of sexual gratification products in Russia grew strongly in 2021: according to the marketing sites Ozon and Wildberries, to the tune of +18%. Sex toys in Russia do not have to undergo any special certification, and are also sold in general shops.

Adult items in Russia are often marketed by large cosmetics brands, such as L'Étoile and the Russian Zolotoe Yabloko ("Green Apple"), and are often equated with household goods and intimate hygiene products. They are especially popular in the major cities (Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk), where sales increased more than fivefold last year, reaching astronomical figures.

There have also been large increases in online trade, with unusual records for different types of articles in even very remote regions such as Tuva, Ingushetia and North Ossetia. In part, the boom in sex products is linked to international dumping mechanisms, with which many companies have tried to exploit the various lockdowns of the past months.

The concern of the Orthodox Church is therefore not only linked to the need to protect the population from abuses and excesses, but also to prevent a general moral degradation in the difficult transition of pandemic times, as Metropolitan Ilarion himself pointed out. 

• russia
• moscow
• orthodox patriarchate
• church
• moral degradation
• sexual violence
• youth
• ilarion