Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Boys raped by priests, Children Not Believed, Nxivm trial: Why it's so hard to stop a cult, Ritual Abuse Conference

- Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Boys raped by priests at 'satanic parties'

" It says children were targeted by staff, volunteers, visitors, priests and nuns, and adults who were aware of the abuse took no action." 

 

- Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Nazareth Houses were 'places of fear'

" Runways were beaten when they returned. Those who reported their abuse to police were not believed."

 

- Keith Raniere Nxivm trial: Why it's so hard to stop a cult

" Cults are structured like the layers of an onion, with the most acceptable elements closest to the outside, followed by increasing layers of secrecy and abuse as recruits move closer to the centre."

 

 

- SMART East Coast Conference, Prices Low as $50, Special Deals End Soon
The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control
Conference is August 17 – 18, 2019 at the DoubleTree near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/ 

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Boys raped by priests at 'satanic parties'
7 June 2019
A child abuse inquiry witness has told how he was raped by priests during "satanic" drink-fuelled sex parties.

 

Dave Sharp also described a catalogue of sexual, physical and emotional violence at St Ninian's in Falkland, Fife, between 1971 and 1975.

Mr Sharp, from Glasgow, said the abuse had left him with "lifelong trauma".

The independent Scottish Child Abuse inquiry is looking in detail at historical abuse of children in residential care.

 

Mr Sharp urged inquiry chairwoman Lady Smith, to piece together the "jigsaw" of victims' accounts and called for a "national discussion" on the subject.

The 60-year-old, who has waived his right to anonymity, was put into care after his mother died when he was aged one.

Tied up

He stayed in several institutions before going to the Catholic-run care home in Fife.

He told how he was groomed by one of the religious brothers, who would tell him he loved him, which "no-one had ever done" before.

The inquiry heard the then-12-year-old was later raped.

 

Most of the abuse was said to have taken place in the shower rooms, where the witness would be made to stand in the dark through the night as a punishment....

 

The inquiry heard "two or three" boys were trafficked around Scotland and Ireland at a time to be used in drink-fuelled sex parties, which he described as "satanic".

One occasion in Ireland was said to have involved 10 men taking turns to rape the boys.

It was heard priests were among those involved and incidents took place over the duration of his time at St Ninian's, which was run by religious order the Christian Brothers....
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48559590

 

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Nazareth Houses were 'places of fear'
30 May 2019
Some children at the Nazareth House orphanages in Scotland were subjected to sexual abuse of the "utmost depravity", the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has found.

 

Chairwoman Lady Smith said the children's homes were places of fear, hostility and confusion.

Youngsters were physically abused and emotionally degraded "with impunity".

The Sisters of Nazareth charity said it had apologised for any abuse that took place in its institutions.

Over 27 days last year, the inquiry heard evidence from former residents of four institutions in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Ayrshire....

 

It says children were targeted by staff, volunteers, visitors, priests and nuns, and adults who were aware of the abuse took no action....

 

Lady Smith said: "The Nazareth Houses in Scotland were, for many children, places of fear, hostility and confusion, places where children were physically abused and emotionally degraded with impunity.

 

"There was sexual abuse of children which, in some instances, reached levels of the utmost depravity. Children in need of kind, warm, loving care and comfort did not find it. Children were deprived of compassion, dignity, care and comfort."....

 

Children were hit with belts, canes, sticks, broom handles, hairbrushes, shoes and wooden crucifixes. Carbolic soap was forced into their mouths, their heads banged together and they were made to kneel in corridors for long periods. For many children, this was part of daily life

Runways were beaten when they returned. Those who reported their abuse to police were not believed....

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48458480 
 

Keith Raniere Nxivm trial: Why it's so hard to stop a cult
By Alexandra Stein South Bank University
20 June 2019
Sex cult leader Keith Raniere, has been convicted in New York of charges including racketeering and sex trafficking.

For 20 years, Raniere was the leader of Nxivm (pronounced nexium), which claimed to be a self-help group and to have thousands of followers.

But during his trial, former members gave an insight into the reality of how the group was run.

They described being forced to break off previous relationships and of suffering physical and sexual abuse. Some were forced to have abortions. A "slave and master" system saw women forced to hand over "collateral" - often humiliating photographs - to show their commitment.

 

The revelations have shocked many people and made headlines around the world. But, in reality, Nxivm reveals a great deal about how cults work....

 

Cults are structured like the layers of an onion, with the most acceptable elements closest to the outside, followed by increasing layers of secrecy and abuse as recruits move closer to the centre.

 

In the case of Nxivm, the outer layers saw seemingly harmless self-improvement programmes used to recruit members' friends, family and colleagues. But at its core, Raniere exerted extreme levels of control, allegedly culminating in sexual abuse, violence and the branding of his initials on female followers.

Bringing leaders to justice

The authorities were alerted to Nxivm's activities as far back as 2003, according to Forbes. But the New York Times reported early attempts to follow up complaints were rebuffed by officials, who said the women were acting consensually, or that technicalities prevented legal action.

 

This illustrates a key problem in prosecuting the leaders of cults: members often say they are acting under their own free will.

Even if current or former members want to press charges, many feel too afraid because of possible repercussions, or the stigma attached to having been a member.

 

In many countries, a lack of robust laws against psychological manipulation, or a concrete legal definition of a cult, means it can be difficult to bring cases to court.

 

In France, the About-Picard law forbids individuals or groups from engaging in activities designed to create physical or psychological subjection. Similar laws have been enforced in Luxembourg and Belgium, but these countries are the exception.

 

In 2015, the UK brought in a new law around coercive control, which criminalised the psychological abuse of a person for the benefit of the perpetrator. This applies even in the absence of physical violence, or if the victim refuses to testify.

 

At present, this law only applies to intimate, or family relationships. But many survivors say the coercive behaviours like isolation, control of relationships, monitoring and humiliation also occurs in cults....

 

The traits of cults

Run by a charismatic, authoritarian leader, or leadership group, who seeks extreme levels of control over followers
Uses a hierarchical pyramid structure with layers of secrecy surrounding the leader. Followers are socially, psychologically and sometimes physically isolated
Leader's behaviour is justified by a totalitarian belief system that claims to have all the answers
A brainwashing process takes place. Total immersion in the group leaves no time or space for self-generated relationships or activities

The group alternates an apparently loving or attentive approach with escalating levels of stress or fear. This could be implemented through sleep or food deprivation, apocalyptic predictions, or threats of violence or sexual abuse
This process of coercive control creates followers who are controlled by or for the leader without regard for their own needs...

 

Greater awareness of how coercive control works could give people the tools to recognise, and therefore avoid, this type of manipulation.

One way of doing this could be through prevention education in schools and universities, to help protect people from these predatory groups....
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48635278

SMART East Coast Conference, Prices Low as $50, Special Deals End Soon
The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control
Conference is August 17 – 18, 2019 at the DoubleTree near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/ 

 

Speakers include Alison Miller Ph.D, Neil Brick and movie maker Daniel Roemer.

Child abuse inquiry says orphanages were places of 'threat and abuse', Spiritual Leader Raped 2 Women During Ceremonies

 

Child abuse inquiry says orphanages were places of 'threat and abuse'
11 October 2018

 

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry
Children at Smyllum Park orphanage were sexually abused and beaten with leather straps, hairbrushes and crucifixes, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has found.

 

Nuns belonging to the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul ran the Catholic Children's home near Lanark, as well as Bellevue House, Rutherglen.

Lady Smith, who is chairing the inquiry, has published a report on evidence heard during the case study.

 

She said the homes were places of fear, threat, and excessive discipline.

The judge said emotional, physical and sexual abuse took place.

The children found "no love, no compassion, no dignity and no comfort," she said.

 

A total of 54 witnesses told of their experiences at Smyllum Park, which closed in 1981, and Bellevue House, which closed in 1961, and 21 written statements were submitted.

 

What did the inquiry report say?

Lady Smith's interim report into the Smyllum and BelleVue case studies concluded:

 

Children were abused while in the care of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul
They were sexually abused in Smyllum by priests, a trainee priest, nuns, members of staff and a volunteer. The abuse was, in some cases, prolonged.
There was also problematic sexual behaviour by other children.

Children were hit with implements, the punishment being either excessive or for reasons which the child could not fathom.
The implements used included leather straps, the "Lochgelly Tawse," hairbrushes, sticks, footwear, rosary beads, wooden crucifixes and a dog's lead.

For some children, being hit was a normal aspect of daily life.
The physical punishments meted out to children went beyond what was acceptable at the time whether as punishment in schools or in the home.
Children who were bed-wetters were abused physically and emotionally.
They were beaten, put in cold baths and humiliated in ways that included "wearing" their wet sheets and being subjected to hurtful name-calling by Sisters and by other children.

Many children were force-fed.
Children were used as unpaid labour.

Many children were forced to queue in a state of undress for a bath and shared bathwater that was too hot or cold and dirty.

There was no system for marking children's birthdays. Some children didn't know when their birthday was.
Children were abused for being left-handed and forced to use their right hands instead.

Some were abused for being Protestants and one child was told the Jewishness would be knocked out of him....

 

121 - Number of complaints of alleged historical abuse at Smyllum made to the Order between 1998 and 2002 That's 37 complaints against individual sisters, 23 complaints against lay staff, four complaints against priests and two complaints against scout leaders)

 

26 - Number of complaints of alleged abuse at Bellevue made to the Order between 1998 and 2002 (That includes 18 complaints against individual sisters and five complaints against lay staff)

 

99 - Number of civil actions raised against the Order in relation to Smyllum

18 - Number of civil actions raised against the Order in relation to Bellevue....

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-45812269

 

Spiritual Leader Raped 2 Women During Ceremonies, Prosecutors Say
By Michael Gold Oct. 10, 2018

A 42-year-old woman went to a Brooklyn apartment in August 2016 to meet a self-described spiritual leader for what she thought was a “church ceremony.” She had met him at a religious goods store.

 

During the ceremony, the man, Nigel Kennedy, started chanting and poured a drink that tasted like alcohol into the woman’s mouth, prosecutors said. She passed out briefly, then regained consciousness and felt someone on top of her. The next morning she awoke naked on an unfamiliar bed, feeling nauseous and dizzy, and realized she had been raped, prosecutors said.

 

Mr. Kennedy, 51, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn to charges of rape and sexual abuse. He is accused of drugging and raping two women in Brooklyn during separate religious ceremonies two years apart....

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/nyregion/spiritual-leader-rape-brooklyn.html

 

 

 

 

Child Abuse Wiki   http://childabusewiki.org

Ritual Abuse Research  https://ritualabuse.us 

Articles by Neil Brick   http://neilbrick.com 

CULT NUNS ‘forced girl into satanic sex ritual' - Smyllum Park orphanage, Weinstein’s Complicity Machine

-  CULT NUNS Nuns ‘forced girl into satanic sex ritual where devil attacked her and buried her alive overnight in a drain’ at Smyllum Park orphanage

-  Revelations of mass grave and abuse claims, At least 400 children from Smyllum Park Orphanage in Lanark are thought to be buried in an unmarked grave at the town’s St Mary’s Cemetery

-  Weinstein’s Complicity Machine: The producer Harvey Weinstein relied on powerful relationships across industries to provide him with cover as accusations of sexual misconduct piled up for decades.

CULT NUNS Nuns ‘forced girl into satanic sex ritual where devil attacked her and buried her alive overnight in a drain’ at Smyllum Park orphanage
The traumatised former orphanage resident known only as ‘Janie’ told a child abuse inquiry a man referred to as the 'devil' assaulted her while she lay on a slab surrounded by candles
By Paul Thornton, Home Affairs Editor
6th December 2017

She said before the alleged attack, she and other girls were taken from their dorms at night to a nearby field where Catholic sisters from the “cult-like” home danced in a circle around a tree.
The inquiry heard they were later taken to the back of a candlelit chapel and went downstairs.

Janie, of primary school age at the time, said: “There was a square slab and everyone sat round.
“I was given a lollipop and told that the devil was coming out.”
She said she was assaulted then taken back outside and “buried alive” in a drain all night.

After she was let out the next morning, she said she was put in a “blood bath” — believed to be filled with coloured dye — as part of a terrifying ritual.

The witness also told the Edinburgh probe a nun forced her to perform a sex act on a woman at a house near the Lanark orphanage.
She also said she was tied to her bed and beaten and warned not to speak about her ordeal.

And she claimed she was regularly gagged and had her hair cut off.
She only told police about what she had endured years later.
Janie said: “It was like a cult. We deserve justice. People who abused me should be taken to court and jailed....
The long-running probe before Lady Smith is expected at a later to date to examine claims that the bodies of at least 400 children were buried in an unmarked mass grave near Smyllum Park.

The orphanage, run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, closed in 1981.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1938839/girl-forced-into-satanic-sex-ritual-where-devil-buried-her-alive-at-smyllum/ 

HOUSE OF HORRORS Smyllum Park survivors urged to come forward after revelations of mass grave and abuse claims at Lanark orphanage
At least 400 children from Smyllum Park Orphanage in Lanark are thought to be buried in an unmarked grave at the town’s St Mary’s Cemetery

By Matt Coyle 11th September 2017
....The orphanage, run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, was home to more than 10,000 children between opening in 1864 and closing in 1981.
Smyllum Park Orphanage is one of the institutions being examined by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry into historical allegations of the abuse of children in care.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1545490/smyllum-park-survivors-urged-come-forward-mass-grave-abuse-lanark-orphanage/

Weinstein’s Complicity Machine

The producer Harvey Weinstein relied on powerful
relationships across industries to provide him with cover
as accusations of sexual misconduct piled up for decades.

By MEGAN TWOHEY, JODI KANTOR, SUSAN DOMINUS, JIM RUTENBERG and STEVE EDER DEC. 5, 2017

Harvey Weinstein built his complicity machine out of the witting, the unwitting and those in between. He commanded enablers, silencers and spies, warning others who discovered his secrets to say nothing. He courted those who could provide the money or prestige to enhance his reputation as well as his power to intimidate.

In the weeks and months before allegations of his methodical abuse of women were exposed in October, Mr. Weinstein, the Hollywood producer, pulled on all the levers of his carefully constructed apparatus.

He gathered ammunition, sometimes helped by the editor of The National Enquirer, who had dispatched reporters to find information that could undermine accusers. He turned to old allies, asking a partner in Creative Artists Agency, one of Hollywood’s premier talent shops, to broker a meeting with a C.A.A. client, Ronan Farrow, who was reporting on Mr. Weinstein. He tried to dispense favors: While seeking to stop the actress Rose McGowan from writing in a memoir that he had sexually assaulted her, he tried to arrange a $50,000 payment to her former manager and throw new business to a literary agent advising Ms. McGowan. The agent, Lacy Lynch, replied to him in an email: “No one understands smart, intellectual and commercial like HW.”

Mr. Weinstein’s final, failed round of manipulations shows how he operated for more than three decades: by trying to turn others into instruments or shields for his behavior, according to nearly 200 interviews, internal company records and previously undisclosed emails. Some aided his actions without realizing what he was doing. Many knew something or detected hints, though few understood the scale of his sexual misconduct. Almost everyone had incentives to look the other way or reasons to stay silent. Now, even as the tally of Mr. Weinstein’s alleged misdeeds is still emerging, so is a debate about collective failure and the apportioning of blame.

Executives at Mr. Weinstein’s film companies who learned of allegations rarely took a stand, cowed by their volatile boss or worried about their careers. His brother and partner, Bob, participated in payoffs to women as far back as 1990....
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/05/us/harvey-weinstein-complicity.html

Scottish child abuse inquiry, Leah Remini on Scientology's Abuse, Understanding the lure and persuasiveness of cults

- First hearings in child abuse inquiry to get under way
- SCOTS ABUSE PROBE What is the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry?
- Leah Remini on Scientology's Abuse: 'It Should Be Everyone's Fight'
- Understanding the lure and persuasiveness of cults

First hearings in child abuse inquiry to get under way
Scotland
The first hearings in the Scottish child abuse inquiry are set to get under way in Edinburgh later.

More than 60 institutions, including several top private schools and church bodies, are being investigated.

The inquiry, which is being chaired by Lady Smith, will look in detail at historical abuse of children in residential care.

It is expected to report in late 2019 - more than four years after it was set up.

The inquiry states its purpose as being "to investigate the nature and extent of abuse of children whilst in care in Scotland", while considering "the extent to which institutions and bodies with legal responsibility for the care of children failed in their duty", in particular seeking any "systemic failures"....
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-40093270   


SCOTS ABUSE PROBE What is the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry? What is its aim and what organisations are being investigated?
The inquiry will raise public awareness of institutionalised abuse and reveal the reality of the suffering of child victims
By Matt Coyle 30th May 2017

....More than 100 locations identified as places children are believed to have been assaulted.

Prestigious private schools including Fettes College and Loretto are among the sites being investigated.

Eight institutions run by Christian religious orders are also named as part of the investigation.

Under historic care arrangements, Scottish children were sent to countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand and organisations in these countries will also be probed.....

The overall aim and purpose of the Inquiry is to raise public awareness of the abuse of children in care, particularly in the past

It will allow the public to acknowledge the suffering of those children and a forum for validation of their experience and testimony.....
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1080683/what-is-the-scottish-child-abuse-inquiry/ 

Leah Remini on Scientology's Abuse: 'It Should Be Everyone's Fight'
Jim Halterman May 28, 2017

Nobody is as surprised as actress Leah Remini that her A&E series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, was such a hit during its first season last year. Sure, she’s already written an autobiography (Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology) about her experiences in the organization and appeared on countless talk shows....

Now it's time for the government agencies whose job it is to protect people from dangerous cults like this to do something about it.

And the IRS not to allow an organization such as this to stand behind the First Amendment and give them free reign to abuse people. That's not why this amendment is there. It's there to protect people, to protect real religions and beliefs. This is not that. These are not that. This and other cults like it should not be recognized under this amendment. I obviously need to do more. The headlines should be about the abuses and the people writing these stories should be just as shocked and not use my name. I've learned a little bit in that way to be a little bit more selective and demand that people do their job and not put it on me and [former Scientology executive] Mike Rinder as our fight. We’re not anti-Scientologist, we're anti-bully and we're anti-abuse....
https://www.tvinsider.com/194985/leah-remini-interview-scientology-and-the-aftermath-season-2/ 

Understanding the lure and persuasiveness of cults
Cults are groups that hold persuasive power over their members and demand extreme dedication and subservience. How do cults lure people in and what happens on the inside? Why do people join controlling groups and how difficult is it for them to leave?

There are many stories about cults that have been involved with fraud, embezzlement and abuse. One such story is that of Australia's most notorious cult, The Family.
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nightlife/understanding-the-lure-and-persuasiveness-of-cults/8560064 

Top private schools Scottish child abuse inquiry, Archbishop admits Church ‘failed terribly’ over abuse revelations

Top private schools included as part of Scottish child abuse inquiry

Inquiry chair Lady Smith has said more than 100 locations so far have been identified for investigation, including current and former boarding schools

Tuesday 31 January 2017
More than 60 residential care establishments including several top private schools are being investigated by Scotland’s national child abuse inquiry.

They are among more than 100 locations where the abuse of children is said to have taken place, chair Anne Smith confirmed.

Six boarding schools or former boarding schools, including Fettes college and Gordonstoun, are being investigated. Several faith-based organisations, other major care providers and local authority institutions are also being looked at by inquiry staff.

Lady Smith, a senior judge who was appointed to the role in July, named a list of places being investigated as she provided an update on the inquiry’s progress at a preliminary hearing.

The inquiry is examining historical allegations of the abuse of children in care and has been taking statements from witnesses since last spring....
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/31/top-private-schools-included-as-part-of-scottish-child-abuse-inquiry


Archbishop admits Church ‘failed terribly’ over abuse revelations
Cathy Newman Presenter 1 Feb 2017 UK

The Church of England has tonight apologised unreservedly after a Channel 4 News investigation revealed that a prominent Anglican evangelical and former colleague of the Archbishop of Canterbury is alleged to have severely assaulted boys and young men for decades.

The alleged abuse was carried out by prominent QC and part time judge called John Smyth, who was chairman of the Iwerne Trust, a charity closely linked to the church which ran Christian holiday camps for public school students.

The Church admitted that it had “failed terribly”, after this programme learned that the Trust had discovered the alleged abuse in 1982, but failed to report it to the police.

Winchester College, where some of the young men met Smyth, was made aware of the alleged abuse, but also failed to report it to the police at the time. There is no suggestion that any abuse took place at the College or with the knowledge of its staff.

The Archbishop’s apology comes after a six month investigation by Channel 4 News, in which we tracked down and spoke with many of Smyth’s alleged victims. One man told us that he and other boys were beaten so violently by Smyth that they had to wear nappies to staunch the bleeding....

It described what it called the “beatings” of 22 young men.

“The scale and severity of the practice was horrific…8 received about 14 thousand strokes: 2 of them having some 8000 strokes over three years,” the document, written in 1982, noted.

Despite the findings of the report, the Iwerne Trust did not inform the police. Instead, a senior figure in the Iwerne Trust wrote to John Smyth, telling him to leave the country. He went on to live in Zimbabwe, and then South Africa....
https://www.channel4.com/news/archbishop-admits-church-failed-terribly-over-abuse-revelations