Children in High Demand Organizations

Children's Rights

February 20, 2007

B.C's blind eye to polygamy

National Post

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/
news/issuesideas/story.html?id=20
cec99c-5986-48d8-a375-
28456c81a3e2&k=35990

RAY ARGYLE
February 20, 2007

The Creston Valley opens up dramatically as one approaches it by road through the Purcell Mountains, a range that towers over this remote district in southeastern British Columbia. The Valley is filled with cherry and apple orchards, hay fields, a bird sanctuary and plush golf courses. Its bountiful crops include the renowned Kokanee beer, brewed by 90 employees of the Columbia Brewery in Creston, a town of 5,000.

More notable is the fact that the Valley's girls produce a lot of babies. Most are fathered by much older men who admit to having several wives. In the most recent period measured by the B.C. Vital Statistics Agency, 69 girls 18 or younger gave birth. All were members of the breakaway sect of fundamentalist Mormons who have created, on the tablelands outside Creston, the polygamous settlement of Bountiful.

Polygamy is illegal in Canada and is punishable by up to five years in prison. Some of the fathers, by virtue of their church status, occupy positions of authority over the young mothers. Normally this would put them in violation of the Criminal Code sanction against sexual touching of their charges. Neither of these seemingly clear-cut legal certainties has prevented the 1,000-strong colony from thriving unchallenged by the RCMP, the courts or the B.C. Attorney-General for nearly 50 years.

As one who grew up in Creston and observed the arrival of families where girls were raised to have babies and boys were taught to defer to their male elders in their choice of wives, I was able to see how this affected the children. The fact I had mainstream Mormon relatives who followed the dictates of their church and rejected polygamy, enabled me to look on the Bountiful experience with some empathy.

The uneasy stand-off at Bountiful raises the question of whether polygamy has now gained de facto legal status in Canada.

Equally worrisome is the legal limbo into which Bountiful residents have been cast. Families are forced to live a quasi-legal existence, mothers are denied access to government social benefits and police and social workers will act only if they receive complaints of child abuse. The rule of silence and obedience imposed by sect leaders ensures none are ever received.

Despite several police investigations, the latest of which is still under review by B.C.'s Criminal Justice branch, authorities have so far declined to prosecute. Two retired B.C. judges told the government that leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints would likely convince a court that the Charter entitles them to engage in polygamy as a religious practice.

The current Attorney General, Wally Oppal, says he doesn't subscribe to that view. He told me he instructed the RCMP to "resurrect" its investigations, adding that "our greatest problem is in getting witnesses who will testify." He is hopeful that may change.

"Invariably where there's polygamy there's abuse of women," Mr. Oppal added. "I'm most concerned about the sexual abuse of young girls."

Winston Blackmore, who leads one of two factions in the Bountiful sect and is reputed to have more than 100 children and 20 wives, has strong views on the Charter of Rights. He told me "the Charter should protect all Canadians as it does the journalists, politicians, homosexuals, swingers and swappers." He bemoans the fact that because the B.C. government declared Bountiful to be a commune in 1988, "no one here has been able to get any social services assistance. The Child Tax Benefit seems to be available for every other Canadian family but not for mine."

Polygamists like Blackmore legally wed only one wife but take "sister wives" in "celestial unions." This is a violation of section 293 of the Criminal Code which outlaws conjugal unions with more than one person at the same time, regardless of whether a binding marriage has taken place.

Were the law against polygamy to be overthrown, Canada would face yet more wrenching changes in family law. Immigration barriers that keep out polygamous families could fall.

In contrast to the advice given B.C., four of five reports commissioned for the federal government urge prosecution of polygamists.

One expert, Rebecca Cook of the University of Toronto, has told Ottawa that "Polygamy is a form of discrimination and therefore a violation of international law. Canada has an obligation to take all appropriate steps."

A dissenting view, and here may lie a solution to the Bountiful stand-off, came from Professor Martha Bailey of Queen's University. She urged that the polygamy law be withdrawn because it does not adequately "address the harms associated with polygamy." A new law could then be framed to deal with such harms. Prof. Bailey would even permit foreign polygamous marriages to be recognized in Canada, arguing that only in this way can the wives and children of these unions be protected.

Few Canadians care today about the sexual proclivities of their neighbours. They do care, however, about brain washing of young girls in fundamentalist Mormon communities who are coerced into entering multiple marriages as a religious obligation.

Winston Blackmore has admitted in an interview that he had been married to at least one girl under 16. In the U.S., Fundamentalist leader Warren Jeffs is on trial for statutory rape for his involvement in the coerced marriage of a 14-year-old.

While authorities ponder their next step, public concern is rising. Susan Lambert of the B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF) says her group is petitioning Premier Gordon Campbell and is "hugely worried about trafficking in women and children from one closed community to another."

Ms. Lambert says the BCTF also opposes diverting public money to schools where there is "obvious subjugation of rights of the children to a quality education." Bountiful's two independent schools now receive $600,000 a year from the B.C. government.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has called on Premier Campbell to look into allegations of "inadequate education and the mistreatment of women and children in Bountiful" but president Jason Gratl says "there's little evidence the province has investigated the underlying problems." The Ministry of Education, he adds, "has done little or nothing."

A continuation of the stalemate at Bountiful will serve only to put women and children at further risk. The Criminal Code's polygamy section and laws on sexual abuse must either be enforced, or replaced with legislation that respects individual rights while protecting women and children from institutionalized sexual and emotional entrapment.

rayargyle1000@msn.com

- - -
- Ray Argyle has reported from the B.C. legislature and is author of Turning Points: the Campaigns that Changed Canada.

Posted by Perry at 04:25 PM

February 03, 2007

Parents don't get a moral pass

Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/
columnists/article/177858

Feb 03, 2007

Rosie DiManno

VANCOUVER–Remember when the news about Canada's first sextuplets was all giddy and gurgling?

Such a blessed event, the live birth of six tiny infants, so mini-me they could be held in the palm of an average adult's hand, their hearts the size of grapes.

Effusive commentators gave unsolicited advice on bringing up babies, estimating that the brood would go through 500 diapers a week. It seemed churlish to question the ethics – medical and otherwise – of carrying half a dozen babes in the womb, complicating all their survival chances. Even the discovery that their parents were devout Jehovah's Witnesses – and is there any other kind of Watchtower congregant? – raised only faint alarm bells about the excruciating moral dilemmas that likely lay ahead, even as hospital officials released the most terse updates, that the newborns were in "fair" or "satisfactory" condition.

Then the babies started dying. One ... two ... Could still, tragically, be more because few know what's happening in the neonatal intensive care unit of B.C. Women and Children's Hospital. Except, as revealed this week, that at least two of these fragile infants were sickly enough to require a blood transfusion, done over the objections of the parents.

Three of the babies, according to court documents, were taken into the temporary custody of provincial authorities last weekend. It isn't clear whether the third child has also been transfused but all were formally returned to the custody of their parents – a rather misleading description since the babies remain in hospital under intense medical care – by Wednesday.

The parents, while grieving over the loss of two babies, are livid with authorities for allegedly thrusting their imperatives aside. Their religious beliefs, they argue, forbid blood transfusion and the procedure has caused them immense distress, to the point, as the father said in an affidavit, that they couldn't bear to be at the hospital while doctors were "violating our little girl."

What doctors were doing, in fact, was probably saving that baby's life.

The parents – their names protected by a publication ban – are not grateful. They are dismayed. Clearly, they view their transfused babies as somehow contaminated, unclean, and repugnant in the eyes of their Lord. Their faith calls for the shunning of those who transgress against this central tenet of the Watchtower Society, which bases its religion on a model of 1st century Christianity, although many would place Jehovah's Witnesses outside of Christendom, in the realm of sect.

These parents profess their profound love for the babies. But where is the love, or the parental obligation to nurture and protect, in this?

How daintily have child welfare authorities, religious scholars and ethicists picked their way through the moral minefield of religious rights as enshrined in the Charter versus a government's duty – a society's duty – to protect children. This responsibility has been upheld repeatedly by our courts because minors, and certainly not infants, can't make mature life-and-death decisions for themselves. Parents don't own children to the extent that they can deny them critical medical treatment any more than they can beat the tar out of kids because they happen to believe that sparing the rod spoils the child.

A spokesperson for Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada pleaded, earlier this week, for the public to avoid "stereotypical assumptions" about this family or the religion. But you don't get a moral pass just because you believe in a thing. And Witnesses have been knocking heads with the courts ever since they adopted the proscription against blood "consumption" in 1945.

The Scriptural basis is found in several passages, but mainly arises from Leviticus 17:10-14. It reads, in part: "And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people."

The Bible, obviously, says nothing about blood transfusion. It is an interpretation, the blood taboo formulated at a time when the young sect was deeply suspicious – and ignorant – of modern medicine. Yet the Watchtower Society permits organ transplants, vaccinations and fertility treatments, all of these procedures the results of bio-technical advancements.

Though never confirmed, it's widely assumed that these parents availed themselves of some version of reproductive technology or fertility enhancement. The odds of producing natural sextuplets are one in billions.

So it's permissible to make babies by intervening with nature but not save them by providing a natural and life-sustaining element. This is not religious freedom; it's religious tyranny.

Throughout the pregnancy – the four boys and two girls were born Jan. 7, after 25 weeks gestation – the couple made crucial decisions about how it would unfold. They rejected "selective reduction," which would have killed some of the fetuses in utero by lethal injection. It is understandable that some would refuse this abortive procedure.

The parents also authorized resuscitation for the babies after birth, though they had the option to decline. And every step is being taken to promote healthy development of the infants, as nascent organs and muscles develop.

But blood is blood, the most central component in carrying oxygen to tissues. And blood, transfused, the parents won't countenance. It is a mercy, then, that medical and government authorities trumped their professed religious rights with the right of these frail babies to struggle for life.

"Now ... because we choose alternative medical treatments to blood transfusions, we have been stripped of our parental rights and have been labeled unfit," the father states in his affidavit.

"We have consented to all required treatment and have asked the doctors to more actively employ available alternatives to blood transfusions. We will not, however, consent to blood transfusions."

A 1995 Supreme Court decision allows parents to demand a hearing wherein they may present evidence. This father says that never happened. Government authorities have not confirmed it nor, if so, explained why. It may have been a matter of medical urgency. It's known that child welfare officials acted on the advice of doctors and that an ethics team had been monitoring the situation since shortly after the babies were delivered.

This "gross violation" of the parents' constitutional rights – as characterized by their lawyer – will be argued when the matter comes before the B.C. Supreme Court for a hearing Feb. 23.

The parents and other Jehovah's Witness defenders assert there are effective alternatives to blood transfusion that were not sufficiently pursued in this case. A pediatrician from Sault St. Marie will allegedly advance that premise at the hearing. (Calls to the doctor yesterday were not returned.)

But a blood expert told the Star there is no such transfusion alternative yet.

"There's nothing clinically approved that can transport oxygen to tissue, which is the primary job of blood," said Dr. Mark Scott, a senior scientist with Canadian Blood Services, which manages blood supply in all provinces and territories except Quebec. "If you don't have enough red blood cells, there's nothing to do outside of blood transfusions."

Clinical tests on alternate substances have had poor results, with severe side effects, actually increasing mortality rates.

Blood substitutes, Scott added, might some day effectively boost blood oxygen levels, but the usefulness would be very short-term, until a transfusion was available. Such a product would, for example, be used on wounded soldiers in the battlefield, until they could be transported to hospital.

There are, as well, options for pumping up volume when large amounts of blood have been lost, as in an automobile accident. "Volume replacement therapy can be done with a non-blood product, such a saline. It's like filling up a radiator with antifreeze or water."

With acute blood loss, the body – starved for oxygen – could start to replenish itself by generating its own blood cells. But this scenario relates to individuals who had previously been healthy. It would not be of much use to fragile preemies. Without transfusion, their oxygen-depleted organs would fail rapidly. The Vancouver babies must clearly have been starting to fail.

In his affidavit, their father stated: "We want the best medical care for our children and want them to live."

But only, apparently, on their terms.

God save babies from the piety of their parents.

Posted by Perry at 06:25 PM

Our government has a duty to intervene to help save a child

The Vancouver Province - Editorial
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
news/editorial/story.html?id=
90bfd4e5-26cb-4336-be73-d58a74ca35ab

Friday, February 02, 2007

Was it right for the provincial government to facilitate one or more blood transfusions for B.C.'s surviving sextuplets in defiance of their parents' wishes?

It depends, of course, on where you stand.

The unidentified parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, whose faith forbids blood transfusions, however dire the circumstances.

The parents have the protection of Canada's Charter of Rights, which guarantees their freedom of religion.

But, there have always been restraints on that freedom.

Briefly put, everyone has the right to believe what they choose. When the exercise of those beliefs endangers others, however, society imposes limits.

In the present case, it is obvious that the surviving tots are in no position to hold religious beliefs, let alone exercise them.

The law is clear: The government has a legal obligation to intervene whenever a child is in need of protection.

A 1995 Supreme Court decision in the case of a premature baby born to a Jehovah's Witnesses couple concluded that the infant's medical interests trumped the parents' religious rights.

Furthermore, within the past five years, three cases in western Canada have established that, in B.C. and Alberta, society's obligation to protect the welfare of a child in a life-threatening situation overrides even the wishes of a minor who understands the possible consequences of refusing a specific treatment.

And it is sad the doctors and social workers who have worked so hard on behalf of the four babies have been portrayed as acting inconsiderately.

According to the family's lawyer, Shane Brady, who has fought many high-profile cases on behalf of the Watchtower Society, the father compared the actions of the B.C. children's ministry to a "hit- and-run."

With all due respect to the Jehovah's Witnesses, this is unfair.

It is clear that, at every stage in the mother's pregnancy, hospital officials consulted with the family. The mother was warned of the potential health risks, and her decision against aborting one or more of the fetuses was respected.

It was known that, should the babies survive, they would likely need blood transfusions. And the parents would have been told that the hospital was legally bound to take the action it did.

For their lawyer now to argue there was insufficient consultation is unrealistic.

The government has done its duty -- however painful it may be to the parents.

- What do you think? Leave a brief comment, name and town at: 604-605-2029, fax: 604-605-2099 or e-mail: provletters@png.canwest.com

Posted by Perry at 04:41 PM

January 23, 2007

'Lost Boys,' other FLDS teens lobby lawmakers

Deseret Morning News
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/
view/0,1249,650224503,00.html

January 20, 2007

By Ben Winslow

They walked through the halls of power like high school students on a field trip.

The reality, though, is that most of these teens who left "the Creek" never made it past the eighth grade.
"We weren't allowed to go to the public schools," said "Sherrie," who ran away from the Fundamentalist LDS Church at age 16.
Teens who ran away or were kicked out of the polygamous enclaves of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., came to the state Capitol complex Friday to share their heartbreaking stories and plead with lawmakers for money to help fund housing and to purchase clothing and food for other children in their situation.
"If we can get some help from the government, imagine the difference it can make in these kids' lives," said Kevin Black, who was kicked out of the FLDS Church at age 17.
Many of the children have been dubbed "Lost Boys" — teenage boys that have been kicked out of the FLDS Church for committing a "sin," such as wearing short-sleeved shirts. The girls are never ousted; they run away.
"The girls are considered a commodity," said Shannon Price, director of the Diversity Foundation, which helps children who leave the border towns.
Each week, one or two teens are reported to have left "the Creek," the nickname for the border towns stemming from the former name of the community, once called Short Creek.
"I just didn't want to be out there anymore," said Sherrie, who didn't have a place to stay and began crashing at "party houses." Soon, she said, she was falling into the trap of substance abuse. After getting help, the 19-year-old now has stable housing and is trying to get her GED.
The groups that help these children said they have heard more than 1,000 have either been ousted or have left. Most don't have a formal education. Price said that stopped when the Alta Academy, an FLDS private school run by Warren Jeffs, shut down in 1998.
Jeffs is now the leader of the FLDS Church and facing criminal charges in Utah and Arizona, which have accused him of arranging child-bride marriages. Price said Jeffs continues to create upheaval in families — even from jail.
"Children continue to be ostracized from the community. They're asked to leave by the dictates of Warren Jeffs," she said.
The teens came to the Capitol for "Democracy Day 2007," learning how to advocate their cause to politicians. They shifted in their seats as they sat through lectures on committees, bills and budget items. While lobbyists chatted on cell phones around them, the young people patiently signed their names to little green notes asking to meet with their representatives on Capitol Hill.
"I've never felt so misplaced," Black said, gazing at the swarm of activity around him outside the Senate chambers.
They found a receptive audience among southern Utah politicians. The teens were ushered into a meeting room, where they sat in comfy chairs as legislative aides walked in and out.
"All of the kids, for the most part, are under 18," said Michelle Benward, who is with the group New Frontiers for Families. "They're living in St. George, without supervision. They're on their own, working, doing their best."
Over the noise of an overhead page calling lawmakers to vote, the teens and their advocates told their stories. The lawmakers' faces grew more concerned with each story they heard. Boys told about being kicked out and having their families cut ties to them to remain in the FLDS Church.
"They tell you (that you) need to repent from a distance," said one boy, named "Jeremy."
"Repent for what?" asked Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, whose district includes Hildale.
"For whatever they think you did wrong," Jeremy replied.
The politicians quizzed the advocates about foster care, the Division of Family Service, Workforce Services and other state programs. The Legislature passed a law last year intended to make it easier for such teens to emancipate themselves. Benward said it has helped, but many children are still falling through the cracks.
"When I go into DCFS, they say it's an Arizona problem. When I go into Workforce Services, they want to know where their mom is. Some of the kids just don't know," she said.
"Even if they did, they would not vilify their parents," Price added.
The lawmakers were receptive but showed a little sticker shock at the funding request — $250,000 each year for the next 10 years. The advocates want it attached to a bill to help homeless youth.
"It's far more difficult to try and invent a whole new system than it is to work within the framework that we've got," Rep. David Clark, R-Santa Clara, told the group.
Shaking hands with the teens as they were leaving, Rep. Brad Last, R-St. George, told the Deseret Morning News he would look into what he could to do to help.
"What happens when you look into these kids' faces, it just makes it real," he said. "It's a very unique problem."

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com

Posted by Perry at 04:35 PM

Youth group supported by Scientology

Y Net News - Israel
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/
0,7340,L-3353985,00.html

Who is behind invitation to party for 'Youth for Human Rights'? The invitation is signed by Don Shaul, 13 year old, with title of Israeli director of 'International Youth for Human Rights'. But behind heartwarming initiative stands Scientology movement

Tali Heruti-Sover
Published: 01.19.07

“Hello everyone! I am Don Shaul, 13 years old from Haifa, and I am in charge of the Israeli campaign for ‘Youth for Human Rights’” a charming e-mail announces, one of many that have recently flooded the e-mail boxes of journalists.

“People do not believe that I am only 13 and am involved and concerned with human rights and that I appear and speak in the press. I believe that children have a lot of ability to influence others and it is no wonder that I and other kids like me care. After all, if we, the kids, do not worry about human rights, who will worry about it when we grow up?”

Apparently, behind these emails is a Haifa boy, who presents himself as the “Israeli representative of the world wide campaign”, and boasts that he is the director of the organization “International Youth for Human Rights - Israel Branch”, whose purpose is to arouse awareness about the UN human rights treaty.

A few weeks ago, Shaul sent an e-mail stating that under the auspices of the Israel Scientology center, he was setting up a stand on International Human Rights Day to distribute information, and attached a picture of himself in a suit and tie. This time he sent out invitations to a “special party where community workers, journalists and human rights workers would attend” that would take place at the Har Hacarmel hotel in Haifa at the end of January.

Scientology event

As heartwarming as the initiative appears, the intriguing e-mail does not reveal who is behind this new youth group that appeared out of nowhere, who is financing the event, and how Shaul received the e-mail addresses of the journalists whom he invited.

A short conversation with Shaul revealed that the Scientology movement and the UN are behind this initiative. The hotel that is hosting the event, claims Shaul, is donating its services for the event, and among those financing the event is “The Citizens' Commission on Human Rights” (an organization which investigates and exposes psychiatric human rights abuses, founded by the International Scientology movement).

“NO!” Shaul exclaimed when asked the innocent question of whether the Israeli branch of “Youth for Human Rights” which he leads is part of the Scientology movement. “We are a completely independent body. The organization was established outside of Israel, and we are the local branch. We are only one of several organizations which receive donations from them, but we have absolutely nothing to do with them”.

Yet, on the youth group’s international website it says that it was established by the International Fund for Human Rights, which – surprise, surprise - is funded by the Scientologists. A deeper search of the website revealed no mention of UN backing for its activities.

“We give services to thousands of children, but we only have around 20 children active in the organization”, replies Shaul when he is asked how many members there are in the group, and he adds that since they do not have a clubhouse, they meet in members' homes.

“When we have the party we will already be registered as a non-profit organization”, he promises, and when we asked him how a 13 year old boy can do that and pay for the registration fee, he explains that “the parents help with the money, and an adult will register the organization”.

The UN, he insists, gives the young movement information pamphlets and financing, as does the international youth movement and the Scientology center in Israel. “But we are a separate organization. I know what Scientology is and that is enough for me, there is one girl whose family are Scientologists but all the others are not. The subject of Scientology does not make a difference- I know that we are doing only good. What could be bad about being active for human rights?”

Is there an adult who advises you?

“Eli Chaim. He is a man who advises businessmen and also us”.

'They have spread lies about us'

After numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach Eli Chaim at the number which Shaul gave us, we approached the Har Hacarmel hotel to see if they support the youth group and why.

The hotel director Misha Blumenfeld checked the contract with the youth group, confirmed that the party will take place and that he is only taking “a little bit of money. If I hear about distressed youth who want to help the community, I am willing to be nice and reduce the price”, he explains. “They came here and explained that they were an organization that works for human rights, and we were happy to help”.

During the conversation we learned that the event was coordinated with the event planner of the hotel, who gave us the telephone numbers of the organizers.

We then called the number, and the phone was answered by the Scientology center in Tel-Aviv. “Is Eli Chaim there?” we asked, and the polite voice on the line replied, “Eli Chaim is not here right now”. He did not return any of our phone calls, but our numerous attempts yielded a conversation with Amir Levi, special events director for the Israel Scientology center, who was nervous about the image of the movement about which “they have spread innumerable lies”.

What is the connection between the youth group and Scientology?

“The ‘International Youth for Human Rights’ group, whose Israeli branch is run by Don Shaul, was established by the experienced educator and school principal Mary Shuttleworth, in order to teach children about their human rights, which are based on the UN’s universal declaration of human rights.

The Scientology religion, which has worked to advance human rights and children’s rights for the past four decades, is one of the strong supporters of the organization and the information material which they use: the pamphlet “What are human rights?” and clips which present the 30 clauses of the declaration, etc.

“The Scientology religion has worked to advance human rights since its inception”, continues Levi. “In the seventies, for example, Scientologists uncovered the brutal incarceration and abuse of black psychiatric patients in South Africa.

Today, in Israel and around the world, Scientologists are involved in uncovering abuse and exploitation by psychiatry, and exploitation of the law and human rights by governments. They support campaigns that deal with the challenges of the modern world, especially after the events of September 11th, the situation in the Middle East and so forth. Our message is that the solution is not to hide or pass Draconian laws, but rather to teach people and governments about the importance of human rights”.

And who finances the activities of the youth group?

“You would have to ask Don Shaul, or his mother”.

Posted by Perry at 03:49 PM

January 11, 2007

Religion, rights could clash in multiple birth case

Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/
story/LAC.20070111.BCKIDS11/TPStory/National

11/01/07

MARK HUME

VANCOUVER -- While the parents of sextuplets born this week in B.C. Children's Hospital are striving to keep a low profile, the health of their babies could propel them into a courtroom and a very public clash over medical responsibilities and religious rights.

The British Columbia ministry responsible for the welfare of children confirmed yesterday that it is prepared to make the babies wards of the state, if necessary, to ensure their safety.

The parents, who have remained anonymous despite massive media attention, are Jehovah's Witnesses, members of a faith that forbids members to accept blood transfusions.

The babies were born at just 25 weeks gestation and weighing 700 to 800 grams.
Hospital officials say blood transfusions are commonly required in such premature births, but they have declined to say what position the parents of the sextuplets are taking on the issue.

An official with the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development, speaking on a background basis, said the government is very much aware of the situation and is prepared to act, if necessary.

"We can't comment on the specifics of this case, but in general what we can say is the ministry's priority is and always will be the health and well-being of children. . . .

"If a health practitioner is aware of a case where a child, including a newborn, may be at risk as a result of a parent refusing to consent with a recommended treatment, the health practitioner has a legal duty to report that matter to a child-protection worker. And we would then assess and take appropriate steps to ensure the child's safety," the official said.

"In cases where treatment is deemed to be necessary to preserve a child's life, or prevent serious or permanent impairment to a child's health, it may be necessary to seek a court order - and that's what we would do."

Stan Lowe, a Crown counsel spokesman, said the government has gone to court in the past to ensure that children of Jehovah's Witnesses get blood transfusions when deemed medically necessary.

He said doctors likely would not act without a court order.

"I think the court does have to get involved because doctors are very leery of the fact that first and foremost the parents are the official guardians of the child and they sign off on medical treatment. Where that can be offset is where the government becomes involved . . . and asks [the court] for specific orders and then guardianship . . . is transferred to the government for the purposes of medical treatment."

In such cases, guardianship typically exists only to enforce the medical treatment and it does not involve removing children from the care of parents.

In a statement released yesterday by Mark Ruge, public information spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada, the church expressed support for the parents and reaffirmed its beliefs concerning transfusions.

"The community of Jehovah's Witnesses, like all Canadians, wish the very best for the sextuplets and their parents. The choice of treatment and discussions about treatment are private matters between the parents and their treating medical team," said the written statement.

"Jehovah's Witnesses place a high spiritual value on prayer, faith, and Bible reading but do not substitute these for medical treatment. They seek the best medical treatment available for themselves and their children. An article in the American Journal of Medicine observed that except for refusal of one therapy -- blood transfusion -- Jehovah's Witnesses are 'totally within the mainstream of modern medicine.' "

The statement referred to scriptures (Acts 15:28,29) that it said require Jehovah's Witnesses "to abstain from . . . blood."

The statement also said that alternatives to blood transfusions are available.

"Hospitals in Canada and the United States have treated extremely premature infants without blood transfusions by careful attention to minimal blood sampling, clinical acceptance of lower hemoglobin levels, use of erythropoietin and iron to stimulate the natural production of red blood cells, and other recognized medical procedures and techniques," it stated.

Posted by Perry at 02:12 PM

December 20, 2006

Sociologue critique les méthodes pour lutter contre les dérives sectaires/Sociologist Questions Parliamentary Report on Cults

Libération
http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/
societe/224356.FR.php

Par Julie LASTERADE

mercredi 20 décembre 2006

Raphaël Liogier, sociologue, professeur à l'IEP d'Aix-en-Provence, directeur de l'Observatoire du religieux et auteur d' Une laïcité «légitime», la France et ses religions d'Etat. Selon lui, les méthodes utilisées pour lutter contre les dérives sectaires en France sont «arbitraires» et inefficaces.

Les auteurs du rapport parlementaires s'inquiètent du sort des enfants dont les parents appartiennent à un mouvement considéré comme secte. Qu'en pensez-vous ?

Il n'y a pas de secte qui soit a priori dangereuse en France. Toutes les études sociologiques ont prouvé qu'il n'y a pas plus de dérives dans ces groupes-là que dans d'autres groupes qui ne sont pas religieux. Et les parlementaires ou la mission interministérielle n'ont mené aucune enquête sérieuse pour démontrer le contraire. S'ils recensent 40 000 enfants parmi les témoins de Jéhovah, ils en concluent que 40 000 enfants sont en danger. Or, s'il y avait un vrai problème, on observerait des cas de maltraitance, de sous-éducation, etc. On aurait des remontées via les assistantes sociales ou l'Education nationale. Je ne dis pas que cela ne peut pas arriver, mais, quand ils existent, ce sont des cas particuliers qui n'ont rien à voir avec le fonctionnement général de la secte.

Dans ce cas, pourquoi lancer une mission pour étudier l'influence des sectes sur les mineurs ?

Parce que les sectes représentent le bouc émissaire idéal. On les imagine tentaculaires, incontrôlables. Après avoir tenté sans succès de les coincer sur leurs finances, on tente maintenant de dire que leurs enfants sont manipulés, car c'est un sujet ultrasensible d'un point de vue émotionnel.

Comment repérer les dérives ?

En cessant d'être dans le vague, en réagissant de façon plus rationnelle. Il faut être vigilant sur les associations qui pourraient vraiment dériver, comme celles avec un projet fondé sur le racisme ou bien celles qui concentrent le pouvoir sur une seule personne et dont les adeptes sont dans un abandon total à leur chef. Pour les repérer, il faut des enquêtes scientifiques et sociologiques. Il faut apporter des preuves avant de stigmatiser, et cesser de s'appuyer sur des dénonciations tous azimuts, sans enquêtes à charge et à décharge. Sinon, on plonge dans l'arbitraire, on aboutit à des mesures discriminatoires, et on crée des problèmes de liberté publique plus importants que ceux qu'ils sont censés résoudre.

Posted by Perry at 02:28 PM

50 mesures pour protéger les mineurs/50 Recommendations to Protect Children

TF1
http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/france/societe/
0,,3371567,00-mesures-pour-proteger-mineurs-.html

Pour un spécialiste de la commission parlementaire chargée des sectes, "60.000 à 80.000 enfants" seraient concernés.

Cette commission rend ce mardi son rapport sur l'influence des mouvements sectaires. L'Eglise de Scientologie et les témoins de Jéhovah, ont exprimé leurs réserves sur ces travaux avant même qu'ils ne soient publiés.

- le 19/12/2006 -

Les enfants sont une proie de plus en plus facile pour les sectes et l'engagement des pouvoirs publics contre les conséquences des dérives sectaires "s'avère très inégal", selon un rapport publié mardi par une commission parlementaire qui avancent 50 mesures pour protéger les mineurs. La "commission d'enquête relative à l'influence des mouvements à caractère sectaire et aux conséquences de leurs pratiques sur la santé physique et mentale des mineurs" présidée par Georges Fenech (UMP, Rhône), s'est intéressée à la fois aux enfants vivant actuellement dans les sectes et à ceux qui risquent d'être touchés par ce phénomène.

La commission s'est inquiétée du nombre d'enfants concernés. Un des spécialistes interrogés parle d'un "minimum de 60.000 à 80.000 enfants élevés dans un contexte sectaire". Elle a travaillé à partir des témoignages d'anciens adeptes, de fonctionnaires en charge de l'enfance, de magistrats, d'un pédopsychiatre, etc et a mis en exergue les méfaits de l'endoctinement et de l'enfermement psychologique. Elle insiste particulièrement sur les conditions de scolarisation et sur le suivi médical (profil psychologique, accès ou non aux transfusions sanguines et à la vaccination).

Pas de listes

Les 50 mesures proposées concernent aussi bien l'éducation (redéfinition des critères autorisant l'instruction à domicile, contrôle des organismes d'éducation à distance), la santé publique (contrôle médical scolaire systématique quel que soit le type de scolarisation des enfants, unification des sanctions pour refus de vaccination des enfants, prise en charge des sortants des sectes, définition des "bonnes pratiques des psychothérapeutes), l'Intérieur (prendre davantage en considération l'intérêt de l'enfant dans le statut des associations cultuelles), la Justice (droits des grands parents, sanction de l'enfermement), etc...

La commission n'a pas produit de liste des sectes mais elle en a défini les caractéristiques, dont la déstabilisation mentale, le caractère exorbitant des exigences financières, l'embrigadement des enfants, sans oublier l'"abus frauduleux de l'état d'ignorance ou de faiblesse". Avant même d'être citées, certaines associations sont montées au créneau. Les Témoins de Jéhovah estiment devoir se trouver hors du champ d'investigation de la commission. L'Eglise de Scientologie, elle, réfute toute référence au mouvement sectaire. La Coordination des associations de particuliers pour la liberté de conscience (Caplc), conteste déjà les statistiques qu'auraient utilisées les parlementaires.

Posted by Perry at 02:23 PM

Les enfants proies de plus en plus faciles pour les sectes/Children Easy Prey For Cults

http://today.reuters.fr/news/newsArticle.aspx?
type=topNews&storyID=2006-12-19T070348Z_01_
CHE925394_RTRIDST_0_OFRTP-FRANCE-SECTES-
RAPPORT-ASSEMBLEE-20061219.XML

déc. 19, 2006

PARIS (Reuters) - Les enfants sont des proies de plus en plus faciles pour les sectes et l'engagement des pouvoirs publics contre les dérives sectaires est très inégal, affirme la commission d'enquête de l'Assemblée nationale sur l'influence des sectes sur les mineurs.

Aussi formule-t-elle 50 propositions destinées à "contrer les dangers du phénomène sectaire".

"Les conclusions qui se dégagent de nos travaux permettent de dresser un double constat", résume la commission d'enquête dans son rapport présenté mardi sous le titre "L'enfance volée. Les mineurs victimes des sectes".

"D'une part, les enfants constituent une proie de plus en plus facile pour les sectes. D'autre part, l'engagement des pouvoirs publics contre l'influence des dérives sectaires sur les enfants s'avère très inégal", affirme la commission d'enquête qui remet mardi son rapport au président de l'Assemblée, Jean-Louis Debré.

La commission d'enquête, créée le 28 juin dernier et présidée par Georges Fenech (UMP), le rapporteur étant Philippe Vuilque (PS), a procédé à l'audition de plus de 65 personnes.

Elle s'est également rendue à Sus (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) le 21 novembre afin d'enquêter sur la communauté biblique Tabitha's Place avant d'auditionner le 5 décembre deux de ses anciens adeptes.

Le rapport cite un haut fonctionnaire du ministère de la Santé et des Solidarités qui évalue "au minimum, de 60.000 à 80.000" le nombre d'enfants élevés dans un contexte sectaire dont "environ 45.000" chez les Témoins de Jéhovah.

Dénonçant "l'emprise mentale" sur les enfants exercée par les mouvements sectaires, le rapporteur estime que "sans aller jusqu'à (l') extrémité de la tentation suicidaire, l'emprise mentale subie dans l'organisation à caractère sectaire peut provoquer de graves troubles de la personnalité et du comportement".

POUVOIRS ACCRUS POUR LA MIVILUDES

Il ajoute que "les spécialistes de la protection de l'enfance, au-delà même du phénomène sectaire, soulignent que tous les systèmes clos sont susceptibles de favoriser la maltraitance et les abus sexuels".

La commission, qui souligne le travail "remarquable" accompli par la Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires (MIVILUDES) depuis sa création en novembre 2002, affirme, qu'en dépit "des avancées" législatives" et la mise en place d'une politique de lutte au niveau national et régional, "force est de constater que des failles perdurent".

"Celles-ci sont perceptibles dans plusieurs domaines: la sensibilisation des administrations aux problèmes sectaires, la procédure de reconnaissance du statut d'association culturelle, les mécanismes du contrôle éducatif et l'absence de contrôle des activités des psychothérapeutes", est-il précisé.

"Les dispositifs juridiques et administratifs existants demandent à être complétés pour assurer aux mineurs victimes d'une organisation sectaire une réelle protection", estime le rapporteur.

Ainsi la commission propose-t-elle de redéfinir le régime de l'instruction à domicile et celui de l'enseignement à distance et de renforcer celui des agréments des organismes de soutien scolaire.

La commission, qui plaide en faveur d'une formation spécifique des auditeurs de justice et des avocats stagiaires au fait sectaire, veut rendre obligatoire un contrôle médical annuel par la médecine scolaire pour les enfants de plus de six ans instruits dans leur famille ou scolarisés dans des établissements hors contrat.

Elle propose également de préciser les conditions d'attribution du titre de psychothérapeute, ou bien encore, en matière de justice, d'autoriser les grands-parents à saisir directement le juge des enfants "lorsque la santé, la sécurité ou la moralité d'un enfant sont en danger".

Elle demande aussi de sanctionner l'enfermement social des mineurs ou bien encore de redéfinir les conditions de l'engagement des poursuites pour prosélytisme à l'encontre des mouvements à caractère sectaire.

Enfin, elle plaide pour la création au sein du ministère des Affaires étrangères d'un poste de correspondant chargé de ce dossier et propose de renforcer les pouvoirs et compétences de la MIVILUDES tant au niveau national, que local et international.

Posted by Perry at 02:16 PM

December 17, 2006

Teen's case fits lawmakers' intent for emancipation law

She has filed documents to show independence and says she wants to live away from her community

By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4851381

12/16/2006

St. George - Shannon Price, Director of the Diversity Foundation (left) helps 17 year old Jenifer Broadbent fill out paperwork as Broadbent prepares to apply for emancipation from her parents, who are part of Warren Jeffs' FLDS church.

Jennifer Broadbent is just the kind of teenager for whom Utah's emancipation law was crafted: an independent teen opting for life outside a closed, polygamous community.
But so far, only Broadbent and two other teens from plural families have petitioned for adulthood - something advocates attribute to fear and lack of information.
Broadbent said she left her home in Colorado City, Ariz., in 2005 in search of a future that offered more than marriage and babies. At 17, she moved in with a cousin in St. George, got a fast-food job and set her sights on college.
In September, Broadbent convinced a juvenile judge she was emotionally and financially independent enough to be considered an adult.
"I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere now," said Broadbent, who enrolled this fall in the Clearfield Job Corps.
Proponents pitched the law as a way to fast-forward adulthood for teens who can't rely on or are estranged from their parents. As minors, the teens are unable to enroll in school, get medical care or sign rental agreements and bank loans.
Teens who have left or been kicked out of polygamous communities - most from the twin towns of Colorado City and Hildale, Utah - were held out as prime beneficiaries of the bill. The towns are the home base of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
"These kids don't know why they need to be emancipated, that [the law] exists and what it can do for them," said Shannon Price of the Diversity Foundation, which works with the teens.
They are also reluctant to reach out for government help given their cultural upbringing, Price said.
Proving financial independence and possibly having to face off in court against parents, who must be notified when a petition is filed, also may be hurdles.
"It was intimidating to me at first," Broadbent said, but others "need to know it is an easy process."
Price is working with the Utah Safety Net Committee to add a page to the Web site justforyouth.utah.gov that would include information about the law. The page should be available in January.
"The more people who go through the process, others will look at them and say it's not impossible and that they can do it as well," Broadbent said. "It has just opened up so many doors."

brooke@sltrib.com

Posted by Perry at 05:02 PM

December 11, 2006

Polygamist leader wed girls under 16, he tells Larry King

Winston Blackmore, head of B.C.'s Bountiful group, says none of his wives are underage now

Wency Leung, Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/
national/story.html?id=87ab93bb-b16c-
4ab7-b488-0187b55b70ef&k=71593

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Winston Blackmore, the leader of the Bountiful polygamist commune in southwestern B.C., told CNN's Larry King Live that he has married girls under the age of 16, and that he was aware of at least one case of inter-marriage between family members.

Blackmore, who was investigated by police earlier this year over alleged misconduct, said none of his wives are underage now, but some were "just barely" under 16 when they married.

"There's one that was, and one that lied about their age, but that's not unusual for women, is it?" he said.

During the interview, aired Friday night, he also told show host Larry King that intermarriage between family members "should not happen."

But asked if it did occur, he said he had heard of one case.

"I think that's before the court," he said.

About 700 people live in the Bountiful commune.

In late September, the RCMP submitted a report to the B.C. Crown after a lengthy probe into alleged misconduct by some of Bountiful's residents.

The Crown said in October that it was determining whether any criminal offenses had been committed.

Blackmore told King he was never a member of U.S. polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs's Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, though he knew Jeffs and "had quite a bit to do with him."

Jeffs was arrested in August and is awaiting trial in the U.S. on charges related to marriages he allegedly arranged between underage girls and older men in both Utah and Arizona.

"He hasn't been convicted of anything," Blackmore said. But he said: "I think he should've just faced up and not tried hiding from his problems, because those problems just don't go away."

Blackmore said that, unlike Jeffs, he does not have his own church.

"I'm just one of a lot of people who believe in the basic, simple fundamentals of our LDS [Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] faith," he said.

The mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or LDS, however, disavowed polygamy in 1890.

Blackmore has about 20 wives and at least 100 children, though he would not say exactly how many.

He said, however, that polygamy is not intended for everyone, but is acceptable if it is directed by God.

As for his wives, he said: "I didn't go out courting me up a bunch of wives. These people came into my life."

Polygamy is illegal in Canada, but the country hasn't enforced its anti-polygamy law for about 100 years.

Blackmore said that it was "biblically sound" for only men in his faith to have multiple marriages, and that, if any of his wives were to take another husband, she would have to leave the society.

Blackmore told King that he had been served a $1-million tax bill by the Canadian government.

That bill was not for unpaid taxes, he said.

Rather, he said, "An auditor came along and they're assessing me because we have lived in a community-style living."

wleung@png.canwest.com

Posted by Perry at 04:20 PM

December 04, 2006

Going down the freedom road

"We can't really allow crimes to be committed against children in the name of religion."

The Hamilton Spectator

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/
NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/
Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=
1165014635377&call_pageid=
1020420665036&col=1112188062620

By John Pomfret
With files from Jessica McDiarmid

Washington Post
SALT LAKE CITY (Dec 2, 2006)

In her battle to legalize polygamy, the only thing Valerie hasn't revealed is her last name. The mother of eight has been on national TV; her photo along with that of her two "sister-wives" has graced the front cover of a glossy magazine dedicated to "today's plural marriages."

She has been prodded about her sex life: "He rotates. It's easy -- just one, two, three." Quizzed about her decision to share a husband with two other women: "You really have a good frame of reference when you marry a man who already has two wives."

Interrogated about what it's like to live in a house with 21 children: "Remodelling a kitchen, that's no small feat with three wives and a husband involved."

All the while, the petite brunette with the bright smile has insisted that she's just like you and me: "I'm a soccer mom. My kids are in music lessons. They go to public school. I'm not under anyone's control."

Valerie and others among the estimated 40,000 men, women and children in polygamous communities are part of a new movement to decriminalize bigamy.

Consciously taking tactics from the gay rights movement, polygamists have reframed their struggle, choosing in interviews to de-emphasize their religious beliefs and focus on their desire to live "in freedom," according to Anne Wilde, director of community relations for Principle Voices, a pro-polygamy group based in Salt Lake.

In recent months, polygamy activists have held rallies, appeared on nationally televised news shows and lobbied legislators. Before the Nov. 7 elections, one pro-polygamy group issued a six-page analysis of all Utah's state and local candidates and their views on polygamy.

The efforts of Valerie and scores of others like her are paying off. Utah's attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, no longer prosecutes bigamy between consenting adults, though it is a felony. Shurtleff and his staff have established an organization, Safety Net, to bring together at monthly meetings representatives from at least five polygamous communities and law enforcement officers.

He has arranged to have representatives of polygamous groups address Utah police. And three years ago, he wrote legislation to reduce bigamy between adults from a felony to a misdemeanour, although pressure from Utah's county attorneys derailed that.

Shurtleff said his office now treats bigamy between consenting adults much like fornication or adultery, laws that are still on Utah's books.

"The thinking is this: This is a big group of people. They are not going away. You can't incarcerate them all. You can't drive them out of the state. So they are here," Shurtleff said. "What do we do about it?"

In their quest to decriminalize bigamy, practitioners have had help from unlikely quarters. HBO's series Big Love, about a Viagra-popping man with three wives, three sets of bills, three sets of chores and three sets of kids, marked a watershed because of its sympathetic portrayal of polygamists.

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2003 decision in Lawrence vs. Texas, which voided laws criminalizing sodomy, also aided polygamy's cause because it implied that the court disapproved of laws that reach into the bedroom.

Since then, liberal legal scholars, generally no friend of the polygamists' conservative-leaning politics, have championed decriminalization.

One of them is Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University who has written two op-eds for USA Today calling for the legalization of bigamy -- and same-sex marriage.

"I find polygamy an offensive practice," said Turley, who has become something of a celebrity among polygamists in Utah. "But there is no way its practice among consenting adults should be a felony."

Shurtleff has vowed to go after members of polygamist groups who break other laws, especially involving children.

Continue reading "Going down the freedom road"

Posted by Perry at 02:11 PM

November 24, 2006

Polygamists worry Jeffs case harms image

24 November, 2006

The Benton Crier

By JENNIFER DOBNER, Associated Press Writer

ST. GEORGE, Utah - A criminal court case here paints a polygamist sect‘s leader as a controlling abuser who breaks up families and forces girls to marry men sometimes decades older.

"I think everyone that lives the lifestyle now is guilty by association," said Rachel Young, 45, a polygamist wife and mother of 12, who is a member of the Davis County Cooperative Society, a polygamist group.

"We believe that they are guilty by association, because they are all essentially doing the same thing," said Vicky Prunty, director of Tapestry Against Polygamy, a group that helps women leaving the practice. "It‘s a lifestyle with a lack of choices that is hurting people."

Prosecutors completed their case Tuesday in a hearing to determine if enough evidence exists to send the case to trial. The hearing will resume Dec. 14.

Polygamists say that detail gets lost in the frenzy of media reports, as do differences among the FLDS and other polygamist groups.

The legacy of that split is an estimated 37,000 self-described "Mormon fundamentalists" who live in Utah and other Western states, according to a survey by Principle Voices, a pro-polygamy advocacy group in Utah. Some are members of organized groups or churches while others remain independent.

"But it‘s hard to tell really what‘s going on in some of these groups that haven‘t been targeted. There is so much secrecy," Prunty said, who applauds the case against Jeffs. "I think it‘s also very easy to look in someone else‘s backyard and say they are the ones committing the abuse."

Nationwide, a growing number of fundamentalist Christian polygamists claim no early Mormon roots and don‘t belong to any organized faith, said Mark Henkel of TruthBearer.org, a polygamy rights organization.

"I have to protect my family more than ever," he said in a telephone interview from Maine.

Like Utah polygamists, Henkel said polygamists without Mormon roots disavow Jeffs and the crimes he‘s accused of. Henkel is disturbed that the FBI considered Jeffs such a threat that in May they named him to the agency‘s Ten Most Wanted fugitives list along with such notorious figures as Osama Bin Laden. The designation implies that polygamy is a Top 10-level crime, he said.

"It‘s outrageous," he said. "If you took out the word polygamy and put any other — homosexual or Jewish — and tied it to this very, very important list, the (groups) would be screaming political hate speech."

Utah polygamists fear the immediate impact of Jeffs‘ case could set back work they‘ve done to forge a more open relationship with Utah authorities that were designed to root out criminal abuses and help families access state services.

Young is concerned about the effect on her children. In 1953, when Arizona officials raised the FLDS border town of Colorado City, Ariz., dozens of parents were arrested and their children put in state custody.

"For the kids who are old enough to understand, there‘s a lot of fear," Young said. "They don‘t want to be taken away."

On some level it‘s hard for polygamists to know how to react, said Marianne Watson, a historian raised in polygamy.

Some want to more publicly separate themselves from Jeffs by denouncing him, but there is also sympathy for his obedient followers with whom there is a shared belief and often family ties.

Watson said she‘s angry. She believes Jeffs‘ four-year rule over his faith is dismantling their culture.

Jeffs is revered as prophet who communicates with God and can strip followers of their eternal salvation. He is known for dismantling families on a whim by kicking out unworthy men and boys and reassigning women and children to new husbands and fathers.

"I have seen him turn a community inside out," Watson said. "To see what he‘s done is such a crime ... and they can‘t prosecute him for that."

___

On the Net:

Principle Voices:
http://www.principlevoices.org/index.php

Tapestry Against Polygamy:
http://www.polygamy.org/

http://www.localnewswatch.com/
benton/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=28875

Posted by Perry at 04:02 PM

Les enquêtes tous azimuts de la commission parlementaire sur les sectes créent la polémique/Commission on Sects Creates Polemic

[The English translation that follows was performed by Google Language. It is not 100% accurate and is only included to assist researchers.]

Le Figaro
http://www.lefigaro.fr/france/
20061123.FIG000000046_les_enquetes_
tous_azimuts_de_la_commission_parlementaire_
sur_les_sectes_creent_la_polemique.html

SOPHIE DE RAVINEL.
le 23 novembre 2006

Si la protection des mineurs fait l'unanimité, certaines intrusions dans le domaine religieux irritent.

QUATRE-VINGT MILLE mineurs sont aujourd'hui touchés en France par le phénomène sectaire, selon la commission d'enquête parlementaire sur les sectes. Ce phénomène d'embrigadement des jeunes est au coeur des travaux menés depuis quelques mois par trente députés, toutes tendances confondues, qui ont organisé mardi une « descente » dans la communauté Tabitha's Place, un groupe biblique sectaire installé près de Pau.

Dans leur rapport, qui doit être remis le 19 décembre au président de l'Assemblée nationale, ces parlementaires vont « faire des propositions pour porter un secours légal à ces mineurs hors d'état de se protéger eux-mêmes », affirme le président de la commission, le député UMP du Rhône et ex-juge Georges Fenech.

Caractère «discriminatoire»

Si la visite à Tabitha's Place ne semble pas faire débat, la volonté des parlementaires d'élargir leurs investigations dans le champ religieux suscite la polémique. Le ­président de la Fédération protestante de France, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, est ainsi monté au créneau contre le caractère « discriminatoire » des travaux. Des minorités liées au protestantisme sont régulièrement placées dans la ligne de mire des enquêteurs. « Que le pasteur de Clermont s'occupe de son Église et nous laisse faire notre enquête !, rétorque Georges Fenech. Nous sommes dans un état de droit, laïc, je ne vois pas ce qu'il vient faire dans ce débat. » Des incidents ont émaillé les auditions, venant offrir des arguments à ceux qui reprochent une conception trop étroite de la laïcité. Le 24 octobre, lorsque Jean-Pierre Machelon - auteur d'un rapport sur les relations des cultes avec l'État - a été entendu, le député UMP Jacques Myard lui a demandé s'il était « très proche d'associations religieuses à forte connotation de foi », intrusion modérément appréciée dans la vie privée de l'intéressé. Une semaine plus tôt, Didier Leschi, chef du bureau des cultes au ministère de l'Intérieur, avait provoqué le débat en exprimant sa crainte d'une remise en question de la « liberté de conscience. »

« Tout le monde va être attentif à la manière dont seront formulées les propositions du rapport pour qu'elles soient bien une amélioration des dispositions de protection de l'enfance et non pas une mise en cause des croyances ou du droit des parents à élever leurs enfants selon leurs convictions », souligne un fonctionnaire proche du dossier. Les précédentes commissions de 1995 et 1998 avaient eu leur lot de polémiques. Mais elles ne portaient pas sur la nature de la laïcité.

Commission on Sects Creates Polemic

If the protection of the minors achieves the unanimity, certain intrusions in the religious field irritate.

EIGHTY THOUSAND minors are touched today in France by the sectarian phenomenon, according to the parliamentary board of inquiry into the sects. This phenomenon of enrolment of the young people has been in the middle of the work undertaken for a few months by thirty deputies, all confused tendencies, which organized Tuesday a “descent” in the community Tabitha' S Place, a sectarian biblical group installed close to Pau. In their report, which must be submitted on December 19 to the president of the French National Assembly, these members of Parliament “will make proposals to carry a legal help to these minors out of state to protect themselves”, affirms the president of the commission, the UMP deputy of the Rhone and ex-judge George Fenech. “Discriminatory” character If the visit with Tabitha' S Place does not seem to make debate, the will of the members of Parliament to widen their investigations in the religious field causes the polemic. The president of the Protestant Federation of France, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, is thus ridden to the crenel against the “discriminatory” character of work. Minorities related to Protestantism are regularly placed in the line of sight of the investigators. “That Pasteur de Clermont deals with his Church and lets to us make our investigation! , rétorque George Fenech. We are in a state of right, laic, I do not see what it comes to do in this debate. ” Of the incidents enamelled hearings, coming to offer arguments to those which reproach a too narrow design of secularity. On October 24, when Jean-Pierre Machelon - author of a report/ratio on the relations of the worships with the State - was heard, the deputy UMP Jacques Myard asked to him whether it were “very close to religious associations with strong connotation of faith”, intrusion moderately appreciated in the private life of the interested party. One week earlier, Didier Leschi, chief of the office of the worships to the ministry for the Interior, the debate had caused by expressing its fear of a handing-over in question of the “freedom of conscience. ” “Everyone will be attentive with the way in which the proposals of the report/ratio will be formulated so that they are well an improvement of the provisions of child welfare and not a calling into question of the beliefs or right of the parents to raise their children according to their convictions”, a civil servant close to the file underlines. The preceding commissions of 1995 and 1998 had had their batch of polemic. But they did not relate to the nature of secularity.

Posted by Perry at 03:49 PM

November 15, 2006

Lost in the controversy surrounding polygamy/Perdus dans la controverse entourant la polygamie

[The French version of this article follows]

Michael Kropveld

Michael Langone

The TV show Big Love is the latest installment in the growing coverage of polygamy. Polygamy has gained widespread notoriety since the Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City in 2002. Recent media stories have included the ongoing FBI search for Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the escape of former wives from polygamous enclaves, the “lost boys” (adolescents who left or were or thrown out of their families), and on the other side of the spectrum, stories from polygamy practitioners who portray it as an acceptable and non-problematic lifestyle.

The subject of HBO TV’s new series, “Big Love,” is the everyday challenges of one man, his three wifes, and seven kids.
Is this the “Father Knows Best” of the 21st Century? What are we to infer from HBO’s latest TV series? Has polygamy gone mainstream? Or should we take a more cynical attitude and reason that if it’s contoversial and has sex, it will sell?

Whatever view one takes, it is clear that in the last few years the media, public, and government has focused increasing attention on this subject.

It’s not polygamy in all its forms that has grabbed the spotlight, though discussion of polygamy in other cultures and religions has been touched on. More specifically, attention has focused on polygamy in fundamentalist Mormon groups. Polygamy, which appeared to be a "secret" hidden from the larger public’s eye for so many years, has emerged, exposing a culture that for some is a freely chosen religious lifestyle and for others - mainly women and children – a prison rife with exploitation and abuse.

Fundamentalist Mormon polygamist groups are not a recent phenomenon. They have been around since 1890 when mainstream Mormonism stopped the practice of polygamy. Despite this institutional decision, “true believers” continued living polygamy. Calling them fundamentalist Mormons disturbs the Mormon Church, which does not appreciate the use of their name in conjunction with polygamist groups. However, those polygamist groups see themselves as the true Mormons.

Actions of some of these fundamentalist groups have led to governmental investigations in the United States and Canada. Examples include: The Primer on Polygamy: Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities (2005, Utah Attorney General) and a recent Canadian report, Polygamy in Canada: Legal and Social Implications for Women and Children - A Collection of Policy Research Reports (Status of Women Canada, C2005, Ottawa). The Canadian report was made up of four separate reports, one of which received extensive media coverage because of a recommendation that Canada drop the prohibition against polygamy. The debate about whether or not laws against polygamy should be repealed or decriminalized will surely continue for a long time.

Such investigations, however, indisputably demonstrate that some people, especially women and children, are harmed seriously. Even if such harm is not the norm for such groups, there is no disputing that the harm is real. And these people need help now.

During the last few years both of our organizations have responded to scores of requests for assistance from second generation former members. These are individuals who were born and/or raised in high demand, rigid, and closed groups, including some fundamentalist Mormon groups. The problems they face upon leaving or being kicked out of their groups are different from those who may join during their adolescent or adult years.

Those second generation former members in recovery or in need of help do not have a "pre-group personality" to return to. Moreover, adapting to psychologically harsh environments can result in a multitude of problems, including extreme reactions to authority, extensive deficits in social and educational functioning, low self-esteem, and conflicts with other people.

As with other social issues, the needs of those who have the least power are often overlooked in the controversy. The media spotlight tends to focus on the problems, not the solutions. Hence, even with the increased public scrutiny of this issue, women and children continue to suffer with little or no recourse to adequate sources of help.

We can easily loose ourselves in the debate about changing or enforcing laws. Whether or not “Big Love” accurately reflects polygamous life or is merely voyeuristic entertainment is secondary. We must not forget that young children and weary mothers trapped in isolated communities are crying silently for help. With “Big Love” drawing so much attention, we wonder where is the “love” for those who need it the most.

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Michael Kropveld is Executive Director of Info-Cult, an assistance, education and information center based in Montreal, Canada (www.infocult.org) that focuses on cults, new religious movements and related groups and subjects. He will be moderating one of the sessions that deal with polygamy and second generation former members at the upcoming annual international conference of the International Cultic Studies Association. The conference will be in Denver June 22-24, 2006: http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_conferences/2006_home.htm

Michael D. Langone, Ph.D., a counseling psychologist, is the executive director of the International Cultic Studies Association, based in Florida (www.icsahome.com). He was the founder editor of Cultic Studies Journal (CSJ), the editor of CSJ’s successor, Cultic Studies Review, and editor of Recovery from Cults. In 1995, he was honored as the Albert V. Danielsen visiting Scholar at Boston University.

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Michael Kropveld

Michael Langone

Le rapport récent de Rebecca Cook publié sur la polygamie La polygynie et les obligations du Canada en vertu du droit international en matière de droits de la personne, en septembre 2006 et présenté à la Section de la famille, des enfants et des adolescents du ministère de la Justice du Canada réaffirme la prise de position que la polygamie demeure illégale au Canada.

http://www.justice.gc.ca/fr/dept/pub/poly/index.html

C’est ici un des derniers épisodes d’une vaste série de publications à ce sujet. La polygamie a connu une grande notoriété depuis les olympiques d’hiver tenu à Salt Lake City en 2002. Les articles publiés récemment traitent de la chasse par le FBI et l’arrestation de Warren Jeffs, le chef du groupe Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, de la fuite d’épouses venant d’enclaves de groupes polygames et des “garçons perdus” (des adolescents du groupe qui ont quitté ou ont été expulsés de leur famille).

En même temps on peut lire et entendre les histoires ou les témoignages de polygames qui dépeignent cette pratique comme étant acceptable et non problématique. De plus, un nouveau téléroman de la populaire chaîne HBO, «Big Love », montre le quotidien d’un homme, de ses trois femmes et de leurs sept enfants.

Que devons-nous retenir de la série télé de HBO? Est-ce que la polygamie est en train de devenir une situation banale et courante?

Devant ces faits devrions-nous par cynisme accepter qu’avec une controverse et un contenu à caractère sexuel, l’intérêt demeurera alimenté?

De quelque point de vue que ce soit, on ne peut nier que ces dernières années les médias, le public et le gouvernement se sont penché de plus en plus sur le sujet.

Ce ne sont pas tous les types de polygamie qui sont sous les projecteurs. La polygamie dans les autres cultures et religions est parfois mentionnée. L’attention des médias s’attache surtout à la polygamie au sein des groupes mormons fondamentalistes. Ce qui semblait être un secret caché du public pendant tant d’années a été dévoilé, exposant une culture qui pour certains représente un choix de vie alors que pour d’autres, en particulier les femmes et les enfants, il constitue une prison où l’abus et l’exploitation sont des réalités quotidiennes.

Les groupes fondamentalistes mormons polygames ne datent pas d’hier. Ils existent depuis environ 1890 alors que les groupes mormons traditionnels ont arrêté la pratique de la polygamie. Malgré cette décision institutionnelle, les «véritables croyants» ont perpétué leur mode de vie polygame. Quoique l’église mormone n’apprécie pas l’usage du nom mormons fondamentalistes pour décrire ces groupes polygames, ceux-ci continuent de se voir comme les véritables mormons.

Certaines actions de ces groupes fondamentalistes ont mené à des enquêtes et rapports gouvernementaux aux États-Unis et au Canada comme The Primer on Polygamy: Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities (2005, Utah Attorney General) et un récent rapport canadien La polygamie au Canada : conséquences juridiques et sociales pour les femmes et les enfants : Recueil de rapports de recherche en matière de politiques (Condition féminine Canada, C2005, Ottawa). Le rapport canadien est fait de quatre différents rapports. L’attention médiatique a été concentrée sur le rapport recommandant de mettre fin à la prohibition de la polygamie. Le débat sur la décriminalisation de la polygamie demeurera certainement actif encore longtemps.

De telles enquêtes montrent toutefois de manière indiscutable que certaines personnes, particulièrement des femmes et des enfants, subissent des torts considérables dans des groupes polygames. Si les abus ne constituent pas la norme, on ne peut en nier l’existence. Ces personnes ont besoin d’aide concrète maintenant.

Continue reading "Lost in the controversy surrounding polygamy/Perdus dans la controverse entourant la polygamie"

Posted by Perry at 06:52 PM

November 06, 2006

Poll shows support for government intervention in polygamous communities

Daphne Bramham, CanWest News Service; Vancouver Sun
Monday, November 06, 2006

VANCOUVER - An overwhelming majority of Canadians believe polygamy should remain illegal, according to a COMPAS poll obtained exclusively by The Vancouver Sun.

Only one in 10 of those surveyed believes the practice of having multiple marriage partners should be legalized. Another 10 per cent said they didn't know.

The poll also found strong support for governments to intervene more aggressively to protect children in polygamous communities such as Bountiful, B.C.

Eight of 10 surveyed said that governments need to do more or a lot more to ensure the children get a better education, that girls have a choice of whom they marry and that boys are not forced out of the community so that a higher ratio of females to males is maintained.

The poll of 502 people across Canada was done for the Institute of Canadian Values between Oct. 18 and 27 and has a margin of error of 4.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Coincidentally during the polling, there were media reports about a study done for the federal Justice Department suggesting that by not enforcing the polygamy law, Canada was violating international law and United Nations conventions on the rights of women and children.

The institute's executive-director Joseph Ben-Ami said his group wanted to test Canadian opinion on polygamy because ''it fits hand in glove with the whole debate about regulating the structure of family relationships by the state. What is a married couple? It is an interesting test of where Canadians are on these issues.''

The institute has been a leading opponent to Canada's legalization of same-sex marriages. But Ben-Ami said that unlike some same-sex marriage opponents in the United States, the institute does not see any parallels between it and polygamy.

''Polygamous relationships (practised by fundamentalist Mormons and some Muslims) are something that is permitted by religions as opposed to same-sex marriages, which are not permitted,'' he said.

Ben-Ami added the institute believes the right to religious freedom is not absolute and that limits can not be placed on religious practices if they are outside societal norms. The hypothetical example he used was a religion that requires killing children as sacrificial offerings.

But he added, ''To be perfectly honest, it makes some sense for the government to be out of the marriage business altogether. The state shouldn't be regulating marriages. Let religious institutions decide on the basis of the best interest of children.''

The findings surprised COMPAS president Conrad Winn because 20 per cent of Canadians either have no opinion or would legalize polygamy.

''I think that's extraordinary and may go part way to explain why governments have turned a blind eye to the practice,'' he said.

''I think it points to a certain rootlessness in Western civilization. We have moved rather quickly recently from very firm Christian beliefs to a pluralistic acceptance of almost everything. It seems that we are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with absolutes. It really is moral relativism.''

Quebecers seem much less interested in governments intervening. The difference between English and French speakers answering yes to the question of whether governments should do "a lot more to protect girls and boys in polygamous communities'' was a 15 per cent.

Winn suggested that one reason for that is that there has been much less media coverage in Quebec of either the fundamentalist Mormons community in British Columbia or the arrest in the United States of Warren Jeffs, the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list.

But he noted that noted that Quebec couples are much less likely to marry than other Canadians, adding, "I wouldn't be shocked if the difference is because Quebecers have had a much more active rebellion against their Christian roots than other Canadians.''

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=e735e2d9-f53d-462f-96a6-910068a38e0b&k=50891

Posted by Perry at 03:13 PM

July 30, 2005

Sunstone addresses polygamy

Associated Press, via Standard-Examiner, USA
July 29, 2005

SALT LAKE CITY -- The symposium program frames the question this way: How is the state of Utah dealing with contemporary polygamy?

The answer is: differently than ever before, Utah Attorney General Office spokesman Paul Murphy says.

Raids on the families of Short Creek in 1953 -- an area known today as the border towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz., -- were a mistake, Murphy said. But the state's decision to ignore those communities for the 50 years that followed "was an even bigger mistake," he adds.

These days the attorney general's approach is two-pronged.

"There's the law enforcement track and the safety net track," Murphy explains, adding that both require -- and have had-- the active involvement of many practicing polygamists.

"It is no longer us talking about them and them talking about us," Murphy said, recounting a discussion with a polygamist woman with whom he consults. "It's about all of us coming together and trying to come up with solutions."

Continue reading "Sunstone addresses polygamy"

Posted by Perry at 05:30 PM

May 03, 2005

Judge orders B.C. girl to go home

Last Updated Tue, 03 May 2005 18:31:36 EDT
CBC News

TORONTO - An Ontario judge has ordered a 14-year-old B.C. girl, who says her religion forbids blood transfusions, to return home from Toronto immediately.

Continue reading "Judge orders B.C. girl to go home"

Posted by Perry at 09:15 PM