The Role Faith and Culture Plays in Abuse

Exploring how abuse may be perceived by different diverse communities within the context of cultural and faith values – focusing on honour based abuse, FGM and spirit possession aka as witchcraft/ Juju

We will be hearing from survivors firsthand

Look at identity, cultural/religious values and its impact on survivors and the wider communities

How to overcome the. challenge of devising cultural sensitive interventions in order to protect and safeguard victims from diverse communities globally.

Mandy Sanghera 

Taboo in my community. Do not speak out, if no one know you are a virgin, they won’t want to marry you

Event on the 6th, Child abuse

Supporting, It’s not ok 

Goldsobel

Founder of It’s Not Ok platform

Should be everyone’s responsibility 

Engage everyone.. not just people who are survivors

Sharp

Lives in England

I am a survivor 

Ritual abuse 

Help others

Helped to develop my website- Take Cover, resources, safe place to support

I want to pay it forward to help others

Unknown

I am an artist from NY. Live in 26 years

Young girl Non-Profit

Prevent sexual abuse

Direct victims to get help legal assistance…

Comic arts for teens to adults 

Gay

Founder of Freedom Route

[Connected to knowing more about] witchcraft in Africa in Ghana 

Youth survivor, 17, Edith [Introduce]

Sanghera

People hide behind culture and faith 

Goldsobel

Talk about similarities, child want to disclose any harm, silence in culture or religious practice one in the name of shame, shame of family or religion

Response that they have in abuse, secondary trauma 

People need to maintain status quo… to social media

People can repent. if someone say I’m sorry to an individual or Rabbi. They won’t harm again. -Live no disclosures come about. Further harm. Further victims. Generations of abuse. Most boring bit is that people know about it. 

Community know the offender. Know the victim. Know the offender. Hard for people to dismiss and silence the victims

Go into Judiasm, become cultural practices, become extreme, meant to give sex in marriage whether want to or not. Feel like being raped on monthly basis. Told by parents, community, religious leaders-they have to do this. Where is the line culture/faith….? 

Shouldn’t be blurred, should be clear cut 

Age of 17/18: meeting someone and 30 minutes engage. Get married following year. Won’t meet during the year. Have sex that night. 2 strangers never had sex. Forced by community to perform the act. Immeasurable for clients. 

Sanghera

Found forced marriage unit, say arranged marriage. Family honors the state here. 

South Asia community….How can it be raped?

Sharp

I’m 58 

Came from middle class family 

Born in the 60s…Free spirit, hippies

Walk down street, didn’t have label across forehead abuse

Ritually abused in childhood

Survivors, self care, may trigger

Ritual abuse-power and control, indoctrination 

In addition to that- use satan as devil as evil ways

Special cerimonies, sacrifices 

Taken to chamber, drugged, younger 

Prepare for ritual, poison me, cleanse me top to bottom 

Told me I was chose to serve the master

After, circle of power, in the middle concrete slab, in a circle, wearing robes-people, called followers, they would chant, put on slab like piece of meat. They would then rape me. that was me serving them. 

Ritual abuse do all kinds of sexual abuse on you, sacrifices, taken to other people’s house, they would have their wicked way with me. Repeat, repeat, plain rape. 

I would hide behind food. Because comfort ate. As a tool. Didn’t want people looking at me. Only later on, start to respect body. 

Self harmed

Seen as another child, child was sullen, first sit at lunch, last at lunch, dissociate 

teacher saw as a day dreamer, bullied, welcomed it for attention: this is what you call love, I put up with it

Told I’m nothing. Told to fires of hell. Even to this day, am I a nothing still? All of it was lies. 

I would self-harm. Burning. Pain they gave me. You become numb to pain. Hide behind believe of Satan. Hiding-cop out. People getting their own fix by abusing me and others

Late 40s- 2 break downs, ended up in hospital, 7 wks, 10 wks., time I first opened up about my abuse. you live in fear, blame, guilt, shame. You think their watching you 

Always looking behind my shoulder. 

Extra extra protection. Those close to me would suffer

Given the right therapy. I know not everyone has. We do need much trauma support. 

EMDR therapy, I have. Deal with what happened to me.

During the abuse, 14, had a daughter, lost in the abuse, only last few years, deal with that

All the help I had, I always wanted to help others. I gained tools. I know… to gain support from others

Develop website, raise money for abuse , travel to china to do trek on great wall of china-about abuse, ritual abuse, felt empowering to do that-keep the conversations going

Sanghera

One of the brave person I know. Really appreciate it. 

Edith 

Culture process-culture sacrifice, shed blood or sacrifice children to get wealth. Parents or strangers, pick child or sacrifice

Some fading away. Sacrifice children or adult. Drain blood get rich or wealthy. Illiterate or unlearned still do it

Our organization fighting against such practices- human trafficking and human sacrifices. 

In church with my sister, at night at 8. Killed her and remained with me. Hurt blatantly. 

after 3 weeks go on medication. Not at school bc of medication. In 2019, go back to school

Still affected, need medication

(Caregiver speak on behalf) Connie

January, coming from church and sister killed. Thought she [Edith] was dead. Took her outside the house. Survived. People came to rescue her, unconscious. She was in coma for three weeks. She has injury here, use axe, be on medication- 4 times, every day. Nubs on that part, constant headaches, faints or black outs

Counseling/therapy-get out of trauma

3-6 months therapy

She’s a strong girl. Able to share her story. At school been affected-fainted or blacked out. Doing well… catching up. Health effected. Advised undergo surgery. Not go as planned but she is strong. She wants to be a lawyer, advocate what she has gone through. Slowly fading away, some of those few people

Numbers keep decreasing. 

Sanghera

Black magic

Carry out harmful practices

In UK, people go to churches,  tell CO-VID not real,

Tackling issues name and brand children-witches, from Congo-limbs cut off….lucky

Alex

Director Make a Child Smile

Chris partner 

Late in night, 1 am, called me, from certain operation, run to the scene, 2 girls died in instant, 1 girl stabbed on shoulder and neck, drain blood, witch doctor order to bring anything. 

Bring blood of virgin girl 

Blood [clearly taken]

She was raped, stabbed in head

Throw her in the garden. Look for next person. Look at night. Look in garden. All thought she was dead. Can’t declare dead in hospital

Get car, 2 people sacrificed, think both dead, take girl to hospital 

Call us bc we deal with such instances

Maybe confirm dead or not, put security, identification card-they run away

Stay in hospital three weeks 

This crime-corruption, bribe.- case along time, no judgement, [Edith] choose arrested

Happening again and again a lot of countries. 

Kidnapped another 5 kids… 2 kids found dead, buried, put in different places. 

Connie

Call for action- sensitization, witchcraft, can get rich or wealthy. Sensitize against it… does a lot of harm.. social media platforms like UN, a lot of illiterate people don’t know

Prevent it, the better

Alex

I would be not so much different from everyone else

Awareness judicially

Community leaders

Educate local leaders, police, security

Let them know of this criminal, know crime, be educated more and more

The way it’s rising, maybe know about it, reminded it

Judicial side, don’t know what to do with, awareness in community

Goldsobel

Not just victims and survivors, we all live on this planet

Prioritize young people

Influence positive change to safeguard our children…to make the changes

Sanghera

Listen to survivors, never get shocked, but I do. Honestly, survivors, people like you make the event 

Bansal 

Ask everyone, what kind of advice, guidance, support that you didn’t get and need it?

Goldsobel

Listened to and being heard. 

Just responding like we are people

Doesn’t matter how you feel 

I hear you

Sharp

I think when you are in schools. Silent, not doing anything…Really good if teachers have training, recognize signs, has a bruise or..

I couldn’t say anything, couldn’t speak

If someone took me aside, recognize something

Sanghera

During the pandemic, at home with perpetrators

Got to save lives [with pandemic but] Kids neglected 

LaZaro

You all are so brave. 

Experienced it, we feel your pain 

Go to Human Rights, Need Countries to go on board, ministers of countries

Bridger

Lead Metro Police: Project Violet, child abuse linked to faith and belief

Thanks to all survivors for sharing. We are working with one authority. Amber- educating signs and how to talk to children.

However child abuse-escalate brand to child: witch to death. 

Investigators and prosecutors-culture expert?

Call out to everyone- would you consider yourself a expert

Stand up and support of those 

Chris Tuck:

Faith and culture abuse: truth project: spoken about lived experiences

Some form and it’s shocking to hear that this is going on 

They turn off hearing about it… it is happening

Survivors need to be able to tell their truth 

Be out of your reality. Up to us not to judge us

Experts. 

Edith

We are survivors, we are not virgins, don’t fit into school groups, not taken-early birds bc you have injuries and scars…can’t be leader

Sanghera

Thank you to you to sharing your story. Round of applause. Not just brave but remarkable people. 

Saturday, Twitter-debate

Goldsobel

Conversation for all-  #itsnotok 

Print stuff, resources

Can retweet, direct other people

Thank you Mandy and inspiring listening to powerful people

Sanghera

You are stronger together

Thank you to everyone 

#Empowermenthour