Say what you want about “religous” groups that segregate themselves away from society…but, the children are the innocents in those situations; the children involved in the Fundalmentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are probably going to end up in foster care en masse. There have been claims of physical, sexual, spiritual and emotional abuse; enough reasons to remove children in every state in America.
In Texas, more than 400 children were removed. This group practices polygamy..having more than one mate. The problem is with this particular group is that it is alledged that the adult men forced or coerced young female child brides to get married and to have marital relations. This is illegal. In almost all cultures in the United States this is considered sexual child abuse. What is worse is that these men used God to validate their right to abuse these children; making them feel like they were sinful for not wanting these marriages. They found a bed in the church where the female children were “spiritually married” and then traumatized.
Some of the young mothers went with their children to the place where the protective services placed the children. Some of the other mothers did not. However, some of them are saying that they are being denied access to their children. They all have to be fearful and anxious about what happens next.
Foster care for this large of a number of children is going to be overwhelming to the foster care system. The thing of it is…in my mind, the young mothers are also considered to be of an age to be placed into foster care themselves, if the prosecutors deem that indeed they have been abused. They are going to need counseling for years to come. I don’t think that there is much doubt that they have been abused in all kinds of ways. The children and mothers will need lots of support.
This investigation is going to be huge. It is going to take many hours and lots of investigative staff to wade through the evidence and organize it into some sort of legal presentation for the court system. I worry about the children, who will almost certainly be placed into the foster care system, becoming more damaged from the long process.
Living this type of different lifestyle is one thing; but, being thrust into another whole world is going to be even more traumatic. They will be seperated from their mothers and siblings in some cases. If this investigation and eventual prosecution of their fathers is not done in some sort of speedy fashion the “help” can cause additional, emotional damage.
The news said that the investigators had an informant in the “religious compound” for four years gathering evidence. Just think how much horror and abuse was done in that amount of time. I understand that they had to get “enough” evidence to be able to prosecute without allowing charges to be dismissed for “lack of evidence”; but really, four years? How many female children were raped and forced to produce children every 10 months or so?
One story was released that there was a young 16 year old girl who had given birth four times already. That is horrible. Surely, some of that had to have taken place during the informants time in the compound.
These child brides were the victims; they were often forced to marry middle-aged men who already had other wives as well. I have heard some comments online from people holding these women just as accountable as the men who were in control of daily life. I beg to differ. I think when it comes down to it…these women were forced…they were brainwashed, and they were conditioned or raised up to believe that this was acceptable. I think it is going to take the wisdom of Solomon to figure out legal accountability.
Write where you are 