Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs continues to use his ecclesiastical power to impose tests of faith that inflict severe mental anguish on his followers. Granted, it’s no revelation that the convicted felon disregards the laws of the land – that’s why he’s in prison. But somehow, from prison, he was practically able to install his own totalitarian government and reign like a tyrannical dictator over a group of vulnerable, unprotected people. And he did it with the silent approval of officials. Signs There was a lot of religious nonsense during Jeff’s court proceedings, including the documents where, um, Jesus Christ weighed in on Jeffs’ behalf, informing the judge she no longer had power over Jeffs. Jeffs delivered these ‘revelations’ from Jesus, but he was just the messenger, you know. It was God that placed Jeffs above the law. “I, the Lord Jesus Christ, am above all, and my law is religious and…
Featured
It’s time to make something clear about polygamy and human trafficking. According to the Protocol on Human Trafficking adopted by the U.S., human trafficking can exist within an isolated community, or even a family for that matter. It does not require crossing borders between Canada and the U.S., or any other country. The definition does not require movement at all. What is does require is the abuse of power and the exploitation of a human being, particularly a vulnerable human being. Think about the circumstance where a prophet, an ecclesiastical leader with power far beyond the average minister or priest, arranges a “marriage” – aka sexual activity - with one of the believing females in his flock. Is this not clearly a case of abuse of power over a vulnerable believer? In many states there are fiduciary laws which put clergy in the same “special trust” category as lawyers and psychologists. Utah is…
The public wonders how women could ever, in their right minds, join a polygamist cult. Janja Lalich says, “These people are no different than you and I, if you mean people who join these groups. According to all the studies, people who join these groups are above average intelligence, from stable backgrounds, they do not have any pre-existing psychological difficulties, or problems. But they were at a transition point in their lives, when perhaps they were not completely connected or totally fulfilled with what was going on at the time, and if there is any common thread or traits, it is idealism, curiosity, and urge to create a better world, and wanting a sense of meaning and purpose.” Janja Lalich is an expert who decribes the prevalence of the sexual exploitation of women in cults. This may take the form of daily controls of sexuality and sex lives or more…
Human Rights
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. All are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of the law. These are basic human rights. How many human rights are being violated by…
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a…
The Right to Be Protected The obligation of the government is to protect the rights of those deprived of their liberty, yet governmental failures to protect individuals who are not in custodial settings also raise human rights concerns. The United States has an international legal obligation to protect individuals from violence perpetrated by the state and by private actors. And when public officials such as border agents or police officers have the authority to use force, human rights standards require that it be used proportionally, and only when necessary. Unfortunately, either because abuse happens at the hands of public officials,…
Polygamy
Selective Amnesia Regarding Adult Consent in Coercive, Religious Polygamy Polygamy might seem like a private act between consenting adults, but that’s because we believe that TV shows like Sister Wives, Big Love, and Cathouse represent reality. Happy face media numbs and blinds the American public and even lawmakers to the cold, hard, not-so-smiley facts. Here’s What We Must Forget in Order To Justify Legal Inaction or Decriminalization of Polygamy Download and read the PDF HERE
Religion-based Polygamy: a form of human trafficking where males subjugate women through psychological coercion which use religious beliefs as the bonding leverage. Females are indoctrinated to believe that they must consent to their own oppression in mortality or they will suffer excruciating consequences and torment in eternity.
Anti-human trafficking blogger Amandar Kloer stirred up a cup of controversy when she expanded on Professor Marci Hamilton’s article suggesting that polygamy and prostitution had something in common: both include “populations of men who get away with raping, abusing, and degrading women, even in places where what they’re doing is illegal.” Some of the disagreeing comments that followed AMANDA’S BLOG, sent a chill down my spine. Here are two: “As an institution, marriage (and certainly multiple marriage) was begun out of times when they were subject to slavery and rape, not to exploit them.” “Comparing the obvious evils of forcing…
Fiona Broadfoot, a UK prostitution survivor, said it best, “Will someone please tell me what the difference is between a prostituted woman who is pimped and abused by her customers, and a trafficked woman? We are all raped, bought, sold and treated like pieces of meat.”
Prostitution & Trafficking
• That trafficked persons, especially women in prostitution and child laborers, are no longer viewed as criminals but as victims of a crime • That global trafficking will be answered with a global response. Although organized crime such as traffickers, smugglers, pimps, brothel keepers, forced labor lords, enforcers, and gangs are powerful forces or ganized cooperation by police, immigration authorities, social service agencies and NGOs is encouraged by this Protocol (Art. 10) • That there is now an accepted international definition of trafficking and an agreed-upon set of prosecution, protection and prevention mechanisms on which to base national legislation against…
Loyola Law Professor Dr. Kathleen Kim wrote a paper called “The Coercion of Trafficked Workers” describing labor settings where coercion is explicitly codified as a fundamental legal element in human-trafficking crimes. Although this paper is about using psychological means to hold immigrants hostage and achieve slave labor, the concepts can even be applied to adults in polygamy and other cults. The Coercion of Trafficked Workers Abstract: Enacted pursuant to the Thirteenth Amendment’s section 2 enforcement power, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (“TVPA”), criminalizes the use of psychological coercion to compel labor. The TVPA further aims to protect and provide…
”Whether the currency is God or greed, the trafficking of women and children for sex is a form of slavery.” Rebecca Musser. Rebecca Musser is the former (coerced) wife of FLDS prophet Rulon Jeffs, and a key witness against Warren Jeffs. READ ARTICLE HERE
