Research paper: Ritual abuse and torture in Australia

[biaothanatoi]

The Australian NGO <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.asca.org.au/" target="top">Advocates for Survivors of Child Abuse</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> has recently released a research paper:<br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.asca.org.au/pdf_public/brochure_ritualabuse_2006.pdf" target="top">Ritual abuse and torture in Australia</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[havanagilla]

amazing material, more surprising and encouraging is the fact it was funded by gov. I wish it were possible to translate for Israeli readership. anyway, i had tears come up in my eyes to read it, and the moving story of James, with the church.<br>Something is certainly happening, and I suppose you are part of this movement/work. power to you.<br> <p></p><i></i>

[blanc]

At last a piece of good news on the ra front. At least someone is taking it seriously. <p></p><i></i>

[biaothanatoi]

We've had a stack of good news recently. It's weird.<br><br>Today, a ritually abusive self-styled "witch" was in the papers - he's been in jail for a decade or so, after using ritual abuse to enslave two teenage girls. The judge has referred him to the Serious Sexual Offenders program on the basis of his likelihood of re-offence. <br><br>He was meant to be released earlier this year, but officers in his prison found he was in "disturbing" email contact with others in Ghana - they didn't elucidate beyond that, but the country is significant - the United Nations has reported on ritual abuse in Ghana.<br><br>We had a survivor step forward last week regarding the Catholic Church's acknowledgement of his satanic ritual abuse, which has generated a lot of coverage and discussion here.<br><br>Another ritually abusive perp was in the papers earlier this year, after his appeal against his conviction was turned down.<br><br>And I just found a case from 2003, in which 70 men in Christchurch, New Zealand, who were satanically ritually abused by priests in a Catholic residential school in the 60s and 70s, were paid $4 million in compensation by the Catholic Church.<br><br>And the ASCA report on ritual abuse is doing the rounds here - it's been endorsed by some prominent academics.<br><br>Is this a blip on the cardiograph of public apathy, or a sign of some movement ahead? Who knows. The important thing is that there are some proven cases in the public domain, and the debate appears to have shifted from the "recovered memory" zealotry. <p></p><i></i>

[AnnaLivia]

so glad you shared this, biao...this report, and all the recent pertinent news. (it made hava cry. it made me throw up, i kid you not. i guess my family refers to me as 'little miss sensitive' for good reason. everyone's shoes seem to fit my feet when i try them on, but i wouldn't change that for the world.)<br><br>i think ASCA has done a superb job on this paper, and its publication is of great value. if, like james t wished and i have done, those with no personal experience with RA would read the whole thing, well, it's like getting a lasting innoculation against the lie that "it doesn't happen". i hope this info travels far and wide. they really made it readily understandable to the average joe and jane.<br><br>people here like pw and sw had already made me aware many months ago, but for people who are still completely without exposure to knowledge of RA, this paper does help create through education, a shift in perspective that should make it safer for survivors to come forward, and to seek help and support more readily. and increased general awareness ought to make it more difficult for perps to continue unhindered.<br><br>i have a question. they said carers must insist on firm boundaries, (or they may become overwhelmed and leave the survivor, making it all the worse for that survivor). do they mean that as in; carers, like parents of small children, must become authoritarian sometimes and strictly forbid some actions? (like me preventing my toddling babes from darting into the street 'cause i know they don't know better, yet?)<br><br>i know that u have a survivor friend. do you have to prevent them from actions that you know will hurt them further...so you don't have to deal with additional damage? gad, carers must have to walk the very finest of lines sometimes, i'd think.<br><br>and...do survivors ever really get to realize just how amazingly strong they are? me, i'm just astounded by the demonstrated courage and resilience of both survivors and carers. witnessing that kind of strength is inspiring!<br><br>good on ASCA. wishes best to all survivors and their carers. may the healing continue and the number of incidents dramatically decline, as the general ignorance of RA decreases. i think education of "the rest of us" is very important... like i said, to make less space available for perps to work in. <br><br>thanks again, biao. kudos to NSW gov for funding the report (now THAT'S what a gov is for) , and to those who did the work to present info to all of us. <p></p><i></i>

[biaothanatoi]

Hi Anna - that was an amazing post.<br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>do they mean that as in; carers, like parents of small children, must become authoritarian sometimes and strictly forbid some actions?<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <br>Lots of things, I think. Specifically - being self-aware, looking after yourself, not promising things you can't deliver, not trying to take responsibility away from the survivor, communicating these things clearly to the survivor.<br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>do you have to prevent them from actions that you know will hurt them further...so you don't have to deal with additional damage?<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <br>That's just a function of letting someone know that you care - if they want to go hurt themselves, and you intervene, you are telling them in the clearest possible way that they have value.<br>Even after they have hurt themselves, continuing to care for them disrupts the RA dynamic. Sometimes they hurt themselves to "prove" that they are bad/undeserving/etc - the notion that you would stick around regardless is a foreign one.<br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>gad, carers must have to walk the very finest of lines sometimes, i'd think.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>Very fine. And it's hard to know when you've stepped over the line. <p></p><i></i>

[AnnaLivia]

i wish i had a photo of a group of you caregivers, biao...so i could PROVE what i'm always saying about heaven and earth not being seperate. i could run around showing the picture and saying "see? there's the angels, right there!"<br><br>i want you to know that it wasn't even the reading about the horrible things done to those who suffered that made me get sick. i read the report, talked about it with my kids' dad for a bit, then came back and read the other links with the comments, then just sat and thought deeply about the whole situation some more.<br><br>and what made me ill was imagining it was me going through it, and truly realizing the depth of pain and the degree of hurt i would suffer...not to be believed after having summoned more courage than some people will ever know exists. those who have been hurt most terribly, getting hurt even worse. society itself being a kind of second perpetrator...inflicting a kind of...would it be called passive abuse?<br><br>it just shouldn't be possible that that happens.<br><br>you are helping that stop happening. my deepest bow of respect to you, and again to ASCA.<br><br>i understand enough to know that often the perpetrators of RA are/were also victimized themselves. that's why the conundrum when it comes to administering justice in those cases.<br><br>general society can make no such claim. there is no excuse for us to not listen. it's no fun to put yourself in the shoes of a survivor, but we are poor in spirit if we won't, and oughta have our humanity examined. <p></p><i></i>