Religious abuse and cults cause serious harm, Humanists UK tells UN

At its 57th session, the UN Human Rights Council marked the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family as an opportunity to consider the role of family in supporting the human rights of its members. In an intervention delivered in a general debate, Humanists UK drew attention to the council’s resolution 54/17 that reaffirmed state responsibility to protect and fulfil the human rights of all family members, including protection from violence or abuse from within the family.

The intervention was delivered via video by Humanists UK’s Faith to Faithless Policy Officer Yehudis Fletcher. She said:

‘Humanists UK’s Faith to Faithless programme exists because we see what happens to those who need state protection from their families in order to preserve their rights. Faith to Faithless supports those who leave high-control religious groups – often referred to as ‘apostates’. We raise awareness of the issues they face: apostates are often rejected by family and community, and may lose their homes, employment, or even custody of their own children, resulting in exceptional isolation, and vulnerability.

‘An American study shows that leaving groups that are theologically and culturally exclusive – such as the Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses – is associated with poor health outcomes. A Finnish study found that apostates are likely to experience fear, guilt, sorrow, pain, loss, and suffering on an existential level, often with serious implications for an individual’s well-being and health. An Israeli study showed that many of those who leave their Charedi Jewish communities experience poverty;  the loss of community and familial financial support is compounded by a lack of access to secular education during childhood.’

She reminded states that the right to freedom of religion or belief protects the right to change religion or belief, as well as to hold non-religious beliefs, and urged states to protect these rights of those leaving, or trying to leave high control religious groups, when considering the role of the family.