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ACTIVISM Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth Click here to read more about the Joint Statement Our endorsement to the prevention of physical punishment of children and youth
Januray 29/05
Dear Ailsa M. Watkinson,
Thank you Ailsa for all your efforts in support of the child and youth. Here is our statement Persons Against Ritual Abuse -Torture:
We are writing this letter to give our endorsement to the prevention of physical punishment of children and youth.
For twelve years our work has focused on, being witness to, and caring about persons who have survived ritual abuse-torture victimization. Ritual abuse-torture is a horrific violent crime and human rights violation that is inflicted unto infants, toddlers, children, youth, and captive enslaved adult women by parent(s)/families and like-minded groups. Bearing witness to the dehumanizing impact of such atrocious victimization reinforces further our position that violent actions--physical, verbal, emotional, and mind-spirit--have no place in the healthy development of the child. Therefore; We, Persons Against Ritual Abuse-Torture, give our endorsement to the Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth. In Addition; Partnering and sharing information about the extensive violence that is inflicted unto children/youth is necessary if this violence is to end. We have attached a few pamphlets about ritual abuse-torture for your information. We also maintain a website with educational information and links: www.ritualabusetorture We share our information firstly, because it is a fact that some children who have endured ritual abuse-torture have been and will continue to be seen in facilities across our country. Secondly, because a person can only see and assess a reality that they are aware of, thus, ritual abuse-torture victimization assessment will not be on the agenda unless the person assessing and investigating violence against a child/youth knows about ritual abuse-torture. And thirdly, we have been contacted by youth and a critically ill young pre-teen who have been struggling to survive and heal from their ritual abuse-torture victimization. There are various reasons why they contacted us. From not being believed when they tried to try to tell or because they were too terrified to tell and to explain that their suffering was being compounded by the on-going victimization responses--flashbacks, body memories, mind-spirit torment--they were enduring. As nurses we have also experienced the maltreatment of consumers simply because the health care profession was ignorant or abusive or housed perpetrators. It is therefore essential that the degrees of violence that children/youth might be enduring be recognized and appropriately named if all forms of violence even physical punishment is to be eliminated. In respect, Jeanne Sarson, RN, BScN, MEd & Linda MacDonald, RN, BN, MEd ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Activists Share UN Experience The Diocesan Times Volume 59 Number 8 October 2004 page 6 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- First International
March for Child Abuse in Washington D. C. April/04 Click
here to see the over 1000 persons who participated ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The National Day of
Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
International Candlelight Vigil for Clergy Abuse Victims
A Gathering Three of us … friends So many who were tricked So, our blue candle
shone
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September 1, 2003 Breaking the silence: An act of activism
2003 16 DAYS CAMPAIGN OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE!
Preamble: Every time those of us who have knowledge and experience, whether personal, professional, or both, speak openly about ritual abuse-torture (RAT) we engage in an act of activism. We break the silence that shrouds the reality that infants, toddlers, children, youth, and captive adults have been, are presently, and will continue to endure life-threatening and personhood shattering horrific ordeals intentionally organized and inflicted by the RAT torturer/family/group. When we take the risk to speak we educate those to whom we are speaking. This means there is one more person in the global community who has been informed about RAT. This means there is one more person who when asked, “Have you ever heard of RAT?” will respond with “Yes, I have.”
This dialogue mimics our experiences when we were in Washington, DC, in November 2002, to speak about RAT at a press conference. At the airport we shared a taxi with a woman, a religious minister, who asked us what we were doing in Washington. Responding to her query, we explained we were there to speak about RAT and then we asked if she had ever heard about RAT. Much to our surprise she responded she did. Explaining she had a woman parishioner in her congregation who had identified her-Self as a survivor.
Our second such experience came one day as we were standing in the Washington drizzle waiting for a bus. Striking up a conversation with a young woman, who was also waiting for the bus, we learned that she had heard of RAT from a young man she had met and travelled with in Europe. The young man had shared with her that he was a survivor of RAT, explaining to her his childhood RAT ordeals, and sharing his belief that as long as he travelled and had no fixed address he felt his family and others perpetrators would never be able to access him. Two random people knew about RAT! Amazing!
Not only did we leave Washington with the thrill of knowing we had had informed discussions with two random people who knew something about RAT, but we left having spoken about RAT at a press conference. More people knew! Excitedly, we wondered, and still do, how many of these people have had discussions about RAT with others? Acknowledging such experiences and possibilities gives us strength and hope. It motivates us to believe that soon the reality of RAT will be just that—a recognized global truth! It is time to get the reality about the existence of human evil that thrives within our species straightened out!
So, it is our opinion that whenever possible, it is important to speak about RAT because speaking is an act of activism that will educate the uninformed and will contribute to transforming the human global community.
Below, we share with our friends and readers another opportunity for activism, another opportunity to speak up about RAT and other acts of torture such as mind-control and “scientific” human experimentation. Even though this site if focussed on violence against women, children—girls and boys—and men who have been victimized by the perpetrators of RAT and other acts of torture will benefit because eventually there will be no social silence under which the torturers/family/groups can hide!
Check out the: Center for Women's Global for Women's Global Leadership 160 Ryders Lane New Brunswick, NJ USA 08901 Phone: (732) 932-8782 Fax: (732) 932-1180 Web: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu Email: cwgl@igc.org
2003 16 DAYS CAMPAIGN OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE! November 25 - December 10, 2003
This site explains that The 16 Days Campaign is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights.
Sara Nordstrom, coordinator, writes the spirit of the 2003 theme is celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Platform of Action produced at the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. The 2003 theme is called: "Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights: Maintaining the Momentum Ten Years After Vienna (1993-2003)"
If you would like to join the 16 Days list or receive a 2003 Take Action Kit to participate in the 16 Days Campaign this year, please contact Sara via: Phone: (732) 932-8782 Fax: (732) 932-1180 Web: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu Email: cwgl@igc.org
Sara writes: In June of 1993, representatives of nations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from around the world gathered in Vienna, Austria for the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights. Women's human rights advocates had worked for two years nationally, regionally and globally to ensure that women's rights were recognized as human rights there and that violence against women was included in the discussion. The resulting document, the Vienna Declaration and Platform of Action signed by 171 states, was historic in its emphasis on the global pervasiveness of gender-based violence and in its compelling appeal to governments and the United Nations to take action to eliminate such violence. The Vienna Declaration and Platform of Action declared:
The human rights of women and the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. Gender-based violence and all forms of sexual harassment and exploitation, including those resulting from cultural prejudice and international trafficking, are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person, and must be eliminated. (Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 1993, p. 33)
Sara continues by reviewing significant gains made at the international level for the movement to end violence against women since the Conference on Human Rights, such as:
In December of 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW).
In 1994, the UN Commission on Human Rights appointed a Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Its Causes and Consequences to monitor the various manifestations of gender violence on a worldwide scale.
In 1995, the UN held the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing where women's human rights advocates again demanded that their governments take concrete measures to improve the status of women. The resulting Beijing Platform for Action included an entire chapter devoted to eliminating violence against women.
In 2000 the Platform for Action was reviewed by the UN General Assembly and the resulting document sought to strengthen government's commitments to fulfilling the human rights of women worldwide.
Sara goes on to discuss that it is time to look at how both the human rights framework and various international initiatives have affected the work being done to end violence against women at the grassroots level. She shares some international examples.
It comes as no surprise that violent acts of non-political torture, such as ritual abuse-torture, was invisible. That there has been, to date, a failure within the global community to recognize that ritual abuse-torture exists, that RAT is a violation of women’s—children’s—girl and boy persons—human rights is also of no surprise. Even in Canada, which released in 1993, a national task force report, Changing the Landscape: Ending Violence ~ Achieving Equality, identifying ritual abuse-torture to exist in every region of Canada (pp. 45-47), there has been on-going silence. Obviously, it will be necessary to break the silence over and over and over again in order to achieve recognition that RAT and all other forms of torture are recognized as a violation of the human rights the persons so victimized. This site provides one of these breaking the silence opportunities!
16 DAYS CAMPAIGN OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE is an opportunity to identify RAT and other forms of torture as violence against women (as violence against the child person—girls and boys, and men) by participating in the Center for Women's Global Leadership Vienna + 10 Survey. Go on-line before September 15th http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu and on the front page click Vienna + 10 to participate. After September 15th we understand the survey results will be posted.
Check out the site for other possibilities: Center for Women's Global for Women's Global Leadership 160 Ryders Lane New Brunswick, NJ USA 08901 Phone: (732) 932-8782 Fax: (732) 932-1180 Web: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu Email: cwgl@igc.org
Below is a copy of the Vienna + 10 Survey response that we submitted. Every time we share ideas, listen to the ideas of others, learning takes place. We welcome your comments.
Vienna + 10 Survey PART I – YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION
(Required fields are marked with a *)
1. Identification Code*: GEN 2. Name*: Jeanne Sarson 3. Organization: Persons against ritual abuse-torture & other forms of non-political tortures: child/spousal torture
4. Thematic Area of Interest*(circle all that apply): a) Violence against women Ö b) Trafficking in women and girls Ö c) Women in situations of conflict d) Health and/or reproductive rights e) Sexual rights f) Indigenous women’s rights g) Refugee and migrant women’s human rights h) Women’s citizenship and political participation i) Culture, religion and/or fundamentalism j) Racism and Xenophobia k) Socioeconomic rights l) Development and rights m) Other (please specify): My colleague and I have been focused, for the past 10 years, on providing educative guidance, support & caring to persons who have experienced childhood and/or adulthood relational violence. Specifically, we have turned our activism efforts into developing educational presentations to expose the reality of ritual abuse-torture (RAT). Please see our web site http://www.ritualabusetorture.org In our site is a map that is beginning to visually express the global reality of persons who have endured ordeals of RAT. This mapping only started in April of this year. From our writings you will also see we take the approach, and have the belief, that RAT is a violation of human rights. The persons who have endured horrific atrocities inflicted by the perpetrators of RAT have, to date, remained totally invisible in all arenas on the discussion of human rights violations. It is imperative that the human community gain education and give acknowledgement to the reality of RAT. It is time to get the reality of the continuum of the humanness that exists within our species—from respect for human rights to the pleasure, power, and wealth some gain from dehumanizing and violating human rights! Additionally, it is necessary to recognize that abuse does not encompass acts of torture thus there is a need to recognize other forms of torture besides political, for example spousal torture, child/youth torture. This needs recognition at the UN level as well as at the grass roots level. Would you help us and persons so victimized break the silence? 5. City: Truro, NS 6. Country*: Canada 7. Website: http://www.ritualabusetorture.org 8. Fax: 902-895-2255 9. Email*: twin@auracom.com
PART II – WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS 1. Marking Progress: a. What are the top-3 advances in women’s human rights over the past 10 years at the international and/or regional level (e.g. appointment of Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, creation of regional networks, election of women judges in International Criminal Court, etc.)? List and rank in order of importance (1=highest, 3=lowest) 1. That violence against women is a human rights issue not a mental illness 2. UN Declaration on the Rights of Children 3. All international policies etc. that deal with modern day slavery
b. What are the 3 most notable breakthroughs in your work/organization (e.g. new national law on violence against women, women’s human rights advocates in police stations, etc.)? List and rank in order of importance (1=highest, 3=lowest) 1. Canada’s 1993 national task force on violence against women that dedicated 3 pages to ritual abuse-torture even though this horror has remained unaddressed & silent 2. Designing, organizing, & teaching my peers about violence within the family 3. Development of mini-curriculum and teaching hundreds of grade 4. Children about healthy to abusive relationships & sexuality although eventually my workplace failed to provide on-going support
2. Identifying Challenges: a. What are the major 3 challenges for women’s human rights movement in your country and/or internationally (e.g. gender biased inheritance laws, lack of laws against violence, political power of fundamentalist forces, etc.)? List and rank in order of importance (1=highest, 3=lowest)
1. Education re the endemic reality of relationship violence and the need to always ask the question: Is there, has there been, or is there a risk of violence in your relationships? 2. Education of researchers to always evaluate the degree of relational violence that participants in their research have, are, or may risk experiencing otherwise research will continue to be slanted/biased. 3. Need for worldwide education of children about relationships that respect human rights and about those that violate human rights—violence, be it spousal, pedophilic, or RAT 3. Next Steps: a. Thinking ahead five years, what are the 3 most important things to be done to address the challenges you listed in the previous question? 1. Education to expose & give support to the reality of RAT so children can be protected; as well, attending to other forms of non-political tortures that need to be recognized & properly dealt with in all areas of social caring & justice 2. Education of children, starting at pre-school level, about relational violence and what they can do to help themselves & support for children to be recognized as persons involved in all aspects of global community developments 3. Education of police, legal & judicial practitioners so the reality of gender-based oppression & violence will be given legal recognition within judicial processes & decision making.
PART III – VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:
4. Forms of Violence and Human Rights: a. Do you deal with the issue of violence against women in your work? *Yes Ö * No ___
b. If you answered “yes” to the previous question, what forms of violence are you dealing with (e.g. domestic violence, violence against women in war and conflict situations, etc.)?
Specifically RAT & other forms of non-political torture.
(If you answered “no”, go to part e of this question.) ritual abuse-torture (RAT), spousal torture, family violence
c. Do you use the concept of human rights in your work on violence against women? *Yes Ö * No ___
d. If you answered “yes” to the previous question, how does using the concept of human rights affect your work on violence against women? (If you answered “no”, go to the next question) Historically, women’s emotional, psychological, & cognitive responses to ordeals of violence have been labeled as mental illness versus normal responses to human rights violations. My colleague and I have had to challenge the medical mental illness model that re-victimizes women by giving them mental illness labels. Such labels are a plague as these follow women wherever they go … negatively interfering with their desirability as an employee, volunteering, or is used against them in the court system. When we challenge it means our work load increases greatly as we have complex letters to write, for example, challenging insurance companies to accept that a woman’s need for “disability” insurance is related to being a victim of violence which is a human rights issue not a mental illness. And, specifically, for insurance companies to accept that RAT victimization leads to responses that are NORMAL for any person who endures such atrocities and that these responses are not mental illness. We were successful at several levels with national and private insurance.
e. In your opinion and/or your experience, does linking the concept of human rights to violence against women create any problems/dilemmas? Please explain. No, not for me in my personal & professional philosophy as it is what I believe to be the truth; however, my colleague and I have faced several severe professional attacks for our stand to uphold women’s rights. These attacks have come from our peers, our professional nursing body, and from peers who were alleged by some of the person’s we were helping to be perpetrators. These alleged perpetrators were able to use the mental health model of labeling to their advantage by stating that women with histories of violence were not capable of making informed consents, that they did not have to be present when “assessments” were being made about them, and generally may be incapable of Self-determination—the patriarchal practice of oppression. Your can read some of this on our web site under “The Risks of being an Effective Anti-Violence Carer”.
5. Intersecting Identities: a. Race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, class, age, and other identities often increase women’s experience of violence, (e.g. employment discrimination against single mothers, abuse of the disabled, trafficking of poor and migrant women, etc.) Do you address the problem of intersectional discrimination in your work?
*Yes, in what area? Ö all or what is applicable to each woman’s situation * No ___
6. Next Steps: a. Thinking ahead five years, what are the 3 most important things to be done to address the issue of violence against women?
1. Break the silence about RAT—it is the last of the “uncovered” atrocities 2. Deal with the realities of human experimentation & mind control experimentation tortures that have been put before Senate Committee by those so victimized 3. Violence against women commonly starts in childhood … it starts with both girl and boy persons … both can learn or are actively taught how to be the victim or the perpetrator … prevention starts here!!!
Please add any other comments: How can you help to open a global space for the truth & reality about RAT? How can we get the truth unto the UN agenda? Unto your agenda? How do you see us promoting your work?
Sincerely Jeanne Sarson -------------------------------------------------------------------- April 24, 2003 Nomination for the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia Client/Public Health Advisory Award.
January 23, 2003 Recommending Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald for Client/Public Advocacy Award First I would like to say how happy I am to take part in nominating Jeanne and Linda for this award. The work they have been doing for the last 9-10 years to help stop violence and to make aware the horrific cruelty of ritual abuse in our society has been relentless. It is hard to be specific in telling how I have benefited from their work because it has helped me in so many ways. To help in your understanding, I would like to share a bit of my personal story and how it was affected by the work Jeanne and Linda are doing. My childhood was abusive in many ways. My father was a rageful alcoholic. I was sexually abused by my grandfather and I had an emotionally neglectful mother. I was working thru these issues for several years and then about 4 years ago one of my siblings shared with me that they had experienced ritual abuse within the family. Although I do not have a client/therapist relationship with Jeanne and Linda I have known them for many years. Through their work it helped me to breakdown the myths around ritual abuse and gain a better understanding of how this happens within society. I have also learned to deal with the fear, my own and other peoples around this issue. Linda and Jeanne are writing a book about ritual abuse titled "The Torturers Walk Among Us". My husband and I were interviewed for the book so other people could better understand how it affects families. Although I was not involved directly in the rituals the interviews shows the after effects of the abuse within my family of origin. Doing the interviews helped my husband and I to talk more openly together and, with our children, and put a face to our legacy. Jeanne and Linda have helped me to see how important it is to speak out about ritual abuse or it will never be exposed just how prevalent it is in out world. They have given me the opportunity to speak at a few workshops that presented about violence and ritual abuse-torture. This helped me personally and also give it a face and voice for the people who cannot speak out because they have so much fear. I know Jeanne and Linda will go on to do great things around these issues. I think this award would honor their work this far. Robbie Weatherbee | ||||||
| January 30, 2003 A Response Letter to: Senator Landon Pearson Advisor on Children’s Rights to The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Preamble: The Government of Canada is preparing a National Plan of Action based on the UN document A World Fit for Children available on Senator Landon Pearson’s website www.sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson.
In brief, The Plan of Action focuses on protecting and promoting the rights of children and improving the well-being of Canada’s children based on four main themes to: (1) promoting healthy lives (2) providing quality education (3) protecting against abuse, exploitation, and violence; and (4) combating HIV/AIDS.
Senator Landon Pearson, the Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Jane Stewart, Minister of Human Resources Development have joint responsibilities for the National Plan of Action. A final draft of the National Plan for Action will be written this summer in preparation for submission to the United Nations in December 2003.
Senator Pearson is seeking public input. You can send your reply via e-mail (maximum 2 or 3 pages) by January 31, 2003, to: pearsl@sen.parl.gc.ca. Continue to send your responses to Senator Landon Pearson after January 31 to be included in the final draft in December 2003.
We have submitted our response, see letter following, which focuses on theme (iii) protecting children against abuse, exploitation, and violence. We are specifically requesting that Canada, via the above Committee, recognize and take action against all forms of non-political torture: ritual abuse-torture, child-torture, spousal-torture, caregiver-torture, or stranger torture, for example.
If you are in support of our letter please forward your support with your comment to Senator Pearson.
If you want to send your personal opinions to Senator Pearson we encourage you to do so. For the sake of our children!
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Persons Against Ritual abuse-torture & other non-political tortures: child/spousal B2N 1E4 Web site: www.ritualabusetorture.org January 29, 2003
The Honourable Landon Pearson The Senate of Canada Room 210, East Block Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4 Subject: Civil Society: “A World Fit for Children”
PRIORITY (iii) protecting children against abuse, exploitation, and violence
ACTS OF TORTURE: NON-POLITICAL
RITUAL ABUSE-TORTURE: Burned with cigarettes, candles, hot light bulbs for more times than can be recorded; terrified; family/group/individually raped; suspended by my limbs; bestiality; horror; blood; forced by my father to drown my pet kitten, Brownie, with the threat that is what will happen to me if I tell; watching newborn babies having their eyes taped shut before they are forced to suck the men’s penises; given burning hot enemas by my mother before she “played” out her sexualized horrors unto me; forced to smear feces on another child victim before we were group raped; destruction aimed at my mind and spirit; witnessing the killing of animals as part of the pedophilic group sexualized torture rituals and ceremonies; more blood—forced to drink the blood; sexualized tortures and horrors videotaped as trophies for the future pleasures of the torturers, for commercial trade on the pornography market, and for emotional blackmailing purposes; if you tell no one will believe you; their laughter; humiliation; trafficked to Toronto; “rented out” to the men and women who came to our store; I still remember my father saying, “bring her back when you’re done!”; over-whelmed—“I left my body in that room! … Person’s Voices, their victimizing experiences
The HISTORICAL: CANADA HAS KNOWN OF THESE ATROCITIES SINCE 1993! With the publishing of the Final Report of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women, Canada became informed of the horrific reality of pedophilic ritual abuse-torture.[1] In the previous paragraph we have given a composite of just a few of the over-whelming ordeals person’s victimized by ritual abuse-torture (RAT) describe experiencing during their childhood years of RAT captivity, enslavement, and exploitation. A criminal co-culture of trans-generational kin and/or non-kin whose like-minded needs and desires for pedophilic physical, sexualized, and mind-spirit torture—RAT—can be inter-connected regionally, nationally, internationally, and transnationally.
Recent history: Project Snowball gives further evidence about the extensive atrocities adults inflict unto infants and children of all ages—babies with their umbilical cord stumps and clamps still attached being raped; pedophilic files called “baby blowjob”! RAT infants and children are some of the victims because they were born into pedophilic-practicing families; they are part of the “off-street” pedophilic pornography and pedophilic “sex” trade; they can become part of the adult pornography and prostitution “sex” trade.
UPHOLDING CHILDREN’S HUMAN RIGHTS: RAT victimized persons have no specific recourse for seeking justice for their life-threatening ordeals of non-political torture. Their non-political torture cannot be addressed by the Committee Against Torture[2] under the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment because their torture is not “… inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”[3] Although their torture consisted of “…act[s] by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted … [as] an aggravated and deliberate form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment [and] is an offence to human dignity and shall be condemned as a denial of the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”[4]
An adult or child victimized by non-political torture requires the violation of their fundamental human rights be recognized and upheld as stated in Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It reads, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”[5] Furthermore, because childhood is entitled to special care and protection, Canada, as a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, under Article 37, has agreed that “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment …”[6]
SOLUTIONS: 1. CANADIAN CRIMINAL CODE REVISIONS: Fundamental changes are required to the Criminal Code (S. 269.1). The definition and understanding of torture needs to be expanded to include non-political torture—such as RAT, child-torture, spousal-torture,stranger-torture, or caregiver torture such as occurred in Residential Schools.
2. NAMING ACTS OF NON-POLITICAL TORTURE
versus MISNAMING NON-POLITICAL TORTURE AS ABUSE:
Misnaming minimizes the extensiveness of violence that can exist within
intimate relationships, for example, within adult-child relationships
and within RAT family/group relationships. Ignorance, denial, disbelief,
rejection, and blame-the-victim responses flourish when individuals—professional,
political, or lay—and communities are not reality-based, when non-political
torture is misnamed as abuse. Victimized persons are commonly and
repeatedly told by torturers that, “If you tell no one will ever
believe you”[7]—a statement that is given substance by bystander
and community ignorance, denial, disbelief, or rejection. Misnaming
prevents wholistic empathic understanding of the victimized person’s
non-political torture victimization and traumatization ordeals and
their responses, thus, the provision of care and support offered will
not “fit”. Because persons exiting ordeals of non-political torture
have expended extraordinary resilience to survive their exiting, healing
and re-socialization needs can be wholistically complex. Misnaming
can lead to the perpetuation of the cycle of RAT. Misnaming acts of non-political torture as abuse facilitates perpetrators not being held accountable for their acts of torturing. Misnaming means criminal charges and sentencing will not reflect the atrocities that RAT torturers commit, thus, their crime goes unrecognized. When acts of non-political torture—a human right atrocity—are not named appropriately society will be handicapped by ignorance in its ability to respond effectively. For instance, when applying child protection Acts; when upholding United Nations Conventions, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child; when making decisions that will protect the safety and be in the best interest of the child or adult victims/survivors.
3. EDUCATION needs to reflect the reality because ignorance about non-political torture, be it RAT, child-torture, or spousal torture (children are victimized during spousal violence via their direct and/or indirect exposure and/or involvement) will prevent the appropriateness of national intervention, prevention, and educational strategies aimed at helping future generations of children be and stay safe.
4. DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL STRATEGY TO FIGHT THE WAR AGAINST PEDOPHILIC PERPETRATORS will only be effective if, as a Civil Society, we are willing to address the total extensiveness and atrocities of relationship violence that can occur, including acknowledging the existence of non-political torture and the torturers. Only then will Canada build “A World Fit for Children”.
In making informed and accountable decisions, we encourage the Committee to check out our educational website: www.ritualabusetorture.org or please notify us for more detailed information. Our “expertise” has been built on ten years of caring work and research connections with persons victimized by RAT.
Jeanne Sarson, RN, BScN, MEd & Linda MacDonald, RN, BN, MEd -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] The Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women. (1993). Changing the landscape: Ending violence~achieving equality (pp.45-47). Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services. [2] Centre for Human Rights. (1992). The Committee Against Torture (Fact Sheet No. 17). New York: United Nations. [3] United Nations. (1984, December 10). Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. [4] United Nations. (1985). Declaration on the Protection of the Persons from being subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Outlawing an Ancient Evil: Torture, p. 17. Department of Public Information. [5] United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. New York: Author. [6] Yolles, V. (1998). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Practical Guide to Its Use in Canadian Courts. Toronto: UNICEF Canada; Human Rights Directorate Department of Canadian Heritage. (1991). United Nations Convention on the Rights of theChild, p. 18. Hull: Communications Branch Department of Canadian Heritage. [7] Noblitt, J. R. , & Perskin,
P. S. (2000). Cult and ritual abuse Its history, and recent discovery
in contemporary America (rev. ed.). , ( p. xvi). Westport, CT: Praeger. | ||||||
| To take action to have ritual abuse-torture named in the Canada's National Plan of Action for Children to be presented at the United Nations e-mail Andrea Khan at khana@sen.parl.gc.ca at Senator Landon Pearson's office. To read documents click below. | ||||||
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December 6, 2002: Update on our attendance at the Washington Press Conference Firstly: Christine Dolan forcefully discussed the global sexualized exploitation of children within the Roman Catholic Church. We were very honoured that Christine asked us to present insights into the reality of ritual abuse-torture. We were elated when we previewed the 18 sections listed in the Table of Contents of Christine’s Report “In the Name of God …” and saw one section entitled ritual abuse-torture! Elated because every time the silence is broken it breaks the barrier of secrecy! We thank Christine for having the courage to be open to the challenge. Christine is the CEO/founder of the International Humanitarian Campaign against the Exploitation of Children (IHCAEC) and tells us her report, “In the Name of God …” will eventually be placed on the IHCAEC website: http://www.helpsavekids.org "In the Name of God..." by Christine Dolan |
Washington Press Release Preamble: This
is a press release that describes our participation in a press conference
with Christine Dolan author of "In the Name of God" , a
report concerning the sexualized violence scandal in the Roman Catholic
Church. For Immediate Release November 9, 2002 Contacts: David Roscow, 703-276-2772,
ext. 21 Scott Treibitz, 703-276-2772,
ext. 11 New Report Catholic Church Guilty of Global Human Trafficking of Sexual Predators and Victims
Group Calls on International Humanitarian Campaign Against the Exploitation of Children Press Conference, 1:30 pm, Tuesday, November 12 National Press Club, Holman Room --- (14th and F Street NW, 13th floor)
Washington, DC – The Catholic Church is guilty of a historic, systemic cover-up of human trafficking of sexual predators and victims as defined by the United Nations according to a report by the International Humanitarian Campaign Against the Exploitation of Children (IHCAEC). The report, In the Name of God, documents clear evidence of global patterns of behavior and tactics by church officials that has resulted in “global human trafficking” of sexual predators and their victims under the guise of protecting the Priesthood, the image of the Catholic Church, and avoiding legal and financial liability for their actions.
“Even in these very dark days of the Roman Catholic Church’s worse sexual scandal, the Church hierarchy and the Vatican continue to co-conspire to cover-up heinous sexual crimes by members of the clergy including sexual rituals, orgies, and ritual abuse sex rings.” said author of the report and former CNN Political Director Christine Dolan, CEO/founder of IHCAEC. “In this cover-up, the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy use their usual tools-Denial, Deflection, Secrecy, Stonewalling, and Blaming victims, their families and supporters, and media who attempt to report the true nature of this sexual torture.”
“It is time for Law Enforcement agencies worldwide to do what the Roman Catholic church Hierarchy, who clearly consider themselves ‘A Royal Priesthood’ and above the civil laws that govern laity, to do what the Vatican and their Bishops continue to lack the moral leadership and moral courage to do. Positions of power in the church can no longer be protection from CRIMINAL ACCOUNTABILITY! Their acts of commission and omission are as criminal as the predators’ sadistic torture and savagery of children!” says Dolan.
For more information about IHCAEC visit www.helpsavekids.org.
Press Conference Participants: Christine Dolan, Author of In the Name of God.
CEO/Founder, International Humanitarian Campaign Against the Exploitation
of Children |
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