Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment

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According to the federal Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, it encompasses abuse and neglect, which is defined as "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm. There are strict guidelines covering the use of reasonable punishment and it will not be possible to rely on the defence if you use severe physical punishment on your child which amounts to wounding, actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm or child cruelty. As our government seeks to give faith groups a greater role in our education system, and churches press for more legal exemptions from equalities legislation, this book is a timely reminder of the harm that can be done when the power of religious institutions goes unchallenged and under-scrutinised.

In Breaking Their Will, Janet Heimlich makes a compelling case that the maltreatment of children under the cloak of religion should never be justified or tolerated. A 1995 study examined surveys sent to mental health professionals asking about patients' allegations of childhood abuse involving ritualistic, ceremonial, supernatural, religious, or mystical practices.The author's aim is to help end the denial she believes is prevalent both about the extent of such tragedies and their inherently religious character. Religious education is the bane of the world and children brought up in strict households suffer untold psychological problems. But some parents can struggle to understand what they need to do to provide proper care for their child. Sources: Based on data from Department for Education, StatsWales, Children's Social Care Statistics (NI), and Scottish Government and Brandon, M. We've put together an overview of the key legislation in these areas, to help people who work with children.

That’s why we’ve got advice on the types and signs of neglect and what you can do if you’re worried about a child. If a punishment is necessary, the removal of privileges, ‘time out’ or natural consequences are better. Heimlich discusses the story of Abraham and Isaac, and asks us to consider what Isaac's POV might have been, when his father takes him to the top of a hill to sacrifice him to an unseen, metaphysical being, and how there is very little in the Bible itself concerning the place of children.

My hope is that pastors, priests, and other religious leaders work with our justice system to better understand each other. The writing is awful, the biblical exegesis deplorable, but what troubles me the most is that the book reads like a manual for developing abused wife syndrome. there may be cases where the injuries suffered by a victim would usually amount to common assault but due to the presence of serious aggravating features, they could more appropriately be charged as actual bodily harm.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) defines a child as everyone under 18 unless, "under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier". One of the most disturbing parts of the book is a woman's testimony about how she has never felt sexual desire. More commonly, the author suggests, religiously-motivated violence can cause lasting emotional damage. While physical abuse is shocking due to the marks it leaves, not all signs of child abuse are as obvious. Section 3 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 states that a child is a person who is aged under 18.A study booklet will also be available later in 2018 that will benefit victims, abusers and workers. A shy child, she was terrified at the prospect of carrying out her Pentecostal Christian parents' stern wishes that she "save the souls" of her classmates and teachers. While religion can be extremely beneficial for some, and MOST of the time religion and spirituality is very good for children, there are some theological beliefs that are dangerous and make for terrifying and abusive environments.

In the findings, abuses largely fell into three categories: torturing or killing a child to rid him or her of evil, withholding needed medical care for religious reasons, and abusing a child under the cover of a religious role. Theologians have not offered sustained reflection on the nature of children or on the obligations that parents, the state, and the church have to nurture children. However, much of this advice leans toward promoting authoritarian parenting and the use of corporal punishment.

In Kings, 42 children get torn apart by a wild bear after making fun of the prophet Elisha's bald head.