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 AMENDEDFINALREPORTFORTHEINVESTIGATORYREVIEWOFCHILDABUSEATNEWTRIBESFANDAMISSIONARYSCHOOL August28,2010
 
1
GRACEAMENDEDFINALREPORTFORTHEINVESTIGATORYREVIEWOFCHILDABUSEATNEWTRIBESFANDAMISSIONARYSCHOOL
INTRODUCTION
Inthe1980’sandthe1990’s,NewTribesMission(NTM)operatedaboardingschoolinthevillageofFanda,inthecountryofSenegal.Thechildrenofmissionarieswerehousedatthisschool,sometimesoverthestrongobjectionsoftheirparents.TheworkersNTMplacedinchargeofthesechildrenwereoftencruelandmanyoftheboysandgirlsplacedthereenduredsexual,
1
physical,
2
emotional,
3
andspiritualabuse.
4
Muchofthisbehaviorwascriminal.
5

1
Sexualabuse“istheinvolvementofadults,olderchildren,oradolescentsinsexualactivitieswithchildrenwhocannotgiveappropriateconsentandwhodonotunderstandthesignificanceofwhatishappeningtothem.Suchactivitiesviolatefamilyandsocietaltaboos.Sexualabuseincludes,forexample,sexualtouchingofthegenitalia,oralsex,attemptedoractualsexualintercourse,orincludingchildreninchildpornography.”JohnM.Leventhal,MD,
OverviewofChildMaltreatment
in
 
AngeloP.Giardino,MD,andRandellAlexander,MD,eds.,C
HILD
M
ALTREATMENT
:
A
C
LINICAL
G
UIDEAND
R
EFERENCE
,
T
HIRD
E
DITION
(G.W.MedicalPublishing,2005),
2.

Anotherclinicaldefinitionofsexualabuse’sconstituentparts:“Sexualabuseconsistsofanysexualactivity--verbal,visualorphysical--engagedinwithoutconsent.Thechildisconsideredunabletoconsentduetodevelopmentalimmaturityandaninabilitytounderstandsexualbehavior.Verbalsexualabusecanincludesexualthreats,sexualcommentsaboutthechild'sbody,lewdremarks,harassmentorsuggestivecomments.Visualsexualabuseincludestheviewingofpornographicmaterial,exhibitionismandvoyeurism.Physicalsexualabuseincludesintercourse,cunnilingus,fellatio,sodomy,digitalpenetration,masturbationinfrontofthechildoroftheadultbythechild,fondlingofthebreastandgenitalsandexposureofthechild'sbodytoothers.Thesemaybeperformedonthechild,orthechildmaybeforcedtoperformanyoralloftheabove."DianeMandtLangberg,
CounselingSurvivorsofSexual Abuse
(Wheaton:TyndaleHouse,1997),62.
 
2
Physicalabuseincludes“actsofcommissiontowardthechildbyaparentorcaregiver.Suchactscanresultinharmtothechildortheymightintendtoharm,althoughtheremaybenoharmoronlyaminorinjury.Itcanincludeinjuriesthatoccurwhenachildispunishedseverelyorwhenaparentlosescontrolandshakesacryinginfant.”JohnM.Leventhal,MD,
OverviewofChildMaltreatment
in
AngeloP.Giardino,MD,andRandellAlexander,MD,eds.,C
HILD
M
ALTREATMENT
:
A
C
LINICAL
G
UIDEAND
R
EFERENCE
,
T
HIRD
E
DITION
(G.W.MedicalPublishing,2005),
1.
3
Emotionalorpsychologicalmaltreatmentis“arepeatedpatternofdamaginginteractions.…Thisformofmaltreatmentoccurswhenachildrepeatedlyfeelsthatheorsheisunwanted,unloved,orworthless.Itincludesdegradation,belittling,andridiculing;italsocanincludeactivelyrejectingthechildorignoringthechild’semotionalneeds.…Emotionalmaltreatment…oftenaccompaniesothertypesofabuseorneglectandplaysamajorroleintheconsequencesofthesetypesofmaltreatment.”JohnM.Leventhal,MD,
OverviewofChildMaltreatment
inAngeloP.Giardino,MD,andRandellAlexander,MD,eds.,C
HILD
M
ALTREATMENT
:
A
C
LINICAL
G
UIDEAND
R
EFERENCE
,
T
HIRD
E
DITION
(G.W.MedicalPublishing,2005),
2.
4
Spiritualabuse“istheinappropriateuseofspiritualauthority(theBible,ecclesiasticaltradition,orchurchauthority)toforceapersontodothatwhichisunhealthy.Oftenitwillinvolveaforcefulormanipulativedenialofthatperson’sfeelingsandconvictions.”StevenR.Tracy,
MendingtheSoul 
(Zondervan,2005),
32-33.

Therearefourcharacteristicsofaspirituallyabusivereligiousinstitution.
Powerposturing
occurswhenthe“leadersarepreoccupiedwiththeirauthorityandcontinually
 
2Althoughmanyfactorscontributedtotheabuse,itwastheconductofNewTribesMission,whichemphasizedthesavingofsoulsattheexpenseofchildren,thatmadetheabusethatfollowedpredictable.ThetheologythatwasunleashedinFandanotonlyresultedintheabuseofchildren,itcreatedaFieldCommitteewithamindsetthatignoredclearevidenceofabuse,protectedtheperpetrators,and,inseveralinstances,shamedandevenshunnedthevictimsandtheirfamilies.Thisbehaviorfromthehierarchyinthefieldwasgrosslynegligent,ifnotcriminal.
6
ThisreportdetailstheabuseofthechildrenattheFandaboardingschool,theenvironmentthatmadetheabusepossible,andthefeebleresponsetoitsaftermath.Thereportalsooffersrecommendationstoaidthechildrenandthefamilieswhowerephysicallyandemotionallyscarredbythosewhoworkedatandwhomaintainedtheboardingschool.Specifically,thisreportisdividedintothefollowingsections:1.
 
AsummaryoffactsandanalysisoftheFandaleadership,thechildabusethatwasprevalentattheboardingschool,andthefailedresponsetothisabuse.2.
 
RecommendationstoNTMforassistingthevictims,holdingtheperpetratorsandleadershipaccountable,andimplementinginstitutionalchangetolimit,ifnoteliminatethepossibilitythatchildrenwillbeabusedinthefuture.3.
 
Conclusionsandlessonslearnedfromthisinvestigatoryreview.
remindpeopleofit.”
Performancepreoccupation
takesplacewhenspirituality“becomesamatterofexternalperformance,notinternalcharacter.”
Unspokenrules
suchas“’Don’teverdisagreewithyourpastororyouaredisloyalandunspiritual’”are“notdiscussedopenlybutareenforcedrigidly.”Finally,spirituallyabusivereligiousinstitutionshavea
lackofbalance.
Thatis,“spirituallyabusivechurcheshavelittleornospiritualbalance,andtheleadersexhibiteitherextremeobjectivity(‘youmusthavegraduatedegreestohaveanyspiritualknowledge’)orextremesubjectivity(‘theLordgavemethismessage,andyoumustacceptit’).”
Ibid.
32-33.

Thereareanumberofstudiesdocumentingtheimpactofabuseonspirituality.Forexample,astudyof527victimsofchildabuse(physical,sexualoremotional)foundasignificant“spiritualinjury”suchasfeelingsofguilt,anger,grief,despair,doubt,fearofdeath,andbeliefthatGodisunfair.Lawson,Drebing,Berg,Vincellette,&Penk,
TheLongTermImpactofChildAbuseonReligiousBehaviorandSpiritualityinMen,
22(5)C
HILD
A
BUSE
&
N
EGLECT
(1998)
369,
376-377.

Victimsofsevereabusemayremain“stuck”intheirspiritualdevelopmentsuchasremainingangrywithGod.Childrenabusedatyoungeragesare“lesslikelytoturntoGodandothersforspiritualsupport.”TerryLynnGall,
SpiritualityandCopingwithLifeStress AmongAdultSurvivorsofChildhoodSexualAbuse
,
inC
HILD
A
BUSE
&
N
EGLECT
,
30
(2006)
829,
838.
5
IntheUnitedStates,andthroughoutmostoftheworld,childabuseisacrimepunishablebyimprisonmentorothersevereconsequences.Foranoverviewofthecriminalnatureofchildabuse,seegenerally
 ,
I
NVESTIGATIONAND
P
ROSECUTIONOF
C
HILD
A
BUSE
T
HIRD
E
DITION
(2004).
6
Inanumberofstates,thereiscriminalliabilityifanindividualintentionallyorknowinglyfailstoprotectachildfromabusebyanotherperson(
Id.
at195-197).See
e.g.Peoplev.Stanciel,
606N.E.2d1201(Ill.1992);and
Commonwealthv.Cardwell,
515A.2d311(Pa.Super.Ct.1986)findingthatmotherknowinglyendangeredchildbyviolatingdutyofcare,protection,andsupportwhenshewasfullyawareherhusbandwassexuallyabusingherdaughterbuttookonlyminimalactionstoprotectherchild,suchaswritingherhusbandlettersorregisteringheratadifferentschool.

Amended GRACE Report on NTM Fanda--Amended Edition

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