74 International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation ■ Vol. 1, No. 1, 2020
Overview
We realize the importance of our
voices only when we are silenced.
—Malala Yousafzai (2013, p. 178)
Women’s voices have been silenced
throughout history. Nowhere is this more
evident than in malevolent groups, also
known as “cults,” in which women and girls
are exploited and forced into submission for
the pleasure of men intent on power and
control. Their agendas result in violence
toward women, whose human rights and
safety are often compromised. This chapter
describes the plight of women in these
groups.
Because of the secretive nature of cults, it is
virtually impossible for a researcher to gain
access, and even then the objectivity of the
research is questionable.3 We usually need to
rely on former member accounts to
understand the nature of a particular group.
Additional evidence comes from
conversations with cult experts and from the
first author’s professional experiences
treating former members and their families
for more than 25 years. Many of the examples
in this chapter are drawn from the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) because it has
been highly visible in the news in recent years
and there is a significant amount of
information on it.
The focus of this chapter is on North America,
particularly the United States, but it is important
to remember that many cults boast international
membership. The experience of women in cults,
in particular, is transnational. Gender-based
inequality and unjust treatment of women and
girls inside of cults mirror systemic inequality
faced by women globally, and cults by their very
3 In the chapter “The Children of Island Pond” in her edited book,
sociologist Susan Palmer claims that the children are doing fine
based on her visit to the com- pound. What she did not see were the
children who were hidden behind curtains and in the basement
nature involve isolating and marginalizing abuses
of power, creating a space in which women share
similar experiences regardless of physical
location.
Historically, the terms sect and cult were
applied to any new religious movement.
Today, “cult” is reserved for toxic groups
rather than the more benign ones. Because the
label “cult” has become an emotionally
charged term, many experts prefer the terms
high demand group (HDG) or high control
group. In Europe, Canada, and elsewhere,
“sect” is more commonly used, and in New
Zealand and Australia, these groups are
sometimes referred to as “intentional
communities” (Gibson, Morgan, Woolley, &
Powis, 2011). In this chapter, we use “cult”
and HDG interchangeably.
Despite the variation in terms, the cult
phenomenon is truly transnational, cutting
across borders, cultures, and ethnicities. In
fact, it is often the case that when a group
begins to receive negative publicity and
comes to the attention of the authorities, it
moves to another country, such as in the cases
of Children of God, Bhagwan Shree
Rajneesh, and the People’s Temple at
Jonestown (see “The Jonestown Massacre”).
In additional, cult leaders often have
grandiose motivations to spread their ideas
worldwide, as in the case of the Unification
Church (“Moonies”), which began with Sun
Myung Moon in Korea and spread
throughout Asia and to the West. These are
groups that perpetrate abuse and violence
against women. These international cults and
others like them also feature a unique kind of
cultural fluidity in which the group exists in
many different locations throughout the
world but functions as an enclave with its
own ideals and practices, operating apart
because they had bruises on their bodies. Palmer’s visit was
described to the first author in a therapy session by a former member
who was there at the time.
Overview
We realize the importance of our
voices only when we are silenced.
—Malala Yousafzai (2013, p. 178)
Women’s voices have been silenced
throughout history. Nowhere is this more
evident than in malevolent groups, also
known as “cults,” in which women and girls
are exploited and forced into submission for
the pleasure of men intent on power and
control. Their agendas result in violence
toward women, whose human rights and
safety are often compromised. This chapter
describes the plight of women in these
groups.
Because of the secretive nature of cults, it is
virtually impossible for a researcher to gain
access, and even then the objectivity of the
research is questionable.3 We usually need to
rely on former member accounts to
understand the nature of a particular group.
Additional evidence comes from
conversations with cult experts and from the
first author’s professional experiences
treating former members and their families
for more than 25 years. Many of the examples
in this chapter are drawn from the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) because it has
been highly visible in the news in recent years
and there is a significant amount of
information on it.
The focus of this chapter is on North America,
particularly the United States, but it is important
to remember that many cults boast international
membership. The experience of women in cults,
in particular, is transnational. Gender-based
inequality and unjust treatment of women and
girls inside of cults mirror systemic inequality
faced by women globally, and cults by their very
3 In the chapter “The Children of Island Pond” in her edited book,
sociologist Susan Palmer claims that the children are doing fine
based on her visit to the com- pound. What she did not see were the
children who were hidden behind curtains and in the basement
nature involve isolating and marginalizing abuses
of power, creating a space in which women share
similar experiences regardless of physical
location.
Historically, the terms sect and cult were
applied to any new religious movement.
Today, “cult” is reserved for toxic groups
rather than the more benign ones. Because the
label “cult” has become an emotionally
charged term, many experts prefer the terms
high demand group (HDG) or high control
group. In Europe, Canada, and elsewhere,
“sect” is more commonly used, and in New
Zealand and Australia, these groups are
sometimes referred to as “intentional
communities” (Gibson, Morgan, Woolley, &
Powis, 2011). In this chapter, we use “cult”
and HDG interchangeably.
Despite the variation in terms, the cult
phenomenon is truly transnational, cutting
across borders, cultures, and ethnicities. In
fact, it is often the case that when a group
begins to receive negative publicity and
comes to the attention of the authorities, it
moves to another country, such as in the cases
of Children of God, Bhagwan Shree
Rajneesh, and the People’s Temple at
Jonestown (see “The Jonestown Massacre”).
In additional, cult leaders often have
grandiose motivations to spread their ideas
worldwide, as in the case of the Unification
Church (“Moonies”), which began with Sun
Myung Moon in Korea and spread
throughout Asia and to the West. These are
groups that perpetrate abuse and violence
against women. These international cults and
others like them also feature a unique kind of
cultural fluidity in which the group exists in
many different locations throughout the
world but functions as an enclave with its
own ideals and practices, operating apart
because they had bruises on their bodies. Palmer’s visit was
described to the first author in a therapy session by a former member
who was there at the time.
