US Taliban Oppresses Women - Send the troops to Utah

The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch aired a segment called "The Lost Boys". The first part of the show focused on the incredibly high number of boy children, approximately 65-70%, who are simply kicked out of the polygamous clans in Mormon Utah because they compete with the older men for the girls. Deutsch did an excellent job with the show focusing in on the girls and women who are held as property even though he started with the boys.

None of the children are allowed to go to the public schools so when the boys are kicked out they have no way to support themselves. The girls are not allowed to leave and are hunted down if they try. You will read about the incest and beatings below but I will tell you one of the worst things I heard on Deutsch's show.

Women and girls are not allowed to laugh. That chilled me as it was one of the Taliban's rules in Afghanistan.

All these practices are common in closed sects where the children are not allowed to go to the public schools including the Amish and Mennonites in Wisconsin.

But at least in Utah, a rescue organization is formed to help the girls escape. Here in Wisconsin we glorify these religious fundamentalists. WPR aired shows presenting an idyllic picture of cult life as a simple and beautiful existence. At the same time they acknowledged that the women had a baby every year and most died in childbirth. The host of the radio show said she often longed for such a wonderful life. My disgust is an ocean.

There is a documentary which Deutsch mentioned but did not give a reference source for; KTVK-TV produced a documentary exposing the conditions. It is called, "Colorado City and the Underground Railroad". I am searching for a link to a place where we can see this film. When I find it I will let you know.

The Center for Public Education and Information on Polygamy

We are deeply concerned by reports indicating a pattern of polygamy-related abuses in Utah, and states throughout the U.S. Women and girls in polygamous families are subjected to violence, child marriage, trafficking, the coerced marriage of adult women, and sexual abuse, including incest.

Boys are cast out of their families to live on the streets at a tender age, so that there are enough young girls for the more affluent older men of the community to have more breeding stock. All of which is funded by our tax dollars through welfare agencies.

Polygamy-related abuses violate basic human rights to: security of person; freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; freedom from discrimination; and "free and full" consent to marriage. Reported cases in which girls from the ages of 13 to 16 have been married to older men point to a pattern of child marriage and abuse. Utah did not raise its minimum age of marriage to 16 until 1999, and girls as young as 14 can still be married with their parents' consent.

Recent reports indicate that girls from Utah and surrounding states are being trafficked to Canada for marriage to polygamous men in the province of British Columbia.In one well-publicized case in 1998, a 16-year-old girl escaped from the Kingston family clan after being whipped into unconsciousness by her father for running away from her husband. Her husband was her uncle and she was his fifteenth wife.

Although her father and uncle were convicted of child abuse, incest and the sexual abuse of a minor, the state chose not to prosecute for polygamy. The girl's 15-year-old brother, who had been designated as the next clan leader, fled in September 2001, telling authorities that he feared abuse if he was returned home. Their 13-year-old sister escaped in November 2001, informing authorities that she was being prepared for marriage to a 21-year-old man.

Adult women similarly describe battering, intimidation and sexual abuse within polygamous families.

Young women who have been trained to obey religious teachings inside these closed communities and denied any other education may see no option for their future but polygamous marriage. In such coercive environments, adult women have no real opportunity to exercise the "free and full" consent to marriage required by international human rights law.Woman and children in polygamous families also suffer deprivations of the basic human rights to education, information and an adequate standard of living.

Girls are frequently removed from the public school system by age 11 or 12. Access to books, magazines, radio, television and other information from the outside world is cut off. Although there are several large polygamous clans with substantial financial assets, women have no independent access to those resources. Many polygamous families receive significant levels of public assistance, but still lack adequate health care and nutrition.

Women and girls who seek to leave polygamous families face serious legal, economic and psychological obstacles. Because their marriages are not legal under state law, women are denied the rights and remedies usually associated with marriage. Without adequate education and social contacts in the outside world, women and girls lack the support structures necessary to meet their economic and psychological needs if they leave. They may also fear spiritual damnation for disobeying religious teachings.

In a number of cases, underage girls who have fled because they were being prepared for marriage have been returned to their families by law enforcement officials. The failure of officials to adequately investigate and prosecute polygamy-related abuses leads women and girls to believe that the government will not protect their human rights.The rights violated by polygamy-related abuses are guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Declaration is binding on the U.S. as customary international law and the U.S. has ratified the Covenant.

Please sign our petition to President Bush.....We respectfully request the United States to end the suffering of many children. Please Mr. President, stop abusive child marriage and welfare fraud that funds it. Please let your voice be heard....


We act as a clearinghouse of information, from which we provide, discuss, publish, distribute and otherwise disseminate information to the general public concerning the secretive, abusive and hidden practice of polygamy in the United States and worldwide.

Our methods often include interacting with Government Officials, Law Enforcement, private groups, local community and state agencies, congregations, schools, civic groups, etc., for the purpose of educating and advocating for the needs of the women and children exiting polygamy, while maintaining the dignity, and protecting the anonymity and safety of the victims.

As part of our information sharing, we also receive information from the private sector. Anonymity is also observed for anyone providing information. We believe that only through education and the sharing of information can we truly effect change.

When possible, we also provide services, support and referrals directly to the victims of polygamy and we assist them with anonymity and safety when necessary, through the process of beginning a new life.
_________________________________________

US Women treated as Slaves in Colorado City

from the Kingman Daily Miner
May 15, 2003
By Jim Seckler,
Miner Staff

Meeting sheds light on Colorado City polygamist sect

The sign unfurled over the table asked, Where is Ruby Jessop?

Ruby Jessop was 14 when she disappeared in April 2001 after being married to her stepbrother in the polygamist town of Hildale, Utah.

Bob Curran and Jim Ashurst talked about the controversial polygamist sect along the Arizona-Utah border during a meeting Wednesday night at the Powerhouse Visitor Center.

Curran who lives in St George, Utah, helped found "Help the Child Brides", a small group of volunteers and activists whose goal is helping young girls like Jessop escape from the sect, which is called The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints.

The fundamentalist Mormon church is based in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City at the northern tip of Mohave County. One girl at a time, Curran said he and others are trying to help girls flee on their version of an underground railroad. One happy story is of then-15-year-old Caroline Cook, who escaped an arranged marriage.

The sad flipside is the disappearance of Ruby Jessop.

Curran and Jim Ashurst of Henderson, Nev., who created the groups Web site, have gathered numerous stories of young girls and women who have escaped from Hildale and Colorado City. It is a country within a country, Curran said. Where there was once religion, sadly it has degenerated to sex, power and money.

Curran said he is perplexed why the nation has been so intrigued by the kidnapping and brainwashing of Elizabeth Smart by a polygamist couple, while no one seems to have cared about Ruby Jessop.

Curran also called Warren Jeffs, the current sect prophet who succeeded his late father, Rulon Jeffs, a thug. Curran said Jeffs has preached blood atonement, or messages to members of possibly killing members who leave the church.

Curran also said public officials such as Mohave County Attorney Bill Ekstrom have been lax in prosecuting underage marriage, incest and white slavery. Curran said public officials on either side of the state line have said the problem is in each others' jurisdiction. It's sensitive issue, he said. They would rather keep it a secret. Our job is to get public officials out there to get this stopped.

Ashurst said he would like to see volunteers and activists in Kingman help keep pressure on law enforcement, child protection services, public officials and school districts. They see themselves above the law, Ashurst said of the polygamist sect.

Curran said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has vigorously begun to go after child abuse violations in the community. But Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has not done enough to enforce child abuse laws, he added.

One of the women who spoke during the meeting was Pam Black, who said she was raised in that secretive environment. Black gave a snapshot of life in polygamist Colorado City:

It's like living behind a veil, just as the woman in Iraq, Black said. We
all lived in a constant fear. We are always expected to submit. Black said fear
and religious propaganda kept women subdued and obedient to their husbands.

Books that she tried to read were taken away. She and other women were
taught to fear and distrust outsiders. She also said children were the property
of the husbands. A common sign in many homes reads, 'Keep sweet, no matter
what.' " It's a matter of life and death, she added.

Black, who is divorcing her husband from her own arranged marriage, said she only wants freedom to do what she wants. She still lives in the area near her parents but said her phones are tapped and her movements watched. At the beginning of the meeting, which only a handful of people attended, a short Canadian Broadcasting Corp. documentary, "You Can Never Leave," about life in Colorado City was shown.

The documentary described Lenore Holm's refusal to allow her then-16-year-old daughter, Nicole, to marry an older church member. In 2000, church leaders arranged for Nicole to marry Wynn Jessop, 39, who already had a wife and children.

The church is evicting Holm and her husband despite a former prophet's promise in 1976 that allowed the Holms to build and live on church property in Colorado City. Holm's civil trial begins in Mohave County Superior Court today. Judge James Chavez will decide whether the Holms must leave their six-bedroom home.

The Holms have 13 other children, most still living at home. Holm claims that the United Effort Plan, a business arm of the church, is forcing them out of their home because she refused to allow Nicole to marry Jessop.

Now 19, Nicole Holm is living with Jessop and has a child of her own. She and Jessop live in Idaho and are no longer members of the church.
__________________________________________

Smart Case Exposes the Dark Side of Polygamy Again

What was the difference?

Elizabeth Smart was the daughter of a wealthy Mormon and Ruby Jessop was the daughter of a wealthy leader of a polygamist crime organization.

When comparing the case of Ruby with that of Elizabeth Smart you will see a great similarity with one exception ... law enforcement and child protection refused to protect Ruby based on her religion.

Case Comparison:

Elizabeth was 14
Ruby was 14
Elizabeth was raped
Ruby was raped
Elizabeth was abducted and taken out of state
Ruby was abducted and taken out of state
Elizabeth was denied communication and access to those who might help
Ruby was denied communication and access to those who might help.
Elizabeth is kept captive by polygamous fanatics.
Ruby is kept captive by polygamous fanatics.
Elizabeth was brainwashed for nine months.
Ruby was brainwashed since birth.
Elizabeth reports that she is fine when found by law enforcement.
Ruby reports that she is fine when accompanied to child protection.
Elizabeth was 15 when she was found. Ruby was 15 when she was found

Reports made to FBI, NCMEC, and local law enforcement in Elizabeth's case. Reports made to FBI, NCMEC and local law enforcement in Ruby's case.

Outcome:

Elizabeth - Flyers are sent all over the United States. Elizabeth's situation is told nationwide which opened an outpouring of concern in the community and outrage at the acts against her. Law enforcement continued to work the case until She was found. Her perpetrators are jailed and charges are levied against the perpetrators for sexual assault, aggravated burglary, and aggravated kidnapping. Federal charges are reported as imminent.

Ruby - A few human rights workers try to get Ruby's situation out. Few people care-after all she is a polygamist child. No one is jailed or even seriously questioned. Ruby was returned to her abusers, no real investigation was done, no charges brought against anyone involved.

Crimes involved were rape, sexual assault, transportation of a minor over state lines, and witness tampering. After she ran away and reported the crime to state officials, she had been lured back to the cult where she disappeared for 35 days.

The Washington County Sheriff's department in Washington County Utah colluded with the perpetrators, saying that Ruby had gone on vacation out of state.

Federal authorities, FBI, said it was not their jurisdiction even though her case involved a clear violation of the federal law, the Mann Act when she was transported by the perpetrators across state lines.

Without any investigation, she was returned to the abusive situation by child protective services.

She was not seen again until three days after her 16th birthday when she was brought to St. George, Utah for a marriage license to marry an older step-brother, the one who had raped her.

At 16 now she is the mother of his child.

Recent information shows that Utah officials have impaneled a commission to find out why law enforcement officials may have taken a wrong turn on the investigation of Elizabeth Smart, where is the commission for the investigation on Ruby and other girls trapped inside polygamy?????
______________________________________________

From the forum America Debates

Below is an Excerpt from discussion of the problem:

Artemise Nov 6 2003, 05:31 AM

Recently some attention has been brought to the polygamous clans here in the US, Colorado City, Arizona and Hilldale, Utah. (Google search: Colorado City, polygamous clans)

These are not small groups, but entire towns. Right here in the US there are existing clans, large, rich and it appears powerful, where men (old men) take several wives, often underage and often of the same family, having as many children as these women can bear them (the founder had/has 80 children)

Officials have so far looked the other way because polygamy is difficult to prosecute and these folks (the patriarchs) have a lot of money, owning every business for miles and various other large investments US wide.

Children are only educated to grade school levels, and when the patriarchs get their eye on a girl she is forced to marry and bear, usually just of breeding age. They are taught to obey men without question, their cycles tabulated. Pedophilia and child sex abuse is rampant.

The clans claim to be direct descendants to Christ, so inbreeding is advocated and planned. Its worse...the founder did some studies on cattle, and the entire clans are bred in this way, sometimes running young women across the border for trade with another clan in B.C.,Canada, called Bountiful.

There is no ability for these girls to decline marriage, or the breeding, unless they escape, but instead, problematic females are often sent to internal 'farms' for 'correction'. There is now an underground railroad trying to help these girls get out, often frightened by the real world of ..well..everything, since books and television etc are extremely censured in the towns and the education levels so low.

Some escapees are now prosecuting their abusers, to shed light on this; for statutory rape, incest or anything else they can find legally, because the marriages are 'spiritual marriages' and non-prosecutable by law, the 'forced' polygamy being too hard to prove.

There is also another group of women within the clans who are lobbying for polygamy to be legalized. Their argument is 1.) religious freedom 2.) that polygamy focuses males on their true function, claiming the rest of the country suffers divorce, broken homes etc. 3.) that they are thinking human beings able to discern what is right andhere'sg for themselves.

Heres the clincher. Taxes pay for a good part of all these families to birth, live and subsist. A large part of these women and children collect welfare and benefits, because they are considered by the state to be single mothers and many live below poverty level, because the wealth belongs to the patriarchs."Polygamy, she said, is "the biggest con game going. The men up there are fat and happy, smiling. They've got all the women they want, all the sex, and the government pays for their children."

Link at bottom.It gets even uglier. Young men often are forced out of the clans to go live in the cities, with little education and no way to survive except the basic wage, because the patriarchs do not allow them to advance quickly enough, and take the youngest women/girls for themselves.

This link has the most history:http://www.rickross.com/groups/polygamy.htmlIt has been suggested that we have what could easily be viewed as a 'Taliban' type situation, or a child/female slavery ring right here in the US, subjecting them to lack of education, forced marriage and breeding, AND trading them off into Canada to keep the gene line pure but less corrupted. The other side of the coin: that religious freedom being guaranteed in the US, these folks have a perfect right to their practices.
____________________________________________________________

Gods Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Woman Who Escaped
by Andrea Moore Emmett

Reviewer: K. A. Palmer (Seattle, WA)

[this book is a]Chilling Expose on Sexual Slavery in the Name of God... "This powerful expose shows how the huge families with sister-wives and children drain welfare funds in order to survive and typically live in poverty while the patriarch enjoys his sexual, monetary, and religious status"....

_____________________________________________________


Help The Child Bridesprovides aid to the victims of polygamy working in connection with "the Child Protection Project"

Child Protection Projectprovides direct financial support for people who have left polygamy.

Justice for Children (Arizona)- a major resource in obtaining all the attorneys for the women and children leaving polygamy.

Tapestry Against Polygamy
P.O. Box 9397
SLC Utah 84109-0397
(801)364-6764
(801)205-6506 fax
(801)259-5200 hotline
Tapestry Against Polygamy is a non-profit organization located in Salt Lake City, Utah that advocates against the human right violations inherent in polygamy and provides assistance to individuals leaving polygamous cults.