New Zealand Royal Commission: Gloriavale's founder taught that women could avoid sexual assault by their own conduct, and its current leader accepted survivors may have felt assault was their fault

Proceedings

1. 2024-07-24 · final report presented to Parliament

   Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care (Aotearoa New Zealand). The Inquiry found that victim-blaming 'was particularly evident in Gloriavale', where founder Hopeful Christian 'promoted the doctrine that girls and women could avoid sexual abuse by "not having a flirty nature, dressing modestly, and avoiding situations where they could be seen to be 'leading on' a male who was interested in sex"'. Survivors described being made to feel responsible for their own sexual abuse after reporting it, and that Hopeful would 'remind members that men had a higher sex drive than women so it was up to women to prevent sexual assaults'. Current leader Howard Temple accepted that young women in the community may have felt sexual assault was their fault as a result of these teachings (¶652). The community's approach to allegations was to 'lead transgressors to a place of repentance, and victims to a place of forgiveness'; until 2012 it had 'little to no dealings with police', dealing with sin internally under its doctrinal text 'What We Believe', which survivors said prioritised the interests of perpetrators and prevented contact with outside agencies (¶667). The Inquiry also recorded unpaid child labour from a young age — in a typical week the female workforce produced more than 11,000 meals and washed at least 17,000 laundry items — with the founder saying 'people should work themselves to death for the Kingdom' (¶644–645). Members were taught te reo Māori was 'Satan's language' (¶639).

Documented coercion mechanisms

• a doctrine that women could prevent sexual assault by controlling their dress, behaviour and location
• the doctrinal text 'What We Believe', requiring the church to deal with any sin among its members, which kept allegations away from police until 2012
• handling abuse by leading 'transgressors to a place of repentance, and victims to a place of forgiveness'
• unpaid child labour justified as work for the Kingdom