Horrifying tactics used to trap and control Victorian cult victims
Victorians drawn into harmful cults have revealed some of the most insidious tactics used to recruit and manipulate them, as part of an ongoing landmark inquiry.
Victorians drawn into cults have revealed some of the most insidious and horrifying tactics used to trap and control them, including sleep deprivation, physical violence, and even child abuse, as part of an ongoing landmark inquiry.
Nearly 320 people have participated in a new survey on harmful groups operating in Victoria, with many sharing their first-hand harrowing experiences of manipulation and exploitation.
Among those surveyed, many disclosed that trusted family members or close friends were used in their recruitment, while others said romantic partners acted as the gateway to their entrapment.
Among the most alarming behaviours reported were sleep deprivation which was encountered by one in five participants, 28 per cent reported experiencing or seeing child abuse or neglect, and 32 per cent said they were subjected to physical violence.
Alarmingly, the inquiry identified religious events, university campuses, and yoga retreats as common hunting grounds for cult recruiters.
Committee Chair Ella George said that the data revealed in the study was essential to help politicians understand the murky world of cults and how they operate.
“Lived experience is essential to understanding the reality of coercive groups — from how they recruit and maintain control over people, to the long-term impacts on members, those who leave, and their loved ones,” she said.
The study was the first step in the long inquiry which will last more than 18 months.
Hearings officially started in July where there were two devastating testimonies from Ryan and Catherine Carey, former members of the Geelong Revival Centre, and founders of Stop Religious Coercion Australia.
The pair said they were “survivors” of a Pentecostal church based in Norlane that has national and international affiliates.
“The coercive control that they perpetrate towards people has lasting damage for years and years and years,” Ms Carey said.
At least 70 individuals who have participated so far revealed they were born into cults, while many others said they were targeted during periods of personal hardship or grief, making them particularly vulnerable to manipulation.
The majority of the participants were talking from personal experience.
A staggering 83 per cent of respondents said they were psychologically manipulated, while more than 80 per cent reported being pressured to remain in the group even when they wanted to leave.
The data also revealed that 77 per cent were isolated from friends and family, and 75 per cent endured emotional abuse.
Financial exploitation was another common theme, with over half of the respondents saying they were manipulated for money.
Additionally, 55 per cent reported being closely surveilled or monitored, while nearly half described being forced into unpaid labour.
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