The Copenhagen Post - March 9, 2009
A television documentary has reportedly uncovered cases of child abuse in two religious groups
Two religious groups have been reported to the police for abusing children, after an investigative journalism documentary was televised on Sunday evening by public broadcaster DR.
Several child and teen members of the groups Father House and Evangelist said on the programme that they had regularly experienced physical beatings and forms of mental torture that included the driving out of demons.
Social Democrat Lars Rasmussen, a city council member, reported the two religious groups to the police on Monday.
It is the second time that Father House has been reported to the police for alleged child abuse. Police were forced to drop a similar case in November due to a lack of evidence.
According to DR, children’s rights advocacy group Børns Vilkår has been aware of some of the accusations against the organisations for some time, but it has been unable to intervene due to the groups’ closed-door policies.
Evangelist refuted the charges through a written statement to the station.
‘We have never been charged with these violations before. We are astonished over the criticism. There are a lot of families that come to us with difficult problems and we often help to get children from wrecked families re-established so they can again function normally,’ read the statement.
Evangelist’s founder, Christian Hedegaard, has indicated he plans to sue DR over the programme and its allegations.
This article was found at:
http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/88-national/45002-child-abuse-allegations-for-religious-groups.html
Showing posts with label Evangelist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evangelist. Show all posts
10 Mar 2009
9 Mar 2009
Evangelist sect will sue Danish broadcaster over child abuse documentary
Politiken - Denmark March 9, 2009
Evangelist to sue DR
Edited by Julian Isherwood
The national broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) can expect to be sued following Sunday’s documentary about the Christian fundamentalist Evangelist and Faderhuset sects.
The documentary, carried in the “21 Søndag programme, contended that children associated with the groups are traumatized and even subjected to torture-like treatment.
The programme has already resulted in a Copenhagen Social Democratic councillor Lars Rasmussen reporting both Evangelist and Faderhuset to the police.
Dirty tricksThe founder of Evangelist – Christian Hedegaard – has told Hillerødposten that he intends to sue DR.
“I understand that DR has done a dirty trick at home. We will be suing them. This is one of the worst things that we have been subjected to yet,” Hedegaard says in an email to Hillerødposten. Hedegaard is currently on a missionary visit to the United States and has not yet seen the documentary.
DemonsIn the programme, an eight-year-old girl tells of her fear of Evangelist members thinking she has a demon in her.
“I’m afraid that they think I have a demon – because then the adults will hold me and shout in my face,” she writes to the Børns Vilkår (Children’s Welfare in Denmark) organization.
Other children tell of torture-like experiences at a Faderhuset camp in which they are closed in and subjected to violence.
Evangelist: Deeply offensiveEvangelist management has called a news conference at its headquarters in Hillerød, and says in an email to politiken.dk:
“We feel that DR1’s connection between Evangelist and the case about child neglect at Faderhuset is deeply offensive and mendacious. We have no contacts with Faderhuset and distance ourselves from the things that are described in the programme,” the email says.
This article was found at:
http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article665311.ece
RELATED ARTICLES ON THIS BLOG
Claims of torture against Faderhuset sect in Denmark
Danish evangelical Christian cult accused of abusing children
Evangelist to sue DR
Edited by Julian Isherwood
The national broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) can expect to be sued following Sunday’s documentary about the Christian fundamentalist Evangelist and Faderhuset sects.
The documentary, carried in the “21 Søndag programme, contended that children associated with the groups are traumatized and even subjected to torture-like treatment.
The programme has already resulted in a Copenhagen Social Democratic councillor Lars Rasmussen reporting both Evangelist and Faderhuset to the police.
Dirty tricksThe founder of Evangelist – Christian Hedegaard – has told Hillerødposten that he intends to sue DR.
“I understand that DR has done a dirty trick at home. We will be suing them. This is one of the worst things that we have been subjected to yet,” Hedegaard says in an email to Hillerødposten. Hedegaard is currently on a missionary visit to the United States and has not yet seen the documentary.
DemonsIn the programme, an eight-year-old girl tells of her fear of Evangelist members thinking she has a demon in her.
“I’m afraid that they think I have a demon – because then the adults will hold me and shout in my face,” she writes to the Børns Vilkår (Children’s Welfare in Denmark) organization.
Other children tell of torture-like experiences at a Faderhuset camp in which they are closed in and subjected to violence.
Evangelist: Deeply offensiveEvangelist management has called a news conference at its headquarters in Hillerød, and says in an email to politiken.dk:
“We feel that DR1’s connection between Evangelist and the case about child neglect at Faderhuset is deeply offensive and mendacious. We have no contacts with Faderhuset and distance ourselves from the things that are described in the programme,” the email says.
This article was found at:
http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article665311.ece
RELATED ARTICLES ON THIS BLOG
Claims of torture against Faderhuset sect in Denmark
Danish evangelical Christian cult accused of abusing children
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