Skip to main content
'We feel forgotten' — Children of God cult survivors demand justice for decades of abuse
Children of God

SURVIVORS of the notorious Children of God cult in Britain and other countries have come together to demand justice for the “widespread” sexual, psychological and physical abuse they suffered in communes worldwide.

Despite facing allegations its members engaged in organised paedophilia and incest sanctioned by the group’s leadership over decades, survivors say senior figures of the cult have never been held accountable for their crimes.

Children of God, which later renamed itself the Family, began in California in 1968. It rapidly spread across the world, particularly in poor countries and claimed to have 15,000 full-time members in 130 states by the 1970s.

Donate to the Fighting Fund
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
POLICING THE POLICE: GLC leader Ken Livingstone (centre), wi
Features / 10 March 2023
10 March 2023
In an exclusive investigation, BETHANY RIELLY looks at how the state targeted leading politicians and campaigning groups — labelling many well-known figures 'extremists' and 'subversives' for attempting to hold the police to account
Eritrean female soldiers marching in a parade
Features / 12 December 2022
12 December 2022
On September 4, 16 Eritrean asylum-seekers were arrested at a protest against their country’s dictatorship and its supporters here. Since then, questions have been raised about whether the British authorities are doing enough to protect activists and asylum-seekers from the ‘long arm’ of the regime in Asmara
Zakaria Zubeidi
Features / 25 October 2021
25 October 2021
Bethany Rielly speaks to Jenin Freedom Theatre’s artistic director AHMED TOBASI about his friend Zubeidi’s ongoing legacy as a symbol of Palestinian liberation and cultural resistance
Similar stories
grooming
Features / 15 March 2025
15 March 2025
ANN CZERNIK concludes her three-part series on the hidden scale of child sexual exploitation in Britain
JL as TH
Film of the week / 19 December 2024
19 December 2024
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends an edge-of-your-seat film exposing uncomfortable truths
film
Cinema / 3 October 2024
3 October 2024
Healthcare evangelism; Rajneesh child-abuse; an unwanted musical; and an un-Elephant man: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Medicine Man: The Stan Brock Story, Children of the Cult, Joker: Folie A Deux, and A Different Man