Forensic Considerations in Ritual Trauma Cases

It is important to point out that while these structures and organizations may be secretly used by cults, their criminal activities are usually kept hidden from the unsuspecting membership of the larger and legitimate group under whose “umbrella” the cult may be hiding. It is interesting to note that a majority of adult survivors of ritual abuse report victimization by cults that were operated out of well-established or "mainstream" churches in their community. Naturally, activities and rituals of this nature were successfully conducted without the knowledge and approval of the larger congregation.

Since most - though not all - ritual trauma is intergenerational in nature, it is important to remember that the majority of cult victims and participants are either born into a group or recruited at a very young age. Programming and brainwashing through sexual and other trauma begins very early and is systematic and brutal. Children who demonstrate particular intelligence or talent are carefully primed and subsequently groomed to enter certain professions and infiltrate specific organizations that are deemed critical to the successful operation, networking, and protection of the cult.

The use of credible organizations and structures also has additional benefits. Cults, adult sex rings, and pedophiles alike are extremely aware that allegations of sexual and ritual abuse are easily discounted when they involve any perpetrator having professional trust and standing in the community. Since successful cults operate as a mutually protective group, the greater the number of “professional” participants involved, the less likely it is that their activities will be investigated or prosecuted. In a study of five cases of ritualistic abuse, Barbara Snow and Teena Sorenson describe this “duplicitous” component as follows:

“The overwhelming majority of known offenders were active members of the predominant religion in the neighborhood. Several held high profile church and community leadership positions. There were typically in marital relationships that non-offending partners described as stable and low in conflict. Most were respected parents with positive family images. Many were recognized in their various areas of employment, including the legal and child-care professions. Women were identified as perpetrators in all five of the neighborhoods…most often mothers and grandmothers who were involved in church, community, and extracurricular activities of children. These women were often reported as working cooperatively with their husbands in the ring. Participants in the adult ritual sex ring included extended family (i.e., grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins)

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