Anti-cult Act passed in Argentina

by dgp 18 Replies latest social current

dgp

Source: http://www.diariotextual.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15022:cordoba-las-victimas-de-sectas-ya-tienen-una-ley-que-las-proteja&catid=58:sociedad&Itemid=181
The English version first (my translation, sorry) and then the Spanish version for anyone to check.
I believe that it would be good for someone to contact Ms. María Amelia Chiofalo and Ms. Nadia Fernández. They would truly listen.
The Legislature of Córdoba, Argentina, passed a law that is aimed at creating a program to assist cult victims, for which purpose an interdisciplinary team will be created with doctors, psychologists, attorneys with special knowledge on the issue, for the comprehensive study and approach to assisting victims.
One of the authors, María Amelia Chiofalo, said that municipalities may now adopt this law.
Among cult victims there are people who have suffered severe patrimonial losses, and, also, people whose sexual integrity and freedom was violated, and some who were even induced to commit suicide. These people and their relatives are in absolutely helpless vis-a-vis the actions of these groups involved in psychological manipulation, because most of the time these organizations claim to be religions and find no opposition to enter and expand their membership in a country [Argentina] where the most ample freedom of religion exists and, at the same time, there is no legislation to control [these groups].
Cordoba legislators María Amelia Chiofalo and Nadia Fernández took notice of this. They prepared a draft for the creation of a State Program for Prevention and Assistance to the Victims of Groups Using Psychological Manipulation Techniques.
The legislature went ahead with the draft and turned it into a law, the first of its kind in the country. Chiofalo thinks that this is the first step towards more comprehensive standards that would include a strict control of cults, which standards would need to be defined by legislators at the country level.
She clarified that this act does not interfere with freedom of religion. Freedom of religion remains fully protected, pursuant to Article 14 of the [Argentine] Constitution, and Articles 5 and 6 of the Constitution of the Province (State) of Córdoba. "Every belief, no matter how strange, remains respected. We don't question that. Here we're only and exclusively dealing with the methods used by these manipulative groups, which methods have a certain effect, namely that of destroying or severely damaging the personality of the faithful, severing love and social ties, family ties, and also making the person enter into a conflict with society because it is often said that the law of the guru is the highest law and is way above the law of the country. In a democratic state, such a thing violates the fundamental human rights of the faithful, or those in the faithful's social environment, and it also violates our legal framework", said Chiofalo.
Source: Puntal.com.ar and La Mañana, of Córdoba.
The Spanish version:
La legislatura de Córdoba aprobó una ley que contempla la creación de un programa dirigido a asistir a víctimas de sectas, para lo cual se constituirá un equipo interdisciplinario integrado por médicos, psicólogos, abogados especializados en la temática para el estudio y abordaje integral de la asistencia a la víctima.
Una de las autoras, María Amelia Chiofalo, dijo que los municipios ya pueden adherirse a la norma.
Entre las víctimas de sectas hay quienes han sufrido severas pérdidas patrimoniales, también quienes vieron vulnerada su integridad sexual, su libertad e incluso han llegado a ser inducidos al suicidio. Estas personas y sus familiares se encuentran en la más completa indefensión respecto del accionar de estos grupos de manipulación psicológica porque la mayoría de las veces las organizaciones se escudan detrás de una religión y no encuentran oposición alguna para instalarse y expandirse en un país donde por un lado existe la más amplia libertad de culto pero, a la vez, no hay una legislación que las controle.
De eso tomaron nota las legisladoras cordobesas María Amelia Chiofalo y Nadia Fernández. Ellas elaboraron un proyecto para que se cree un Programa Provincial de Prevención y Asistencia a las Víctimas de Grupos que usan Técnicas de Manipulación Psicológica.
La legislatura acompañó ese proyecto y lo convirtió en ley, la primera de esas características en el país. Para Chiofalo, es un primer paso hacia una norma más abarcativa que contemple un estricto control de las sectas y que, necesariamente, deberá ser elaborada por los legisladores nacionales.
Aclaró que la flamante ley no se inmiscuye con la libertad de culto y de creencias. La libertad religiosa y de culto está totalmente preservada, así lo establece el artículo 14 de la Constitución Nacional y la Constitución Provincial en sus artículos 5 y 6. "Se respeta cualquier tipo de creencia por más extraña que sea. Aquí no se cuestiona eso, se trata única y exclusivamente de los métodos que utilizan estos grupos de manipulación y esos métodos tienen un efecto preciso que es el de destruir la personalidad del adepto o dañarla severamente cortando lazos afectivos, sociales con su entorno familiar y también lo hace entrar en conflictividad con la sociedad porque muchas veces se plantea que la ley del gurú es superior o está por encima de la ley del estado. Eso en un estado democrático vulnera derechos humanos fundamentales de los adeptos o de su entorno social y también está vulnerando el ordenamiento jurídico", dijo.
Fuente: Puntal.com.ar y La Mañana de Córdoba
dgp

The scope of the Act:
Source: http://www.puntal.com.ar/notiPortal.php?id=64267
Act 9891 creates the Provincial Program for Prevention and Assistance to Victims of Groups Using Psychological Manipulation Techniques. Some of the roles of this Act are as follows:
- To do research and study the major ways cults operate.
- To launch information campaigns so that the public will know the characteristics of these groups, and each individual may protect himself or herself against negative consequences.
- To convey to the authorities any claims against these groups that may involve any violation of rights
- To promote assistance for those wishing to leave the groups, and, also, for those who left, so they can rejoin society.
- To sensitize public opinion to the danger entailed by the existance of groups using psychological manipulation techniques, or personality manipulation techniques
Spanish version:
La Ley 9891 crea el Programa Provincial de Prevención y Asistencia a las Víctimas de Grupos que usan Técnicas de Manipulación Psicológica, algunas de sus funciones son:
- Investigar y estudiar las principales directrices de los grupos sectarios.
- Realizar campañas de información en la población sobre las características de estos grupos, de modo que cada uno pueda prevenirse contra las consecuencias negativas.
- Canalizar las presentaciones sobre estos grupos que impliquen algún tipo de violación de derechos, denunciandolas a las autoridades.
- Promover la ayuda a los adeptos deseosos de salirse del grupo, así como de los ex-adeptos en su reinserción social.
- Sensibilizar a la opinión pública ante la peligrosidad que supone la existencia de grupos que usan técnicas de manipulación psicológica o de la personalidad.
sabastious

Awesome! Brings a tear to my eye. Good to hear a whole country is standing against high control groups that infringe upon our most basic right: our right to think for ourselves.
-Sab
PSacramento

Don't see how they will enforce this but glad to see there will be some aid for the victims.
dgp

My personal opinion is that, at the very least, people will be warned, and the victims will receive help.
Band on the Run

My feelings are mixed. I would like to see an account of how they safeguard freedom of religion but stop cults. In the abstract in the US, laws of general applicability can be applied against religion. Examples are polygamy and use of controlled substances. Some Native Americans proved it was a practice many thousands of years in their culture to use halucegenics. The Supreme Court was too bad. No one banned all halucengens and the law impacted everyone. B/c of our history, the States have a very, very strong reaction to religious freedom.
This law proves that the US is not exceptional. Our circumstances led to one position on a continuum of religious freedom. I posted before that only about two years after we were freed from the Witnesses, he joined another cult and was active for decades. It is heart breaking to witness. I grew up in the Witnesses so it was easy to confuse them with parental power and legitimacy. Individuals have rights, too. In the past, I would have heartily condemned any restriction on religious freedom. Now I merely acknowledge the tensions.
Is this bill enacted or is it proposed? Big difference in the real world.
Gayle

It will be interesting how it is defined "psychological manipulation techniques." When or how does one prove legal the negative effect on their personality from the cult they were raised in versus just because of flaws in their immediate parent or parents' raising, or their own psychological/physical/emotional inherited makeup.
Argentina also is Catholic dominant, 70%-90%. Not too long ago, their law required their president to be Catholic. How will it be proven between religions which one is very negative or destructive versus the other without bias. Sounds like a long haul.
dgp

The law is already enacted in one of the States, Córdoba. The one where cults are most prevalent. There is more information but I find I can't translate it as fast as I would like.
The Act was not passed because of the Jehovah's witnesses, but because of other, more immediately dangerous groups. I understand the Province (State) of Córdoba has a high number of people in cults.
This is one of the links where they give information about this:
http://sur.elargentino.com/notas/queridos-hermanos-no-va-mas
A twelve-year old boy who used to sell stamps (apparently for the cult he belonged to) was found raped, tortured and beheaded. Tragedies like these were the ones that moved the legislators to act. The Act is primarily aimed at that kind of groups However, as Gayle points out, their definition of "psychological manipulation techniques" could lead them to include Jehovah's witnesses. From what I read, they are being advised by persons who claim to have more knowledge of the issue. I only wish I could connect them to Steven Hassan.
I am a worldly and my points of view are in this sense essentially different from those of others here. My primary interest is to prevent the spread of cults. Which cult it is, I don't care. So I see this Act with hope.
I also like the idea that they are trying to help those who leave the groups. I can think that one young Jehovah's witness might leave the religion and find himself or herself without any means to survive, or to study, and the Act would help.
Yes, Argentina is primarily Catholic, Gayle, but you have to remember that Catholics (I was one) are not exactly very good at enforcing anything. Carlos Saúl Menem was their president twice, if I'm not mistaken. The man is of Syrian descent and his wife alleged she was Catholic but it was clear she was Muslim.
I think I can understand why many people on this forum wouldn't like an Act like this. It seems like persecution to them. I think the people on this forum are on an unimprovable position to make sure the good sides of the Act are magnified, and the potential abuses are avoided. You people could illustrate what mind control is like, and could also make sure that the good people in the Watchtower do not get trampled on, victims as they are of the cult.
I wonder if you guys will believe me but I wouldn't like an Act that would simply target people because they are not Catholics.
Like I commented some other time, on a thread that involved Nick!, Americans are in a very particular situation regarding religions. America always had freedom of religion because the original settlers had different religions and they had to find a way to survive. Ergo, the government does not like to mess with religion. Elsewhere in the world, any progress has been made DESPITE the monks, the nuns, the elders, the pastors, the imams. The rest of the world had to fight and sometimes die to achieve freedom of mind. So civil governments don't think it's persecution to make sure that someone who does not pray like you do is free to do so amounts to religious persecution at all. And the humanists thinks that it is their duty to have a lay government. America is an anomaly.
Mad Sweeney

I think this is great. Even if it turns out to be mostly symbolic, it shows that someone somewhere is paying attention and knows the danger of cults.
I'm less worried than most about freedom of religion, I guess. Religion has had free reign for millennia. Time to give reason a try.
dgp

Also, one of the objectives of the Act is
To launch information campaigns so that the public will know the characteristics of these groups, and each individual may protect himself or herself against negative consequences.
There is another aspect that I was missing. The Act is also meant to prevent cult leaders from becoming de facto authorities. That means that so far cult leaders can oppress their own and claim they are simply exercising their freedom of religion. That should not be allowed anymore.

Anti-cult Act passed in Argentina

Share this