Good points by Ashley

An SG named Ashely was interviewed in the Houston article and raised some good points. The article said:

Still, Ashley says she's frustrated by the media's focus on the sexual abuse allowed by the Family. "It's getting to the point now where me and a lot of people that I know are pretty upset," she says. "Because that was just a small fraction of our lives. There was physical abuse, emotional abuse, educational neglect -- my education stopped when I was 12 years old. Imagine what it's like for me now……to try to put my life back together when I barely even understand sixth-grade math. Nobody writes about that. What about not being able to adapt to society because you've got PTSD up the kazoo?"

Okay, we know there was sexual abuse and she's right that the media loves to focus on that, but what about these issues too?

Physical abuse (the beatings, victor camp hard labor, confinement, fasting as punishment, "smile machines")

Emotional abuse (separated from parents, harsh demerit system, public shaming, exorcisms, 'Don't talk to me' signs, guilt & fear dumped on)

Educational neglect In many cases education literally stopped at age 12.)

I think a lot us can identify with the emotional abuse, though not always to the same intensity. Was anyone here ever in a victors' camp or singled out for public shaming or harsh punishment?