Safe Passage Foundation (SPF) is devoted to providing resources, support and advocacy addressing both the immediate and long-term needs of former and current cult children while raising public awareness of the issues confronting them.
As regards minors within cults or high demand organizations, SPF advocates exclusively in the best interests of the children, seeking to foster conditions that will afford them an opportunity for optimum development, including adequate education and socialization, physical and mental health care and protection from abuse and exploitation.
Many of SPF’s clients are also former cult children who are no longer minors. Some of the difficulties they may confront will often be rooted in the violation of their rights as children. SPF assists youth who leave a cult needing support to become independent and productive participants in society, with the long-term goal of seeing individuals succeed in their new lives and realize their full potential.
SPF assists young adults transitioning from cults by providing them with educational and occupational tools as well as a network of support to enable successful integration into local communities, allowing the youths to avail themselves of their rights as citizens of their respective countries of nationality. SPF supports their access to educational, occupational, medical, legal and psychological resources as required.
To this end SPF partners community professionals from a wide range of disciplines with persons who, having been raised in a cult themselves, have a unique understanding of such an environment. This approach combines cultural sensitivity and professional expertise in order to effectively communicate with and support those who are at risk.
What we do:
- Provide resources, support and advocacy to youth raised in cults or high demand organizations.
- Assist youth raised in cults or high demand organizations to make a smooth transition into the outside world by providing services such as immediate crisis intervention and peer support and facilitating occupational and educational support and access to local community professionals.
- Assist international law enforcement in dealing with the unique child protection challenges associated with trans-national cults.
- Identify children currently at risk and work to ensure they are protected.
- Raise awareness about the potentially devastating effects on children born and/or raised in cults.
- Work to educate child protection agencies on what to expect when dealing with children whose parents are members of cults.
- Campaign to institute child protection policies within cults/high demand organizations.
Specific services we provide (or plan to):
- Timely information to international law enforcement agencies and the media.
- Presentations, talks and short seminars to government departments, NGOs, social services and educational institutions.
- Advisory support for second generation victims who wish to pursue justice for crimes committed against them.
- Crisis intervention
- Referrals to local professionals
- Peer support
