NZ Herald – Gloriavale: Women had ‘no choice’ about ‘extremely long’ working hours, claim ‘servitude, slavery and forced labour’ at Christian community
By Anna Leask – NZ Herald
A group of women who spent most of their lives at Gloriavale will today begin giving “scandalous” evidence in their bid to get a court to rule they were employees and not volunteers during their time at the secretive Christian community.
Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valour and Virginia Courage say they were effectively born into and kept in “servitude” – which is illegal in New Zealand – and had no power to choose their own path while living at the West Coast sect.
The court heard today the women will give evidence that they had to work “extemely long” hours serving the 600-strong population, mainly in “deliberately gendered” jobs including “cooking, cleaning and washing clothes”.