: By Kaysha Brownlie – Newshub – 06/09/2022 A former Glorivale member who still resides in the isolated West Coast community has given emotional evidence about how, among the things he witnessed in the Christian commune, his daughter’s death hurt him the most. Clem Ready was giving evidence during an Employment…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 05/09/2022 A former Gloriavale member has described an ingrained culture of bullying and mocking at the West Coast Christian community, where powerful and controlling leaders punished women. Mother-of-11 Virginia Courage told the Employment Court Gloriavale’s founder Hopeful Christian was a bully who ridiculed the…
: By Jake Kenny – Stuff – 05/09/2022 Warning: This story discusses details of alleged sexual abuse. A former Gloriavale resident says she was verbally attacked by the community’s leaders in a late-night meeting for over an hour for accepting a phone call from her brother. Virginia Courage was seven months…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 05/09/2022 Gloriavale members grow up being told they owe their life to the West Coast commune, the Employment Court has been told. Virginia Courage is one of six former female members arguing that they should’ve been treated as employees, rather than volunteers at Gloriavale.…
: NZ Herald – 4/09/2022 For viewers of the screen adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, the comparisons are inevitable. To start with, women of Gloriavale wear headscarves and apparel resembling the characters of the fictional Netflix series in all-but colour – the television cast in gaudy red and…
: RNZ – 2/09/2022 A former Gloriavale woman has told a court the Christian community is not a safe place for children. Virginia Courage broke down describing how her teenage daughter was sent out of the country by Gloriavale’s leaders against her will. Courage was born into Gloriavale but left with…
: 1News – 2/09/2022 The dilemma for mothers at Gloriavale has been described at the Employment Court in Christchurch. Former member Virginia Courage is one of six women arguing the West Coast commune should have treated them as employees rather than volunteers. She said her daughter “was treated horribly, she was…
: Stuff – 2/09/2022 Clothing is a tool used to control and save money at Gloriavale, with theories about red being a “whore’s colour” and strict rules around how tight to tie your belt. A Gloriavale leaver has revealed what it is like to wear the infamous long blue dresses and…
: Newshub – 2/09/2022 There were tears in the public gallery on Friday as a former resident of Gloriavale recalled the exhaustion and brutal work hours she suffered within the community. Virginia Courage is one of six women arguing she was an employee while working at the isolated Christian commune rather…
: Stuff – 2/09/2022 A former Gloriavale member says inappropriate touching of women and children became part of the culture, with leaders telling women “I shall not fear what man do to me”. “They demanded a cuddle…Any man could approach any girl or woman and inappropriately touch them,” Virginia Courage told…
