Society Closes a Closed Society

Recently I watched a 48 Hours episode on polygamy. It covered the subject in general with an emphasis on the recent events of the FLDS group and their Texas Yearning for Zion Ranch. On the whole, I thought it was fair. I was particularly pleased they showed some who live in this marriage system who were not part of closed societies.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=4133422n

At one point during the interview, Valerie indicates her fears of taking her child to the hospital for a broken bone because of the assumption of abuse due to her being a polygamist. This poignant statement highlights a central issue in the fight against institutional systemic abuse found in closed societies such as the FLDS.

Who closes a closed society? Society at large does!

Now at first blush, many may be offended at this statement. It may sound as if I am moving responsibility from the offenders/predators to the "outside world", further propagating their closed society.

Nothing could be further from my intent. I do want to make some points on how society can effectively open closed societies and eradicate criminal practices. I also want to point out pit falls to avoid.

Certainly any group which has practices outside of societal norms or morays adopt a private and secretive nature. This becomes even more embedded when the practices turn sinister, illegal, and immoral, especially under the banner of piety and religion. How can society protect individual and minority rights while discouraging and punishing criminal behavior? I'll tell you how to least effectively deal with it. . .use the cowboy diplomacy tactics of Texas. Have local law enforcement go into a community and take all the children at gun point based on a prank phone call. Ready, Fire!, Aim. . .

So what would be effective? Prosecute the crime not polygamy. Prosecute underage marriage, prosecute forced marriage, prosecute child abuse, prosecute rape and the other crimes that infringe on the rights of the individual and the defenseless. This will do three things.

1) It will move the discussion away from religious prejudice and bigotry, which the criminals involved with systemic abuse hide behind. The Texas debacle is a perfect example. Because Texas hauled away over 400 children just because they lived at the ranch, the FLDS now get parade all the parents who are monogamist, all who married after eighteen, and point out all the injustices. . . and they are! This sways public opinion and the politicians, now the 90% who weren't doing anything criminal may possibly vindicate the 10% who are villains. In addition, it will taint the Texas authorities and hamper their future efforts to prosecute the real abusers.

2) It will put the criminal offenders behind bars, and proactively discourage future abuse. If the Texas authorities investigated, gathered EVIDENCE, they could have two or three leaders and a half a dozen men behind bars. Currently they arrested zero criminal child abusers and over four hundred innocent children.

3) And finally, this policy will foster an atmosphere where victims will feel safe in reporting crime to authorities without fearing the break up of their families. How powerful would it be if a mother knew she could go to the authorities to protect her twelve year old daughter from and underage, forced marriage. Now, instead of just worrying about hell fire and being ostracized, she could be the reason all her children are taken away, all her sister-wives children are taken away, in fact her whole community gets their children taken away if she exercises the courage to reach out. What is more, nothing has been done that would deter the men and leaders who engaged in underage or forced marriages. Now they get to play the martyrs and the persecuted.

It is time for authorities to grow up and move away from their ethnocentric, egotistical, and ignorant models and methods. It is time to investigate, arrest, and prosecute the criminals, anywhere they may be found, for abuses against children and the innocent. These crimes are not any less heinous among monogamist or Christian cults. Stop engaging in bigotry and start engaging the real problem.