Government Takes Children From Christian Community

Country: Germany

Date of incident: September 5, 2013


In the early morning of September 5th, a massive police raid of 100 police and 60 social workers descended on two of the Christian Twelve Tribes Communities of Klosterzimmern and Wörnitz. The police seized 40 children from 16 families and took them away in 25 vans on allegations of physical abuse.

The allegations of physical abuse were not confirmed by doctors who subsequently found no evidence after examining the children. Parents were not told where their children were taken. The Twelve Tribes believe in disciplining their children with a “thin rod” and support this practice with bible verses. In Germany spanking children in against the law. Yet this raid was exceptional as it is required by law to first send social workers to help resolve problems when abuse is suspected.
In January 2014 the children still remain in custody and the parents are only given limited and controlled contact. Several of the teenagers have escaped custody and have won the court’s acknowledgement that it is their will to go back home.
Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/in-germanys-twelve-tribes-sect-cameras-catch-cold-and-systematic-childbeating-8807438.html
http://twelvetribes.com/articles/police-raid-klosterzimmern-all-children-seized