Doing God’s Work Sometimes Leaves Children Vulnerable to Evil Deeds
New Tribes Mission is a Christian missionary organization devoted to spreading Christianity around the world. When missionaries are also parents, New Tribes generally requires their children to live in dorm schools owned and operated by New Tribes.
The children are under the constant care and supervision of New Tribes teachers and “dorm parents,” couples who live with the kids and care for them in place of their parents. According to the organization’s leaders, this allows the parents to concentrate on their mission, rather than be distracted by caring for their children. For many missionary kids, or “MKs,” this was a recipe for a nightmare.
Sexual abuse within the New Tribes organization has been a closely kept secret. Only within the last year, and only through the courage of several courageous and amazing survivors of child sexual abuse who refuse to be silenced, has the general public become aware of what really happened when parents were forced to leave their children behind. Based upon what we know from other religious organizations like the Catholic and Baptist churches, there is no doubt that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.
Jeff Herman, our Managing Partner, is believed to be the first attorney to bring a lawsuit against the New Tribes Mission for the sexual abuse of children.