A recent case in Kansas revealed the shocking happenings within an organization formerly known as the Value Creators, where six members were convicted of subjecting children to forced labor under brutal conditions. The individuals were found guilty of forcing children to work for up to 16 hours a day without pay while living in appalling conditions and enduring severe psychological and physical abuse.

According to ABC News, the group, which was labeled a cult by a federal judge in 2018, ran businesses such as gas stations, bakeries, and restaurants in several states using unpaid and trafficked labor from group members and their children.

“Inhumane” and “abhorrent” 

According to a written statement by FBI Special Agent Stephen Cyrus,

“Under the guise of false pretenses and coercion, these victims, some of whom were as young as eight years old, endured inhumane and abhorrent conditions.”

Such inhumane and abhorrent conditions included cramming the children into overcrowded facilities “often overrun with mould, mine, and rats,” as well as beating them, and imposing severe dietary restrictions. During the trial, a prosecutor described incidents where a victim was held upside down over train tracks because he would not admit to stealing food when he was hungry, and another victim had to resort to drinking water from a toilet because she was so thirsty.

According to the prosecution:

“There were strict rules about what they could read, how they dressed and what they ate. Some were forced to undergo colonics. Punishments included being locked in a dark, frightening basement,” adding that “they were told they would burn in ‘eternal hellfire’ if they left.”

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