(From a second-generation member of the Family International)

My name is Esther Stevens, I am 31 and I was born in the Family. I am married and I have five children. Besides home-care and taking care of my children I work on a board that offers counsel to parents in the care of their children as well as organizing camps, activities and events for children.

I am very thankful to my Family up-bringing that enables me to perform the services I provide for others. I had a very happy childhood, my parents were excellent care-givers and loved us greatly as well as provided us with excellent training in reaching out to others less fortunate than ourselves. While we weren’t always affluent in a materialistic sense we never lacked for love and security, and in this we were a close family, amidst our “greater Family”. Even though now three out of the seven of us children (that is my brothers and sisters) have chosen different vocations other than Family missionary membership we still have very loving and caring relations even though we haven’t all pursued the same life-calling and vocations.

Being a mother myself, I take the issue of child abuse very seriously. Were I to ever feel that my children were in danger in any way physically, emotionally, sexually or psychologically I would be very quick to remove myself and my family from the situation. But I am very thankful that, to the contrary, I feel that my children are being raised in one of the safest environments possible, with all the love and care they could hope to have and free at the same time of molestation and abuse!!

Why, just the other day while at a public swimming pool with my children I witnessed an adult man molesting a little girl while attempting to teach her to swim. He did not appear to be her father and she made it obvious she did not enjoy his “company”. His overt affection towards her was displayed in a way that made my protective motherly instincts send warning signals flashing through me with alarming intensity! I felt distressed at my lack of power to do anything for this young girl, as before I could point him out to anyone he was gone, mind you, with the poor little girl. Gosh! There are so many cases of abuse in the world at large that it upsets me to be accused of it ourselves!!

I do all I can to protect my children and those of others. We have rules put in place in our Charter of conduct to ensure that those in our fellowship are free of abuse! I understand that boundaries have needed to be put into place because of some cases of misconduct and abuse (or alleged abuse!) in past decades, and I agree with those boundaries as it ensures a safe environment. But please, if anyone is going to get on a “high horse” about righting wrongs and putting a stop to abuse, may I suggest they first look in the places that it’s actually happening! Rather than “planting evidence” and embellishing, let alone fabricating allegations of child abuse, why don’t we find ways to work together to create safer environments for the thousands that do experience abuse.

As an adult and a mother I take offense at the suggestion that I don’t know what abuse constitutes or that I would be willing to subject my children to any form of harm in order to support my “religious beliefs”!

I was not abused as a child, I would say the closest I came to feeling “abused” was while attending Public school, I was nearly raped at age 10 by a teenage student of the school! I have seen and ministered to enough abuse victims in our outreach ministries to be well aware and informed of what abuse is and is not! And I am strong on this point that I will NEVER live in a place or environment where I feel my children are at risk in any way. I believe this is my God-given right as a parent to live in the place I best see fit to ensure a safe, healthy and happy up-bringing for the children He has given me!

Esther Stevens is a second-generation member of the Family International.