Scamizdette: Evidence of disturbing neglect of Scientology children?

By Chris Owen

 Some documents have come my way which show that the lot of children within
Scientology's Cadet Estates Organization [CEO] evidently is a rather poor
one. Whether this is the fault of the parents or the organization is a
debatable point - if the parents are acting in accordance with the rules of
the organization, who has the primary responsibility? As the documents
probably are copyrighted, I won't post the whole text, so here's a short
summary.

1.  (1992?) inspection of Scientology-owned houses in East Grinstead, Sussex:

   * Children have to sleep up to 8 in a single room

   * Children's rooms stated to "smell of wet beds"; one room "smells of
     the dog"

2.  24 Oct 1989 letter from Commanding Officer CEO [Cadet Estates
Organization] to Commanding Officer CMO PAC [Commodore's Messenger
Organization - anyone know what PAC is?]:

 This particular document makes one wonder what sort of conditions the
children have to live in, to suffer to this extent from hygiene
problems:

     "Linda Roden, 8 years old, just came back from the cadet org and
     is in the Cadet EPF [Education Project Force?] now. She was found
     with lice last week and handled within the CEO. However her
     brother who is a cadet is a re-occuring lice case and with
     Linda's agreement the teacher is giving her a hair cut so Linda
     can take better care of her hair.

     Talking to the different teachers and nannies of the children I
     found out that we do have a hygiene situation in reagrds [sic] to
     the childrens [sic] cloth. Per my Headmaster it goes back to
     August were [sic] the teacher wrote a letter to the guardian as
     the two older kids would come to school in dity [sic] cloth. The
     Guardian 'Lena Bertinato' is herself on mission quite often ...
     While the guardian was on mission, the kids were picked up at
     night by another staff member that lives next door, and the
     little one would be brought in in the morning while the two older
     once would walk to the Cadet Org by themself. The children would
     dress themself [sic] and we have no data who does the laundry or
     room hygiene for the children.

     In summer we had a situation where the older kids would come from
     the cadet org to the CEO at night time, pick up the 4 year old
     and go home by themself [sic]. This was handled with the guardian
     by my HCO. Neither of the teachers has talked to the dad yet as
     he does not bring the older kids to school.

     In regards to the lice handlings, we did have a severe sit which
     started to come up about 3 weeks ago. In liasion [sic] with Dr.
     Denk from Shaw Health Center we discovered that the Lice shampoo
     which was used at the CEO over the last 4 years was not working
     anymore, meaning the lice got resistant to it. We have changed
     the shampoo now to a new one (from England) which is working
     quite well."

3.  20 Dec 1989 minute from CO CEO to CO CMO PAC:

 In this document, the CO CEO defends herself against charges made by
the CO CMO PAC, her superior:

     "One child has just been confirmed as contacting meningitis. This
     is highly contagious and if not treated immediately can have
     disastrous effect. (The child is reportedly fine now, but in the
     hospital and under proper care). If her org were white gloved
     clean, if the children were properly berthed and cleaned
     themselves, there would be little way anyone to contact [sic]
     this disease." (CO CMO PAC)

     "The school is a disgrace, with could [sic] food fed to the
     children as there is no way to keep it hot, 90% of all children
     under grade level, etc. She also took a qualified teacher (Ted
     Anderson) who is in fact the best teacher and tossed him out of
     CEO because of some minor 2D abberations [sic] that have never
     been dramatized." (CO CMO PAC)

 These "minor 2D [sexual] aberrations" are revealed by the CO CEO to have
been paedophilic urges - she quotes extracts from Anderson's "O/W
write-up" [O/W = overt/withhold; the "write-up" is essentially a
confession which in theory is sacrosanct, as in Catholicism - a rule
seemingly ignored in a number of cases.] These extracts are as
follows:

     "I have some unhandled false purpose in the area of children and
     the second dynamic [sex] that I have allowed myself to go the
     effect off....

     "When I was a nanny for the first ten months of being in the SO
     [Sea Org]. I would ofter [sic] pick up the kids and give them a
     hug or sit them on my lap. Sometimes when I would do this I would
     get an erection. This was like a 2-D restim. I guess and sort of
     surprised and embarassed [sic] me....

     "I would feel embarrassed and put the kid down, but still it
     bugged me and I felt effect of it.

     "One time I was riding and one of the primary girls wanted to sit
     on my lap. I let her and after she was sitting on my lap I got an
     erection. I felt embarassed [sic] and moved her down near my
     knees. The reaction turned of [sic] after a bit...

     "Withhold - One of the junior cadets I was putting to bed at
     night wanted me to give her a back rub to help her go to sleep.
     When I did this I got an erection ...

     "Withhold - I got an erection when I picked up one of the junior
     cadet girls at the CEO ...

     "Withhold - I got an erection while a primary school girl was
     sitting  on my lap on the bus.

     "As with the other incidences the incident (refers to above) was
     presided with my desire to be an effect sexually so although I
     didn't originate her sitting on my lap I did get myself into a
     position of getting a sex restimulation.

     "I got an erection while I was giving a back rub to two junior
     cadet girls ...

     "I had brought a playboy pictonal [sic] magazine and took it home
     and looked at the pictures in it and mastrubated [sic] in my room...

     "Withhold - I sat with some Primary girls on the bus when I knew
     I would probably get a 2-D restim from doing so. I did then get
     an erection while riding with them ..."

4.  Letter of uncertain date and uncertain origin to CEO PAC:

 The final letter is even more disturbing; unfortunately the date and author
are illegible, though the signature at the bottom looks like "Neeka Cohee".
The internal context suggests that it was produced some time between 1987
and circa 1990. Here are some extracts:

     "SITUATION: I need to re-institute the Children's RPF
     [Rehabilitation Project Force - punishment camp] ...

     "DATA: I have several Cadets and blown Cadets who need to go to
     the children's RPF ... A very small percentage are enturbulative
     sources and are sabotaging efforts to set the scene right. They
     need to be moved off the line per Forcing In The Ideal Scene.

     In addition to the Cadet Org itself getting established there are
     SO kids not in the SO who need to do the Children's RPF to get
     them back on purpose as SO members.

     Currently Gavin Ashworth is an enturbulative source who has been
     on the lines of the RPF, SNR MCC PAC, SECURITY, CADET ORG. He
     needs to be moved off everyone's lines and put into the
     Children's RPF. Gavin recently took a razor blade and cut X's in
     his skin up and down both his arms. He is pychotic [sic] in PT
     [present time] and needs close supervision."
 
 What he *really* needed, of course, was professional medical help, but
Scientology's extreme hatred of psychiatry would have precluded this.

 I hold no brief for or against Scientology; but these documents reveal
such a disturbing picture that my conscience impels me to make this public.

-- 
|              Chris Owen             |           co@nvg.unit.no            |
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|    WORLD'S BIGGEST SPECTRUM ARCHIVE -- http://www.nvg.unit.no/sinclair    |

Estates Project Force = The EPF is similar to the RPF, but not quite as strict. All new Sea Org recruits are required to complete the EPF before they become full-fledged Sea Org members.

Pacific Area Command = the Cedars Complex and other Los Angeles area locations.

Shaw Health Center = Scientologists health practice.
See http://www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/aff_rf.html

Dr. Gene Denk = Scientologists and L. Ron Hubbard's physician, works at the Shaw Health Center
See http://home.snafu.de/tilman/prolinks/

Mark Plummer says "Neeka Cohee" is actually "Nedra Cohee".
See the full letter of Nedra for more information.