Virginia Courage: Gloriavale leaver on the investigation into alleged mistreatment of crying children and babies

A Gloriavale leaver is recalling the confronting impact of child discipline practices used in the sect. 

Police have issued two formal warnings to the community after investigating allegations parents would cover the noses and mouths of crying children. 

A Herald investigation has revealed officers conducted more than 100 interviews.

Virginia Courage says in one instance, a little boy was brought to her unconscious.

"He wasn't breathing, and his father just threw him at me. I don't even know if he said anything, I just went into get-this-kid-breathing mode."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Together due to see alas So police and Autonga Timtiki
we now find out have been secretly investigating Gloria Ail
for serious allegations of mistreatment of children. It's been reported
that members of Gloria Al have been silencing crying children
and babies by covering their mouths and noses. The investigation
started last year after the release of the Royal Commission
Virginia Courage is a Gloria of Alee lever High, Virginia.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hello, Heither, You've.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Seen this happening, haven't you?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
He's the haves What did you see? So as a
younger child, I definitely witnessed other children having this technique,
their hands and their mouths being covered to stop crying,
to stop the fussing. Yeah, it wasn't very nice watching

(00:50):
it as a kid.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
No, we're talking about little babies here.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Ah he's This technique was used on babies deinately from
six months and older.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah, designed to break their will, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well? It was one of the discipline child wearing techniques
that was used in gory Vale. But it was definitely
around making sure that your child would stop crying when
they were asked, because they knew that the punishment would
get extreme pretty fast.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Yeah, well, I mean that's quite a dangerous thing to do.
Have any kids actually died as a result of this?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
No, not that I'm aware of lost consciousness. I was
involved in a situation and a little boy was brought
to me and he was unconscious from going through this
discipline technique. Yeah, and he was. He wasn't breathing, and

(01:57):
his father sort of just like throw and met me.
I don't even know if you said anything. I just
went straight into zis kid breathing mode and you did.
It was pretty pretty extreme.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
Do you think, I mean, what you were talking about
is stuff that you were involved in, you know, around
about twenty years ago. Is it still happening?

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Well? Interestingly, interestingly enough, five glorivil undertook some parenting courses
and that was to actually help around child's behavior and
alternative methods of wearing our kids and learning some different

(02:45):
practices because most of Glorivald's child wearing practices were quite extreme.
But when we left my husband and nine our teen
children in twenty twenty nineteen, this was even mentioned about
the practice of covering their nose and mouth. It was

(03:06):
never brought up. Is something we were going to stop doing.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Oh I see, okay, so it was still happening in
twenty nineteen. Do you think I.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Would say so okay? Now there was no public mention
of it not being okay, Why would people stop it?

Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, Virginia, listen, thank you very much. We'll have to
leave it there. I do appreciate your time, Virginia, courage,
glory of our lever. For more from Hither Duplessy Alan Drive,
listen live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio