Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Impact of Control and Coercive Marriages Within Polygamy and How COVID Affected a Substantial Delay in Finalising a Divorce: A Case Study - Jane Ridley, Kristyn Decker, Nicole Van Tassell
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Disclaimer: This session was delivered for the 2023 ICSA Conference. The speaker of this session does not speak on behalf of ICSA as an organization.
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Abstract: This panel talk will discuss polygamy and the polygamous cults in Utah, with a particular emphasis on the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB).
The introduction will be delivered by Kristyn Decker, who is the daughter of the former leader of AUB and a survivor of the cult. After leaving the AUB, Kristyn has dedicated many years to advocating for women's rights and the abolition of polygamy in Utah. She will share her personal experiences growing up within the cult, under the leadership of her uncle and later her father.
Nicole Van Tassell, another speaker on the panel, is currently seeking a divorce from her husband. She was groomed by him to marry him immediately after she turned 18, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) who had returned from a missionary project. After their marriage, her husband joined the AUB cult and coerced Nicole to join as well. Over the course of 19 years, she gave birth to 15 children, two of whom tragically passed away. Nicole's story serves as a powerful example of why polygamy should be prohibited, as it is in Canada and other countries. She will also shed light on the control, coercion, and manipulation she endured during her marriage, as well as ongoing challenges even after leaving the cult. Her husband continues to manipulate their children, defy court orders, and assert that the laws of the land do not apply to him.
The third speaker on the panel is Jane, an LLM graduate specializing in international human rights law. For her thesis, she focused on human rights violations within religious cults and the failures of the US legal system in protecting victims of abuse. Jane will discuss various aspects of human rights violations, the role of international human rights law, and how the United States falls short in safeguarding victims of religious abuse.
Together, the panelists will engage in a comprehensive discussion about the realities of being in a plural marriage, the consequences of leaving such marriages, and the legal loopholes that enable cults to continue their harmful practices.
The Impact of Control and Coercive Marriages Within Polygamy and How COVID Affected a Substantial Delay in Finalising a Divorce: A Case Study - Jane Ridley, Kristyn Decker, Nicole Van Tassell
-
Disclaimer: This session was delivered for the 2023 ICSA Conference. The speaker of this session does not speak on behalf of ICSA as an organization.
-
Abstract: This panel talk will discuss polygamy and the polygamous cults in Utah, with a particular emphasis on the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB).
The introduction will be delivered by Kristyn Decker, who is the daughter of the former leader of AUB and a survivor of the cult. After leaving the AUB, Kristyn has dedicated many years to advocating for women's rights and the abolition of polygamy in Utah. She will share her personal experiences growing up within the cult, under the leadership of her uncle and later her father.
Nicole Van Tassell, another speaker on the panel, is currently seeking a divorce from her husband. She was groomed by him to marry him immediately after she turned 18, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) who had returned from a missionary project. After their marriage, her husband joined the AUB cult and coerced Nicole to join as well. Over the course of 19 years, she gave birth to 15 children, two of whom tragically passed away. Nicole's story serves as a powerful example of why polygamy should be prohibited, as it is in Canada and other countries. She will also shed light on the control, coercion, and manipulation she endured during her marriage, as well as ongoing challenges even after leaving the cult. Her husband continues to manipulate their children, defy court orders, and assert that the laws of the land do not apply to him.
The third speaker on the panel is Jane, an LLM graduate specializing in international human rights law. For her thesis, she focused on human rights violations within religious cults and the failures of the US legal system in protecting victims of abuse. Jane will discuss various aspects of human rights violations, the role of international human rights law, and how the United States falls short in safeguarding victims of religious abuse.
Together, the panelists will engage in a comprehensive discussion about the realities of being in a plural marriage, the consequences of leaving such marriages, and the legal loopholes that enable cults to continue their harmful practices.
