Under pressure, manipulated, or isolated from family: there is a new help center for victims of coercive or closed groups, such as cults. The aid organization ‘Onder Controle’ (Under Control) is opening, where people can go who have experienced psychological violence and manipulation within closed groups.
Treatment and expertise center Fier opens ‘Onder Controle’. According to spokesperson Maarten Jan Buurman, this new help center fills a gap. “Since the disappearance of the national cult reporting center in 2020, there is no longer a central place where victims could go,” he tells NU.nl. “With this help center, we want to fill that gap.”
Buurman refers to the national reporting center ‘Sektesignaal’ (Cult Signal). People who had to deal with abuses within closed groups could go here. This help center stopped on January 1, 2020, because the subsidy was discontinued. After the expiration of Sektesignaal, victims were referred to the police.
It is difficult to say how big the problem is, precisely because much happens behind closed doors. The help center has a lot of contact with professionals who provide assistance to people who have come out of closed groups or who are stuck in them. There are many questions from victims and relatives. “Based on that, we say that this new help center is important.”
Where the former reporting center was only focused on signaling and reporting cults, Fier is also about providing assistance. “Many people will not quickly see themselves as victims. But help is needed. Also for people who were involved years ago and are still struggling with, for example, panic attacks or loss of a loved one,” says Buurman. Loved ones of victims can also contact the help center.
How that help is given depends on the situation. “Fier has been providing assistance with dependency situations for longer, such as with the transgressive behavior in The Voice of Holland. We then offer non-binding help with professional caregivers. We look together with the victim what they need. Then we help him or her to get rid of complaints, perhaps with psycho-education.”
The help center ‘Onder Controle’ is financed as a pilot by the Ministry of Justice and Security and now runs for one year. During that time, the help center has been set up and the employees have been trained. The funding is for a total of 2.5 years.
‘You are made dependent’
Fier sees different categories of victims: some people go into a closed group as adults, others are born into it. “It often starts with a great feeling of togetherness,” says Buurman.
“Only later does it become clear how manipulative and transgressive it can be. For example, loosening ties with family is a well-known tactic. That is psychologically very damaging: you are made dependent, your identity is broken down.”
According to him, the threshold to seek help is high, partly because of shame or fear of not being believed. “Some people are ashamed of what happened in the group, so I understand that victims then feel a threshold to report.”
“We are there to listen without obligation and offer help, whatever your situation is,” emphasizes Buurman. “We do that safely and confidentially, to avoid negative consequences for the victim.”