New laws are needed to effectively address coercive control practices within religious cults and high-demand religious groups, the Rationalist Society of Australia has told state and territory attorneys-general.

In a letter this week, the RSA urged each state and territory to prioritise the introduction of coercive control laws that would effectively deal with coercive, harmful and abusive practices within religious cults.

RSA Executive Director Si Gladman told the attorneys-general that religious cults posed a great danger to the fundamental rights and freedoms of many Australians.

He pointed to the stream of recent media articles that detailed a long list of common patterns of coercive and abusive behaviour in religious cults, including: families being torn apart by policies of “separation”, excommunication and shunning; prohibitions on young people pursuing tertiary education; financial coercion; restrictions on women; constant monitoring and surveillance; and prohibitions on accessing life-saving treatment.

“Numerous survivors of cult groups such as the Exclusive Brethren, Geelong Revival Centre, Shincheonji Church, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are bravely speaking out about the coercive practices and harm they have been subjected to,” wrote Mr Gladman.

“These practices are at odds with fundamental human rights norms. Yet, they are all commonplace in certain sections of Australian society.

“Clearly, religious cults pose a great danger to the fundamental rights and freedoms of many Australians.”

While some states have recently introduced coercive control offences, these have applied to domestic partner relationships.

In the letter, Mr Gladman noted that all attorneys-general had, in 2023, signed the National Principles to Address Coercive Control in Family and Domestic Violence, which also covered cultural, spiritual and religious abuse.

He said the personal testimonials of Australians speaking out about cults in the media had been “devastating”.

Earlier this month, a former pastor of the Geelong Revival Centre told Nine newspapers that the church wanted to “control the minutiae of everyone’s lives.” 

In another example, a man whose daughter had been captured by the Shincheonji cult told 7News in September that his well-structured family environment and relationship was “basically gone”.

Speaking about the ban on blood transfusions in the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nine newspapers last year, a former member said there was no process for a  member to make “an informed decision about blood transfusions.”

Mr Gladman told the attorneys-general that Australia’s commitments to international treaties on human rights did not prevent governments from taking measures to protect citizens from such damaging forms of abusive and harmful practices.

He noted that Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the freedom of religion and belief, states that no-one shall be subject to coercion “which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.” Additionally, the freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief is limited in order to “protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.”

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Si Gladman is Executive Director at the Rationalist Society of Australia. You can contact him at sigladman@rationalist.com.au.