Children, Spirituality, Human Rights and Spiritual Abuse

Abstract

In this chapter, Glenn Miles and Paul Stephenson introduce one of the last, if not the final, texts written by Judith Ennew that is reproduced here as it was written, unedited or abridged. It focuses on spirituality and human rights, reflecting on the actions of some faith based NGOs who violated the rights of the child. It presents an important point of entry in a controversial and difficult issue. It also presents a way of proceeding very characteristic of Judith Ennew's work. In her somewhat systematic way, the questioning includes scrutiny of the way the problem of evangelism is handled; examination of ideas and belief that make children vulnerable to abuse and, in this case, forced conversion; reviews relevant human rights instruments, thus is an analysis of what spirituality means for children and practical ways forward to address practices that violate the rights of children. The chapter addresses spirituality and the spiritual rights of children, proposes a way of defining spiritual abuse and emphasises the right children have to have their own form of spirituality or spiritual imagination respected and nurtured. The corollary of this is 'that the spiritual lives of children must be neither abused nor distorted through power relationships, particularly in key relationships between adults and children'.