A Shocking Silence: Uncovering the Truth Behind Amish Child Abuse
Deep within the insular world of the Amish, a shocking reality has been hidden for far too long. In the documentary "Keep Quiet and Forgive," a team of investigative journalists sheds light on the widespread issue of child abuse within Amish communities, where women are repeatedly victimized by deacons, uncles, fathers, and brothers.
The film follows the courageous stories of survivors who speak out against the perpetrators, often at great personal cost. The victims recall experiencing abuse as young girls, sometimes starting as early as nine years old. Those who confided in a trusted adult were told to keep the secret, even as the abuse continued.
Sarah McClure, a journalist who initially exposed the issue in Cosmopolitan, delves deeper into this complex problem. Her journey began when she met a formerly Amish woman who shared her story of abuse, emphasizing that it was all too common. The woman introduced McClure to numerous contacts, including Lizzie Hershberger, the primary subject of the documentary.
Hershberger's courage is evident as she pursued charges against her abuser and now accompanies other survivors in court. However, the Amish community has a way of silencing its victims. Crowds often show up to support the defendant and intimidate the survivors, making it an extremely difficult process for those who leave their communities.
Making a clean break from the Amish is nearly impossible due to the community's strict rules and lack of access to modern technology. Starting anew means facing a harsh reality – no ID, no driver's license, and unfamiliar systems to navigate. The film highlights the work of organizations like Safe Communities, which aims to provide support to survivors.
McClure hopes to take the documentary on a "barn tour" of Amish communities after its PBS debut, providing resources, information, and experts for those affected. She believes that documentaries have the potential for significant social impact, going beyond just showcasing a film.
As the story continues to unfold, one thing is clear – it's time to break the silence surrounding child abuse in the Amish community. The courage of these survivors will inspire change, and their voices deserve to be heard.
Deep within the insular world of the Amish, a shocking reality has been hidden for far too long. In the documentary "Keep Quiet and Forgive," a team of investigative journalists sheds light on the widespread issue of child abuse within Amish communities, where women are repeatedly victimized by deacons, uncles, fathers, and brothers.
The film follows the courageous stories of survivors who speak out against the perpetrators, often at great personal cost. The victims recall experiencing abuse as young girls, sometimes starting as early as nine years old. Those who confided in a trusted adult were told to keep the secret, even as the abuse continued.
Sarah McClure, a journalist who initially exposed the issue in Cosmopolitan, delves deeper into this complex problem. Her journey began when she met a formerly Amish woman who shared her story of abuse, emphasizing that it was all too common. The woman introduced McClure to numerous contacts, including Lizzie Hershberger, the primary subject of the documentary.
Hershberger's courage is evident as she pursued charges against her abuser and now accompanies other survivors in court. However, the Amish community has a way of silencing its victims. Crowds often show up to support the defendant and intimidate the survivors, making it an extremely difficult process for those who leave their communities.
Making a clean break from the Amish is nearly impossible due to the community's strict rules and lack of access to modern technology. Starting anew means facing a harsh reality – no ID, no driver's license, and unfamiliar systems to navigate. The film highlights the work of organizations like Safe Communities, which aims to provide support to survivors.
McClure hopes to take the documentary on a "barn tour" of Amish communities after its PBS debut, providing resources, information, and experts for those affected. She believes that documentaries have the potential for significant social impact, going beyond just showcasing a film.
As the story continues to unfold, one thing is clear – it's time to break the silence surrounding child abuse in the Amish community. The courage of these survivors will inspire change, and their voices deserve to be heard.
and people are still just gonna sit there and accept that this is just part of being amish newsflash: child abuse isnt acceptable period regardless of where you're from and if youre some kinda "survivor" who's speaking out about it, kudos to you but we need more than just a documentary to make a change here we need concrete actions like real policy changes and actual support for these victims its not enough just to show the problem on screen
. AND WHAT'S EVEN WORSE IS THAT THESE GIRLS ARE TOLD TO KEEP SILENT, LIKE THEIR LIVES DON'T MATTER!!! WE NEED MORE DOCUMENTARIES LIKE THIS ONE TO RISE UP AND GIVE A VOICE TO THOSE WHO'VE BEEN SILENCED FOR TOO LONG 
. IT'S TIME FOR THE AMISH COMMUNITY TO STEP FORWARD AND SAY "WE'RE GONNA DO BETTER"!!!
The thought of those poor girls being abused for YEARS on end, just to be told to keep quiet and forgive, is just...
. The silence needs to end! 
. And can you even imagine having to start over from scratch after escaping? No ID, no driver's license... it's like, how do they even survive? The fact that they're silencing these victims is just, wow 
I'm so sick of all this stuff being swept under the rug! Child abuse is never okay, period. These poor girls were literally told to keep quiet, like it's no big deal. Newsflash: it's HUGE! 
And what really gets me is that these women are basically prisoners in their own communities because of strict rules and lack of access to modern tech. Like, what even is the point of living if you can't leave? It's heartbreaking to see them struggling so much.
. We should be amplifying their voices, not silencing them. And it's time for us to take action – let's get involved with organizations like Safe Communities that are working tirelessly to help these women rebuild their lives. 
! Child abuse is just so shocking and unacceptable, especially when it happens within a community that's supposed to be all about peace and love 
. I mean, who does this kind of thing? Deacons, uncles, fathers, and brothers... it's like they think they're above the law 
. We need more awareness about this issue, and I hope the documentary "Keep Quiet and Forgive" helps spread the word 
#AmishChildAbuse #BreakTheSilence #JusticeForSurvivors
. i'm glad sarah mcclure is speaking out about this and trying to bring some light to it. those survivors deserve all the support in the world 
. it's so brave of lizzie hershberger to come forward and fight for justice. we need more people like her to help create change 
.
? Anyway, it's kinda sad that these girls had to go through all that trauma just because of some dude in their community 
... hopefully it'll make a difference soon 
.
this documentary is giving me so much pause... i think we need to acknowledge that just because its an "insular world" doesn't mean the issue isn't real or valid. child abuse can happen anywhere & the fact that these survivors are being silenced is just heartbreaking 