Kansas cult’s forced child labor case sparks fear over weakened child labor laws

A recent case in Kansas revealed the shocking happenings within an organization formerly known as the Value Creators, where six members were convicted of subjecting children to forced labor under brutal conditions. The individuals were found guilty of forcing children to work for up to 16 hours a day without pay while living in appalling conditions and enduring severe psychological and physical abuse.

According to ABC News, the group, which was labeled a cult by a federal judge in 2018, ran businesses such as gas stations, bakeries, and restaurants in several states using unpaid and trafficked labor from group members and their children.

“Inhumane” and “abhorrent” 

According to a written statement by FBI Special Agent Stephen Cyrus,

“Under the guise of false pretenses and coercion, these victims, some of whom were as young as eight years old, endured inhumane and abhorrent conditions.”

Such inhumane and abhorrent conditions included cramming the children into overcrowded facilities “often overrun with mould, mine, and rats,” as well as beating them, and imposing severe dietary restrictions. During the trial, a prosecutor described incidents where a victim was held upside down over train tracks because he would not admit to stealing food when he was hungry, and another victim had to resort to drinking water from a toilet because she was so thirsty.

According to the prosecution:

“There were strict rules about what they could read, how they dressed and what they ate. Some were forced to undergo colonics. Punishments included being locked in a dark, frightening basement,” adding that “they were told they would burn in ‘eternal hellfire’ if they left.”

The disturbing operations of coercion

Royall Jenkins, who died in 2021, was the founder of the cult and exerted control over his followers by convincing them he had divine insight. According to the indictment, he had hundreds of followers at one point and was “shown the proper way to rule the Earth after being taken through the galaxy by aliens on a spaceship”.

These grandiose claims allowed Jenkins and his inner circle to manipulate their follower’s beliefs to justify exploitation, especially of children. The group operated gas stations, bakeries, and restaurants in multiple states, including New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Georgia, and North Carolina, where the children were trafficked across state lines to work in these businesses.

Parents were pressured into sending their children to an unlicensed school in Kansas City that failed to provide appropriate education, which further isolated the children from the outside world and increased their vulnerability.

The defendants were either high ranking members of the group or were wives of the late founder. In 2018, when the group was classified as a cult, they were ordered to pay $8 million to a woman who had been forced to work unpaid for ten years. With the recent convictions, the members of this group now face sentencing, which could result in up to 20 years in prison.

When child labor rights are not protected

During the time the children of this cult were exploited, abused, and trafficked, to the time this case was brought to trial, child labor violations across the U.S. have been increasing.

As labor protections are weakened in some states, children are left more vulnerable to exploitation. In recent years, there has been a push in several states to lower legal working ages and relax restrictions on the hours children can work. This trend has made it more likely for cases like the Kansas cult to become more frequent by exacerbating the vulnerability of children to be subjected to forced labor and abuse.

The connection between weakened child labor laws and rising child labor violations and exploitation cannot be ignored. This case is a grim reminder of what can happen when children are not protected. Demand an end to child labor exploitation in the U.S. by taking action and signing our petition.