MK forum

Agreed, Aussie.
Completely agree.

I happened to be living near the language school/MTC in Missouri when Newmans left PNG. I am not a person "in the know" but Newmans said they were required to leave the field and get counseling for a significant period of time. Another person told me that they were dismissed from the field of PNG (but not from NTM altogether) for child abuse. No idea which family member was formally accused at that time. I think it was mid-90's between 1994-1996 some time. They were not happy and I understand they resigned or were dismissed after that period of time. So, NTM was aware of some form of abuse. Not sure if because it happened overseas that they allowed it to fall in the "not prosecutable" place just like the situation when crimes are too old to prosecute or out of juisdiction. After 1992 for sure, there is no excuse for NTM as about that time, there was a change in how they trained dorm parents and had general training on child abuse in VHS format that was "required" for people to watch, not just those in dorms.

1992, wow . . .VHS training

This is my first post. I couldn't help but comment. My story has not been told. I was sent to the Newman dorm at 7 for first grade. I believe it was 1991. I have huge black spots in my memory from that time. But I do have several vivid memories. I stole some candy out of the snack/candy drawers and was beaten with that same paddle. The thick solid wooden board. I remember being terrified of that huge furious lady. I was beaten a lot for a lot of different things. But that one time is burned into my memory and I can see every part of the room and her red furious face. Having children of my own I KNOW that how I was disciplined there WAS child abuse. That sort of punishment is not acceptable.
I had radio time once a week to talk to my family in the tribe. June would come with me and tell me not to tell my parents anything bad that was going on. That it would make them sad and hard to do their work out in the tribe. She would sit there and listen just to make sure. I had no one to protect me or to reach out to.
I am dyslexic and very possibly ADHD, high energy is a nice way to put it. I couldn't read in first grade and cheated to get by. I wasn't able to communicate that to my parents. My teacher, Mrs. Barns would take me into the store room often to spank me and tell me that I was bad because I hadn't asked Jesus to come into my heart.
I cried myself to sleep every single night on the bottom bunk of my bed. I begged God to come into my heart and help me.
I was 7.
I was allowed to wander the base unsupervised. I have huge black outs where I cant access those memories. Other mks have helped me fill in things that I did that are totally missing.
I was only 7. There is no way in hell I would allow my 7yr old child to wander around and not know what they were doing or going on.

I was molested. That I remember. But it was from another mk. I cant say other things have happened because I just cant bring them back into my mind.
I do remember dying inside each day at the newman dorm and wishing to be with my parents.
If I could go back and hug and protect that little child I so would. No child deserves to be treated like that. Ever.

This site can go quiet for extended periods of time, and then, suddenly, a new voice chimes in ... saying "me too" ... and my heart breaks yet once more.

Thank you for posting, woundedinPNG. You are very brave, and it is important for abuse survivors to keep speaking up. We cannot go completely silent, because then, they will have won. NTM/Ethnos360 will have succeeded in shutting us up. Theresa Sidebotham will have earned her pay by smoothing everything over with fake "investigations" and findings and reports that are completely bogus because they are conducted and worded in such a way that the truth is covered up and no significant consequences are carried out.

It is all so maddening.

I am so terribly sorry that such horrendous things happened to you, woundedinPNG. You were 7. Only 7, for God's sake!! Such terrible, terrible abuse and neglect. Your parents were pressured by "the system" to place you in a very dangerous place and you had no way to let them know, or ask for help.

It is very hard for me to read yet another account of abandonment and abuse. How many more hundreds of stories could still be told? Even just from Papua New Guinea alone??

June Newman sounds like a horrible person who got away with conduct that really was criminal. She got away with it, and I hate that. I really do.

Dear WoundedinPNG--
You are welcome here and I wish you didn't have such a story. There are way way too many of those!
You are very welcome and I hope it helps you to know that we care and we hurt just hearing about this.
You must have survived in part by just blocking out the memory. Blocking out the event.
You may have thought you were the only one going thru this
Or maybe 7 was too young to even think like that.
Parents were left out of the loop way too frequently.
We didn't know about many things until years later. 2009, in fact.
And we have been walking around with a broken heart since then--for our children and for all of you.
Your story is too important to be ignored.
Thank you for posting here.
It was wrong. So wrong. And the response from ntm has been so inadequate.
Healing can start with revealing the truth.