Girls and young women are being married off in the closed compound of the Lev Tahor sect, a member of the cult told Guatemalan media. Michael Goldman shamelessly told the interviewer: "We are marrying off 14-year-old girls." The interview was released on Wednesday at the same time as it was reported that a 14-year-old girl who was rescued from the sect earlier this week gave birth to a baby boy. She is in a hospital under the care of social services, according to reports.
If we didn't have enough evidence of forced marriage at a very young age in the extreme ultra-Orthodox sect Lev Tahor then the member provided it on Wednesday night. Goldman spoke outside the facility, where about 200 children, teenagers and women who were rescued from the sect's compound last weekend were transferred . According to testimonies, the children suffered from physical and mental abuse, starvation, severe violence, harsh punishments and malnutrition and lack of medical care.
From Guatemalan television interview
Michael Goldman admitted on camera that the sect also has underage grooms. When asked how old the oldest married woman is he replied: "I think she's 50." He was then asked how old the youngest married member of the sect was, and he replied "14 or 15." He noted: "We have underage grooms, for sure."
At the same time, the Behadrei Haredim website reported that last night a 14-year-old girl who was rescued from a welfare facility gave birth to a baby. She was taken to a hospital, where she is under the care of welfare services. The birth highlights the magnitude of the problem of minors in the sect, who must be rescued from the jaws of its leaders.
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Children are rescued from the Lev Tahor cult compound
(Photo: Guatemalan Attorney General of the Nation's Office \ AFP)
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Police guard the facility where children rescued from the Lev Tahor cult are being held
(Photo: Screenshot Guatemalan television)
At the same time, one of the veteran activists against the Lev Tahor sect, who suffered severe beatings and violence from the sect's leaders who were furious at the police officers who rescued the children, arrived in the past 24 hours with food and additional critical equipment for the children and teenagers who are in a police detention facility.
New York activist Yaakov Flitchkin wrote on his X account alongside a photo of himself carrying food and clothes for children: "Providing essential food support to victims of the Lev Tahor cult. I wish them comfort, strength and hope for a brighter future."
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Outside the compounds where the children, teenagers and women are being held the police took no chances, after the cult leaders tried to break in to rescue the children. There are a lot of police officers on site. In the documentation published in the local media, many police officers are seen protecting the place.
The United States also responded to the large raid on the cult compound, since some of the children are American citizens. A statement from the US Embassy in Guatemala read: "Following recent events involving the Lev Tahor-Pure Heart group, the US Embassy fully supports the Guatemalan government's investigation into allegations of child abuse, and trusts in the collaborative work being carried out by Guatemalan authorities and the international community to protect their integrity and ensure justice. The protection of US citizens is our top priority."