Rape survivor who escaped notorious 'Children of God cult' speaks out

A rape survivor who escaped from a sinister cult is sharing the story of her ordeal to encourage other victims to come forward.

Dawn Watson, 29, was born into the Children of God community where she learned that God is "love'" and the way to express it was "through sexuality."

In an interview with Barcroft TV, Watson said:

As you learned to brush your teeth as children, we learned to have sex

Now known as Family International, the Children of God - founded by David Brandt Berg - began in 1968 in California and spread to 130 communities by 1972, including Brazil where Ms Watson was raised.

Hollywood star Rose McGowan revealed how she escaped the group in 2011 and Joaquin Pheonix said in a 2014 interview the moment his parents realised there was "something more to it, they got out."

Determined not to live under the rules of the group, Ms Watson escaped aged 13 but speaks of her long journey to recovery in the interview.

What the full interview here.

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