Author: Joelle Casteix

La Luz Del Mundo.

Chances are, there is a La Luz Del Mundo church where you live. In fact, the “church” claims to have five million members in 57 countries. It’s leader, the “Apostle” Naason Joaquin Garcia, pled guilty to sexually abusing girls and is serving a 17-year prison sentence.

If you’ve listened to my podcast, you’ve heard about the power of cults to destroy individuals and families. And once you hear Sochil Martin’s story, you’ll forever look very closely at La Luz Del Mundo in your neighborhood, and see if sex and labor trafficking is hurting the girls and families where you live.

The documentary UNVEILED premieres on HBO on December 6. You can watch the trailer here:

Sochil is a hero. Her battle, however, is far from over. Because, as we’ve learned, the first rule of cults is: YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE. In fact, you will note that HBO turned off comments for this preview—LLDM members can be vicious online, and are doing everything they can to discredit any and all critics.

But Sochil did … and she’s determined to take as many people as she can with her.

This was a fun podcast to do. While the subject matter is always a little tough, we talk about a lot of things that are relevant to EVERYONE who care about kids and safety.

From the Maryland Daily Record:

A 456-page report from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office identifies 158 Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse, including 43 that were never publicly named by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as part of a four-year investigation into the history of child sexual abuse by members of the clergy.

The investigation also identified more than 600 victims of sexual abuse, according to a new court filing.

The report, which is still under seal, will rival similar searing reports out of Pennsylvania and Colorado. We will have to wait for a judge to release the full report.

Lawmakers in Maryland have continually shut survivors out of the civil courts, refusing to pass window legislation like we have seen in California, Hawaii, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and many other states.

Perhaps this report will finally change their minds.

The men and women who were sexually abused as children in Maryland deserve better: better from their lawmakers, better from their institutions, and better from their fellow residents.

The time has come to help the survivors and give them the dignity and power they deserve.

To see how you can help on the ground in Maryland, the best place to start is to reach out to SNAP National and SNAP Maryland. Be patient—the organization is primarily operated by volunteers.

The biggest question category I get from people is “Where can I get help with …?”

So let’s tackle three big ones:

Q: Where can I find an attorney who is an expert on child sexual abuse civil litigaion?

A; Talk to a survivor who has gone through the civil justice process. You can also do research on other lawsuits against your perpetrator (if there are any) and see who the attorneys who handled those cases are. Finally, you can go to the

(a part of the National Center for Victims of Crime). They have an excellent referral service that can give you the names of qualified, experienced attorneys who handle child sexual abuse civil cases.

Q: I am a crime victim and the person who hurt me is being criminally prosecuted by local law enforcement. The perpetrator has a lawyer and the STATE is represented by the prosecutor. But I don’t have anyone who’s only job is to protect my legal interests. Who can I call? What if I can’t afford it?

A: The BEST place to start is the National Crime Victims Law Institute. Start with their Victims Rights QUICK TOOL, a nifty, easy to use tool that tells you about your rights as a crime victim and how to protect them. They can also match you with a pro bono attorney who is ready to help you through the process.

Q: I am a crime victim and I don’t even know where to start in the process. It’s really overwhelming. Is there somewhere I can go or call to help me figure out my next steps?

A: Yes! The National Center for Victims of Crime has an excellent referral center called Victim Connect. It’s a referral helpline where crime victims can learn about their rights and options confidentially and compassionately —no matter where you are in the United States. Check it out.

I hate to be pushy. But once this window closes, many survivors will lost the right to use the courts to expose abusers.

If you are a survivor of child sexual abuse—no matter the perpetrator—and the abuse occurred in California, the Civil Window for many survivors of abuse will CLOSE on December 31, 2022.

Even if you are not sure if you are ready, you need to explore your rights. Coming forward is about keeping kids safe RIGHT NOW, holding institutions responsible so that they CHANGE, and exposing abusers who may still be preying on the most vulnerable.

Need help, reach out. I’m here to help, as are other groups.