In association with
Omroep Gelderland
NOS News•today, 10:23
The owner of a care farm in Wekerom, Gelderland, has taken vulnerable children to so-called ‘liberation and healing services’ without parental consent. Omroep Gelderland and Omroep Brabant report this after their own research.
The care farm offers day care and therapy to children, young people and adults with a disability or disorder. The broadcasters spoke to several parents and children who went to the care farm in Wekerom.
They have submitted a complaint to the trade organization to which the care farm is affiliated. The case is being processed by the Institute for Agricultural Law, which handles complaints for the trade association. The verdict will be announced later this week. Since the start of the case, the municipality of Ede, where the care farm is located, has stopped all referrals. According to Omroep Gelderland, there are currently no more children staying at the care farm.
Without permission
Parents say that the guidance at the care farm was initially good, but that this changed in recent years when the owner devoted herself to her faith. According to the parents, their children were subsequently taken to deliverance and healing services several times without their consent.
The children were also said to have been taken to evangelistic meetings in Eindhoven and, according to the parents, the children had to burn children’s magazines because they were said to be ‘demonic’. This also happened without their knowledge, the parents say.
On the farm, the children were said to have been told that if they were baptized, they would be cured of their autism, for example. “Her autism was labeled as something demonic. After that time, my daughter stood in my kitchen and said in tears: ‘but now the devil will remain in me forever. So I am not cured now,'” says Indra Roesink from Leusden. Her 14-year-old daughter Elinde has autism and went to the care farm every weekend for six years.
‘Deplorable situation’
In a written response to Omroep Gelderland, the owner says that the children have been present at church services, but not at deliverance or healing services. She also says that the children were never told that they would be healed of their disability or disorder if they were baptized.
The deliverance and healing services were done by evangelist Tom de Wal. The preacher and faith healer claims he can heal people with “the power of God.” He also claims to be able to ‘liberate’ people from evil spirits or demons. This happens during special ‘liberation services’.
The children told the regional broadcasters that things were intense during the services and that it also scared them. For example, they witnessed exorcisms. “I saw people on the ground shaking and screaming. I thought someone was in pain. I almost wanted to walk over to ask if they were okay,” says 11-year-old Senna, who lived with his brother for six years. went to the care farm.
During the services there would also be prayers to free people from autism. “Then he shouts, ‘Ghost of autism, go away!’ On the one hand, that made me happy, because my autism might go away,” says Elinde. “But because I have autism I can’t tolerate sounds very well, so it also scared me a lot.”
The owner acknowledges that there was an incident where someone had a “physical reaction” during a prayer outside of the service and that this made an impression on the children. The children were then said to have been “led away”.
The woman also says that the children have gone to evangelism meetings in Eindhoven. According to her, the children wanted this themselves and this was coordinated with the parents. “The fact that it is now being interpreted this way gives us the insight that we would have been better off saying “no” to the children.” The woman says she regrets the situation and hopes to talk to the parents. “To achieve closure in a different way”
The parents indicate that they only recently discovered the events. This was partly because the children at the care farm were told that they were not allowed to say anything. Elinde: “The supervisors told me to keep my mouth shut or that there would be serious consequences. Or they said that my parents already knew.”
Daniela Titocci, Senna’s mother, is outraged. “You now not only have the problems we had before we brought them there, but also some processing of what took place there.”
Tom de Wal tells Omroep Brabant that he does not know the owner of the care farm. He also says he advises parents not to bring young children to his services.
