Several children with autism were taken to services by faith healer Tom de Wal from Werkendam without their parents’ permission. During such services they could be ‘liberated’ from their autism. On World Autism Day, the chairman of Pupil Interest in Secondary Special Education (LBVSO) calls for a ban on these practices. “Tom de Wal is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Research by Omroep Brabant and Omroep Gelderland shows that the owner of a care farm in the Gelderland town of Wekerom took children to healing and deliverance services by Tom de Wal.
With his organization Frontrunners Ministries he travels throughout the country with healing and deliverance services, where he can heal people from diseases and deliver them from demons. For example, he spoke last Sunday during the Easter service in a theater in Boxmeer, where deliverance and faith healing would also have taken place, as can be read on the Facebook page of ‘Feet of Light Ministries’, where the faith healer was a guest.
“It is a harmful form of ‘treating’ autism.”
The LBVSO stands up for young people with autism and received more than 300 complaints about faith healing of autism last year. Chairman Elijah Delsink: “It happens much more often than people think. It is not just about Frontrunners Ministries, but about ten other organizations. And then there are also faith healers who make home visits. Tom de Wal is just the tip of the iceberg.”
According to the advocacy organization, faith healing of autism is a traumatic experience for many young people. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been diagnosed in 70 percent of the young people who have reported complaints. “Children and young people with autism also suffer other serious consequences from these types of exorcism services. It is a harmful way of dealing with autism.”
“It’s an abuse of religion.”
It really is enough, says Delsink firmly. “We have been working for some time to get a ban on faith healers who claim that they can cure autism or another disability, but the situation is now very high.”
According to Delsink, it is up to the government to protect children against these harmful practices with a ban. “But they hide behind freedom of religion. We think that is a great thing, but these faith healers see children with autism as people who need to be ‘fixed’ through faith healing. We think that goes very far and in our opinion it is an abuse of religion. ”
Elinde (14) is one of the children who were secretly taken to Tom de Wal’s exorcism services. In the podcast Op Hoop van Zegen, she tells her impressive story.
Waiting for privacy settings…
