Reunification Camp Survivor Recounts Horrific Experience

Civic

Content Warning: Audio of children in distress, discussions of child sexual abuse and child abuse, & swearing

When a family court rules that a child was brainwashed into lying about parental abuse, judges routinely order the child into programs called reunification camps. The goal is to make the child recant abuse claims and embrace the parent they allege harmed them. The process involves forcibly removing the child from their preferred parent’s home and transporting them to a reunification camp in another city or out of state. It’s a process that’s caused trauma to an untold number of kids. They then go through four days of “deprogramming therapy” at a cost of $25,000 to $40,000, with parents footing the bill. A viral video showing two teens being violently removed from their Santa Cruz home for transport to a reunification camp has now spurred protests and politicians’ calls to ban the practice. We dive into what drives reunification camps, their impact on children, and the horrific story of one survivor who is now fighting to shut them down.