Resolution on Ukraine International scientific and practical conference "Children and sects", Barcelona (Spain), 10-11 May 2002

European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism (FECRIS) Conference, the offi-cial adviser of the Council of Europe, testifies about respect for the government of Ukraine and addresses to it on the following question:
A number of cases of human rights and its freedom infringement from the side of dangerous organizations and destructive cults of religious, esoteric, commercial, psychotherapeutic and so forth character conducting to damage for society, person, its health, well-being and mentality induce the European society more and more attention to give direct threat to democratic values to this dangerous problem.
Danger of destructive cults consists, in particular, of their hierarchical, authoritative structure frequently contra-dicts the conventional democratic values, of their basic ideology and claims for absolute correctness of belief about "ways to soul rescue" tempt people and completely take hold of those who searches for itself changes and new ref-erence points, and also in the requirement of unconditional submission of the members to what refined threats and psychological manipulations at times are applied. Negative consequences of membership in these cults can be as following: failure school and vocational training of members, basic changes of their person and loss of perception of the validity that can result in conflicts to the relatives, close people. Besides that, as a result of changes in refer-ence points and vital ideology, and also in connection with using methods of influence on mentality from the side of cults the person can meet with psychosocial problems.
Alienation of cult members from external world, orientation on inside world, aggression against own members and strangers in fanatical upholding ideology about soul rescue, and also refusal of rational thinking thus are con-sidered as dangerous consequences.
Propensity to dependence, subordination and isolation incorporated in the person frequently still amplify due to the rallied character of such grouping. Deception by the latent methods of promotion and deliberate penetration of these cults into sphere of politics and economy show danger of the totalitarian organizations.
Unfortunately, we are compelled to pay attention authorities of Ukraine to active development of destructive cults in countries of the East Europe, as a whole, and in Ukraine, in particular, using citizens’ legislative vulnerability from the totalitarian organizations more and more carrying in this connection the activity to Ukraine and countries of the East Europe that represents threat for development of young East-European democracies and their economy. Rates of growth and expansion of destructive cults influences in Ukraine cause fears, especially if to take into ac-count their international character of activity, in particulars, international dangerous cults penetration into Ukraine and destructive groups of the Ukrainian origin penetration into other countries of Europe.
We testify that destructive cults in every possible way try to affect authorities in the countries of the activity for concealment of the offences and positive image creation around themselves. For these purposes cults use both slander and other vicious methods against those who distributes critical information about them. We call authorities of Ukraine to take into account this factor at mutual relation with cults.
Due to the opinion of FECRIS Conference, the main democratic anti-cult preventive measure is informing the population about activity of various religious, esoteric and spiritualistic groups. This information should protect peo-ple from uninvited intrusion into their life, an unfair manipulation by them, the bad reference with them, recruitment and brains washings.
FECRIS members testify about extreme importance of work for prevention of dangerous cults distribution.
The serious incidents, which have occurred in the last years, force to demand urgently that activity of cult groups to pass in the consent with principles of democratic societies.
Therefore is vital to have access to the reliable and objective information of these groups, directed first of all to teenagers, and taught within the framework of school educational program, and also directed to children of follow-ers from various groups of religious, esoteric or spiritualistic type.
Proceeding from this, and also appealing to the efforts of all European states policy spent by the European community for supervision over groups of religious, esoteric or spiritualistic sense, that considerably would facilitate information exchange between the above-stated centres, and also to initiatives of the Council of Europe declaring in the decision of the Assembly from 22.06.1999 about necessity "to undertake actions for encouragement of creation of information centres in the countries central and the East Europe", and also to the Recommendation of the European parliamentary assembly № 1178 from 1992 "Sects and new religious movements", to the Reply from the Committee of Ministers № 9220 adopted at the 765th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies of the Council of Europe from 19 September 2001 about “Illegal activities of sects”, to the Decision of the Cabinet of the Council of Europe from 1994 and to the Decision of European Parliament from 12.02.1996, etc., conference FECRIS addresses to authorities of Ukraine with the following recommendations:
- To initiate creation of the state and public information centres about cult groups in Ukraine, the organizations for protection of destructive cult groups victims and to support already existing. One of constructive public initiatives known to us in Ukraine is process of creation, structurization and registration of the Pan-Ukrainian centre for the help to victims of destructive cults "Dialogue" accompanying, under the information available at us, serious counteraction from the side of destructive cults;
- To take into account thus specific feature of destructive cults that is to put psychological and legal pressure upon the state and public bodies for suppression by anyone negative initiative in relation to them, including suppression for freedom of speech and distortion of the available facts and information;
- To active use of normal procedures of criminal and civil law against the illegal activity, which is carried out by dangerous cults. Freedom of worship protection should not enter the contradiction with protection of the person from destructive influence form the side of dangerous cult groups;
- To promote the organization of rehabilitation help for destructive cults victims, their social, psychological, medical and social protection;
- To take measures directed for children protection against destructive cults influence.
FECRIS testifies about respect for the government of Ukraine.