Former members say sexual abuse is rife at the controversial Christian community of Gloriavale.
It comes as sexual abuse charges have been laid, but the victims say much of it gets ignored.
“I'll be careful what I say here but it's personal to me. The abuse it was part of my life and that was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to raise my daughter there,” ex-Gloriavale member Rosanna Overcomer told 1 NEWS.
She escaped with her family to a Canterbury farm seven years ago.
After discovering Gloriavale’s founder Hopeful Christian had been jailed for sexual abuse in the nineties, she says residents were told he'd been locked up for being a Christian.
“That started us really on a journey of questioning a lot of things,” Overcomer said.
Her friend Virginia Courage also walked away from the only life she'd known just a year ago.
“I have my own personal issues from childhood and I have some extremely attractive daughters and I was extremely concerned about them right from little girls.”
Last month, a 21-year-old man was charged with doing an indecent act on three children at Gloriavale.
Last night, 1 NEWS reported on claims of unsafe work practices at Gloriavale.
A recent investigation cleared the religious sect, but former residents that's because the true story was hidden.
Government agencies are continuing to investigate, but those who've left want a wider-ranging inquiry.
Overcomer says she took her claims to police 10 years ago but Gloriavale elders just denied everything.
“It was 10 of them against one. they said I was lying, I don’t have money for lawyers like they do.”
Gloriavale community leaders have refused to comment on the sexual abuse allegations.
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