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Children Subjected to 16-Hour Workdays Without Pay, Abuse
Six Leaders Brought to Justice
Six members of a Kansas-based cult have been convicted for subjecting children to grueling work conditions, forcing them to labor up to 16 hours a day without pay. The group housed these children in overcrowded, rodent-infested facilities, while also subjecting them to physical abuse. This case marks a significant victory in the ongoing fight against child labor and exploitation.
The defendants were high-ranking members of the organization formerly known as the United Nation of Islam, later rebranded as the Value Creators. Some of them were also the wives of the cult’s founder, the late Royall Jenkins. After a rigorous 26-day trial, a federal jury found all six defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit forced labor. Among them, Kaaba Majeed, aged 50, faced additional convictions for five counts of forced labor.
A Legacy of Deception and Abuse; United Nation of Islam
“Under the guise of false pretenses and coercion, these victims, some of whom were as young as eight years old, endured inhumane and abhorrent conditions,” said Stephen Cyrus, an FBI special agent, in a statement following the verdict. Prosecutors provided harrowing accounts of physical abuse and extreme restrictions imposed on the children, describing how the cult beat them and imposed severe dietary limitations.
One particularly disturbing incident involved a child being held upside down over train tracks for refusing to admit to stealing food while hungry. Another victim was so desperate for water that they resorted to drinking from a toilet.
Royall Jenkins, who passed away in 2021, once belonged to the Nation of Islam. In 1978, he founded his own group, the United Nation of Islam, claiming that he had been shown the way to rule Earth after being “taken through the galaxy by aliens on a spaceship.” At its peak, the cult attracted hundreds of followers. Beginning in October 2000, the organization operated businesses across several states, including gas stations, bakeries, and restaurants, all relying on the unpaid labor of its members and their children.
A Sham Education and Exploitative Labor
The cult encouraged parents to send their children to an unlicensed school in Kansas City, Kansas, called the “University of Arts and Logistics of Civilization.” However, rather than providing a proper education, the institution served as a conduit for exploiting child labor. Some children were made to work in Kansas City businesses, while others were trafficked to operations in states like New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Prosecutors revealed the deplorable living conditions these children endured. The facilities were overcrowded, infested with mold, mice, and rats, and children faced strict rules governing everything from their reading materials to their attire and diet. They were even subjected to forced colonics. The cult’s oppressive measures included locking disobedient children in a dark, terrifying basement. They were brainwashed into believing they would burn in “eternal hellfire” if they ever attempted to leave.
A Long Road to Justice
The case dates back to 2018, when U.S. Judge Daniel Crabtree officially labeled the group a cult and ordered it to pay $8 million in restitution to a woman who had spent ten years performing unpaid labor. With the recent convictions, the fight for justice takes another significant step forward.
Sentencing hearings are scheduled for February. Kaaba Majeed faces up to 20 years in prison for his crimes, while the remaining five defendants—Yunus Rassoul, 39; James Staton, 62; Randolph Rodney Hadley, 49; Daniel Aubrey Jenkins, 43; and Dana Peach, 60—face sentences of up to five years each. Meanwhile, two other co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit forced labor.
Seeking Accountability
The recent convictions shine a light on the dark underbelly of child labor exploitation in modern times. Although this case represents a significant victory for justice, it also serves as a reminder of the ongoing vigilance needed to protect the vulnerable from such abuses.
Emails seeking comments have been sent to attorneys for all six defendants. The verdict marks the end of one chapter in a long fight for justice—but the story serves as a sobering reminder that the struggle against forced labor is far from over.
Originally reported by The Guardian
