{"id":6758,"date":"2025-10-23T10:59:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianinsightnews.com\/?p=6758"},"modified":"2025-10-23T10:59:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:59:30","slug":"zimbabwean-victims-of-british-evangelist-sue-church-of-england-over-abuse-in-mission-camps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianinsightnews.com\/?p=6758","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwean Victims of British Evangelist Sue Church of England Over Abuse in Mission Camps."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Harare \/ London \u2013 October 2025:<\/strong>
A group of Zimbabwean survivors have launched legal action against the Church of England<\/strong>, alleging that the institution failed to prevent the sexual and physical abuse of boys and young men at Christian holiday camps overseen by British evangelist John Smyth<\/strong> in the 1980s and 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allegations of Widespread Abuse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

John Smyth, a British barrister and evangelical preacher, is accused of repeatedly abusing boys during church-run Christian camps in the UK in the early 1980s, before relocating to Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Victims in Zimbabwe claim they were forced to strip naked, beaten severely \u2014 sometimes with table-tennis or \u201cjokari\u201d bats \u2014 and subjected to humiliation and forced nudity during so-called \u201cdisciplinary sessions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the boys, Guide Nyachuru<\/strong>, died in 1992 at a camp near Harare. His family believes his death resulted from the same pattern of brutal beatings, saying it could have been avoided had the Church of England acted on early warnings about Smyth\u2019s behaviour in Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church Accused of Cover-Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to survivor statements and findings from the 2024 Makin Review<\/strong>, senior Church figures in England were informed about Smyth\u2019s abuse as early as 1982. Instead of reporting him to the police, church leaders allegedly allowed him to leave the UK \u2014 effectively \u201cexporting the problem\u201d to Africa, where he continued to work with young people under the guise of Christian mentorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Makin Review described Smyth as \u201ca problem solved and exported to Africa,\u201d concluding that Church authorities \u201cactively covered up\u201d reports of abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal Action for Justice and Accountability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seven Zimbabwean claimants \u2014 six men who were teenagers at the time and the mother of the late Guide Nyachuru \u2014 have instructed the UK law firm Leigh Day<\/strong> to file a negligence claim against the Church of England.
They are seeking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n