Larry Williams Drive

KEY POINTS: Group of ex-Gloriavale women claiming they were subjected to life of servitude Women seeking ruling in Employment Court that they were not volunteers Case follows similar proceedings by group of ex-Gloriavale men earlier in 2022 Court to hear "scandalous" evidence of forced labour and "abuse" at Christian community The first woman in a group of Gloriavale leavers claiming they were subjected to a life of servitude and forced labour says there were two options in the community - "work or get in trouble". "We had no choices … none, we went to work every day," said Serenity Pilgrim. "You just sucked it up … There was never an option of being sick … you just got used to it and that's what you did.' Pilgrim is one of six women taking their case to the Employment Court seeking a ruling that they were employees and not volunteers during their time at the secretive West Coast Christian community. Pilgrim was born at Gloriavale and spent her life there with her parents and siblings until she was 16. "As