Maria was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. Her experiences of gender victimisation, sexual abuse and cover-ups within the church, as well as her escape from it, are chronicled in Maria's Keepers by Sam Human.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian-based religious group with a membership of eight million people worldwide. Former Witnesses claim it is a fear-based doomsday cult. Allegations of homophobia, money laundering, brainwashing and accusations of sexual abuse abound.
In this excerpt, the author describes Maria's early years and the split in her family.