Utah sees over 270% increase in individuals leaving polygamous communities, advocates say

Utah sees over 270% increase in individuals leaving polygamous communities, advocates say

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Five years ago, Utah decriminalized polygamy. Now, service providers are seeing an incline in reports of abuse among polygamist communities. “People that live in these cultures [are] pretty amazing people,” Tonia Tewell, executive director at Holding Out HELP, a group helping those escaping polygamist communities, said. “They’re just stuck under a system that is set up sadly to fail them.” Decriminalizing polygamy In 2020…