to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> on "america tonight": the weekend edition. stunning confessions from the fortress of faith. a blockbuster report backs up about conclusions of an "america tonight" investigation into the flagship university of christian fundamentalism and how it dealt with victims of sexual assault. >> it confirmed my worst nightmare. it was something about me, in my thoughts. >> "america tonight's" sarah hoye met victims, who received abuse confirmed the pain of their assaults.

and now a follow up as bob jones university officials admit they made mistakes. game on. a full on sexual assault. >> you were threatened by rape, murder. your husband was threatened. >> who what why where and when they were going to murder my husband. it was to personally destroy the woman that was critiquing them. >> "america tonight's" adam may on game esh gate. gamer gate. a backlash against those who dared to speak up. and tuning in. new research that could mean break through for children with very early signs of autism. michael okwu on efforts to reach into their world and break the silence before it's too late. ♪ ♪

♪ >> good evening, thanks for joining us. we're "america tonight," the weekend edition i'm joie chen. flagship university of christian fundamentalism, allegations seemed stunning almost unbelievable. leaders at bob jones university blamed sex assault victims for their abuse shaming many into walking away. but now a blockbuster review, confirming what "america tonight's" sarah hoye's first investigation reported, that sex assault victims at bju suffered a second time at the hands of those they were supposed to help. >> i think they should have not heaped more shame on me because i was already filled to the brim with shame. i didn't need anymore. >> reporter: katy landry is putting the piece is of her life back together.

it's been nearly a decade since she left the bob jones university the flagship of christian fundamentalist education. and she says a place that fails rape victims like herself. >> i love my teachers, i love the school. i'm not sorry i went there. but what i am sorry about is that they seem -- they seem so unwilling to acknowledge when they've done wrong. >> reporter: so here's the so-called fortress of faith. bob jones university in greenville, south carolina. there's almost 4,000 students who go here to this private college. the teachings follow a pretty literal teachings of the be bible, the tenets are pretty strict, no watching tv, no hand holding.

and a little bit could get you kicked out. >> she was working for an ambulance r company. when she was raped. >> i felt the prick of a needle and he came over and took my cloafts off. clothes off. i could still speak i was telling him no and he remained raped me. i could feel the tears but i couldn't wipe the tears away. >> landry returned to work. >> he raped me again. two weeks later i left for my freshman year at bob jones university. >> raised in a conservative

conservativemenonnite university. >> i didn't understand why he had picked me, i thought there must have been something about me . was it something that he saw that said it was okay to do this to her, was there something inside of me? and then, i thought if he could see it, does that mean other people can see it as well? and i just -- i needed help. i needed help really bad. >> she was referred to jim berg for counseling. the dean of students at the time. but she says he blamed her for the assault. >> he asked me if i had been smoking pot. and i really -- i started to get this almost dizzy feeling. and then he asked me if i had been impure with this man, had i had relations with this man. and i kept telling him no to all these questions. but he either didn't believe me or he hadn't heard or he wasn't going to help me. and he said we have to find the

sin in your life that caused your raich. anrape. and i just ran. i ran out the steps of the administration building and he confirmed my worst nightmare. it was something i had done. it was something about me. it was my thought. >> now 31, landry said she wanted to come forward when she learned other students at bob jones shared her experience. in 2011, a bob jones trustee resigned when news reports surfaced that he had allegedly covered up the rape of a 15-year-old girl and forced her to confess her sin in front of her fundamentalist church. godly response to abuse in the christian environment to conduct an investigation into the school's sexual abuse reports. grace, a grandson had spent the last two years talking to

victims, students, faculty and administrators. 50 self-identified victims have come forward to tell their stories to grace investigators. one survey-taker commented women and girls are taught they must confess the part of sexual abuse they enjoyed that they probably enticed their abuser. according to the independent report survey takers were also discouraged for making police reports. with one commenter saying she was told it's best not to make a big deal about this for good of the school. some of the assaults took place on campus. some didn't. but bju students who come forward says there's a culture of victim-blaming by school counselors and administrators. before the report was made public on thursday bju president steve pettit said he was sorry, we didn't live up to their expectations. we failed to honor our own core values. those surveyed for the report

describe bju's response to their abuse as hurtful and the school's culture as blaming and disparaging. this former students asked we conceal her identity out of fear of retaliation. while growing up she says a family member repeatedly raped her. >> i grew up in a very conservative christian home. and one of the things that we were taught was to obey. and i didn't understand what this was. i didn't even know what sex was at that point. didn't know any anatomical terms. nothing. all i knew was that it hurt. and that i didn't like it. >> when she started at bob jones in the late 2000s, she thought she would finally be able to get help. she was referred to professor pat berg for counseling, the wife of jim berg, the former dean of students who counseled

katy landry. she was told the repeated rapes were her own fault. >> she talked about my sin regarding it. one example would be she would repeatedly say that if i had ever experienced pleasure at any point while he was doing this to me, that that was sin that i needed to repent of. i remember her looking at me, and saying "you know that the nightmares are your own fault. because you're choosing to replay pornographic thoughts in your mind." >> during the investigation grace reviewed a number of materials including court documents and e-mails from pat berg calling the former student to call her rapist and ask for forgiveness. >> you being advised i think it would be best to say to him that since you have been at bju this year god has been working in your heart. god has shown you that you were wrong, not to forgive him, as

christ has forgiven you. >> i had to ask to forgive him. >> forgive you for what? >> because i had surveilled for not asking him to forgive me. >> she had to call her are apist. >> it was so incredibly hard. picking up that phone and calling him was one of the most gut-wrenchingly hard things that i ever had to do. it didn't bring me healing, it didn't bring me closure. it's like sticking a knife inside and twisting it further. >> jim and pat are noarc known r campus. >> this is why we say, you do what you do because you are what you are. to change what you go you must cooperate with god to change what you are. >> the grace report recommends that jim berg be banned from counseling entirely and that the campus bookstore be stripped of all materials associated with him.

this former student continued with counseling at bob jones despite the unsettling nature of the sessions. >> the reason i continued to go is because i was still so desperate for some ray of light, for something to help me better. if this is what my life is going to feel like i don't want to live anymore. >> finally, after graduating she took matters to her own hands and reported the rape to police. he was convicted of rape of a child under 12 years of age. >> if you had told me that dark day when i walked out of his office with no hope that one day my rapist would be convicted and sentenced to prison that i would be little a stable, successful life and that i would be healing from my abuse i would never have been able to believe you. but those are the miracles that i have seen my god do. >> reporter: others

have taken the hard step to come forward are waiting with a hope and a prayer change will come. >> some day i would like to see a world where universities, churches, schools, families, friends, stand alongside the victim. and not cover up the abuse. >> reporter: sarah hoye, al jazeera. >> after the break: sandwich shop workers in a serious pickle. >> i can't work at a gas station. i can't work at a mom and pop shop. i can't work at subway, panera, anything like that. >> a controversial worker that keeps even low wage workers in line. can they be forced to sign?

. >> the idea that this is somehow associated with the events in the middle east or i.s.i.s. is entire speculation, we don't know the details. the square is in the heart of sydney, that's where the cafe is. you can imagine it's busy with office workers, channel 7 has its headquarters. that's a main commercial network in australia. if whoever is behind it was looking for publicity, they couldn't have chosen a more central or obvious spot. canberra. the capital is 3 hours drive from sydney. that's where the prime minister convened the national security committee. other than a plant statement about being concerned about what is going on in sydney, we don't know of any action.

>> my colleague andrew thomas in sydney... ..lindt chocolate shop and cafe, we don't know who is behind the hostage situation. right now, nearby buildings have been evacuated, including the u.s. consulate. i'm thomas drayton in new york.

you employment now some facing an extra challenge. tough legal documents that

include so-called no-compete clauses that keep them from moving on to other jobs. some workers there are fighting back. in an "america tonight" exclusive, correspondent christof putzel talk to two workers in their first ever interview about what keeps them on the sandwich line. >> this is the jimmy john's blt, there is nothing anyone that would consider a mystery unless you are jimmy john's. to them this simple sandwich is a trade secret to be protected at all cost. for kaitlin and emily, that mindset has placed a virtual job lock on their job prospects. emily is an significant manager at a store near chicago. her hourly pay amounts to less than minimum wage. until recently, kaitlin also worked at a local jimmy john's. we met them at a nearby restaurant. >> we wouldn't be able to work

here. >> you wouldn't? >> no, end of discussion. they have a list of sandwiches. >> kaitlin is talking about this. an agreement which all jimmy john's workers must sign. for two years it forbids former employees from working at a place that derives more than 10% of its revenue from switches. >> you're not allowed to work? >> yeah, so waiting tables is pretty much out of the question, i guess. >> and is this a place you'd like to work? >> yeah, i'm sure people would tip well here. >> under the jimmy john's agreement, caitd lyn kaitlin and emily can't work for any food establishment in any capacity. not just employee, but owner, investor, advisor. this map shows how limited their job prospects are. anywhere there's red they can't work for a competing business.

>> i can't work at a gas station. i can't work at a plom and pop shop. i can't work at subway, panera, anything like that. anything that basically serves sandwiches. >> for kaitlin and emily, jimmy john's was an entry level job. both would like a higher paying job. this lawsuit is the first of its kind and this is first television interview. >> why do you think they had you sign the noncompete agreement? >> well it's to make sure you don't share trade secrets but how much really is in a trade secret about making a blt? >> reporter: did you think anything of it when you signed it? >> i assumed you know it was all necessary. i knew i had to fill out the w-2s, i had to sign my name on the dotted line. i just needed that job.

>> hello, jimmy john's. >> jimmy john's here. >> what took you so long? >> jimmy john's is one of the biggest restaurants changes in america. employing more than 80,000 workers. the average in store worker makes about $8 an hour. it's also one of the fastest growing chains. there are now more than 2,000 jimmy john's stores located in 44 states. the sandwich maker's national footprint has big consequences for its former employees. remember for two years they can't work within three miles of a jimmy john's anywhere. >> a noncompete provision makes life even more difficult for a demographic that is already struggling. >> kathleen chavez is the attorney representing kaitlin and emily. she says noncompetition agreements not only limit future employment opportunities but the ability to negotiate for better pay while still on the job. kaitlin and emily says jimmy john's has

denied them promotions and raises. >> i don't know why anyone would have a nobody skilled employee sign on a noncompete agreement. >> you don't know why? >> it's baffling. the only reason would be to somehow box them in and control them. it's a way of controlling individuals and essentially subjecting them to whatever employment practices you want. >> jimmy john's declined our request for an on camera interview. we followed up with an comeal e-mail. why do they have to sign? they declined that request as well. workers from hairstylists to summer camp counselors to yoga instructors are now being required to sign such documents. that's gotten the attention of congress. >> limit workers options and

force them to stay in low wage work. >> congresswoman linda sanchez as well as 36 of her colleagues recently wrote the federal trade commission and the department of labor asking them to investigate. >> i thereto it was ridiculous. you are talking about workers on probably the lowest end of the pay scale. these are not corporate executives that have inside information and trade secrets. and it's using fear and intimidation to try to control what employee choices are. >> as for kaitlin and emily, both would like to go away to college. kaitlin recently got engaged and wants to become a vet. emily's thinking of pursuing a degree in social work. as students, a part time job would help them with college expenses. >> i want to try to leave and try to find something different but i feel like scared to leave. i don't know if i'll be able to find anything else. >> whether i was thinking of leaving the -- when i was thinking of leaving the first couple of times i was looking at

other service-industry jobs and then i would have the reminder over my shoulder that i can't leave. >> we're being treated like we're property of the company. essentially like we can only work there and all the experience we have there is useless anywhere else. you're just a tool for them. >> reporter: now because of jimmy john's even a job in the college cafeteria could be out of the question. christof putzel, al jazeera, chicago. >> ahead on "america tonight": inside gamer-gate. the word of misogyny brutality and trolls and how even in the open forum of the internet some voices are silenced. >> you were threat ened with rape, murder, your husband was threatened.

>> who what where when and how. they were going to ruin me. the woman who was critiquing me. >> "america tonight"'s adam may and one of gamer gate's critics why she is speaking out. and whether this could lead to a cure for autism.

>> you've heard of them of course, call of duty, assassins creed, grad theft auto, blockbuster games that have become household names. last year they spent $22 billion on games. but as gaming goes increasingly mainstream a darker side of the industry's also emerging. "america tonight's" adam may reports on the culture called gamergate. some of the images in his report are graphic. >> we are having a full on war and it's a war that has been put on hold for years. >> brianna wu is one of the warriors. a female video game designer in mostly male world. she created revolution 360.

a game of women protagonists. women are heroes like men are in other games. >> once the domain of adolescent boys and men, the appeal is shifting, nearly half of gamers today are women but most games are still designed by men and critics like wu are calling out game designers for way they portray women. if. >> you have 30 years of this traditional male gamer being told he is the center of the universe. women when we exist are sex symbols. now that women are gaming, you're seeing all of that start to change. it's making all these people over here very uncomfortable. >> but wu has also become a lightning rod for gamers who see these criticisms as an attack on their identity. she says she was forced to flee her home after receiving death threats from angry gamers. >> you were threatened with rape, you were

threatened with murder, your husband was threatened to be killed and cut his genitals off. >> you see these threats? they said who what why where and when they were going to murder me and my husband. >> the goal was simple, to destroy the woman who was critiquing the them. >> had you here for the whore? >> no. >> anita sarkissian. >> these are designed to function as environmental texture while titillating males. this is the essence of what -- >> accusing game designers of misogyny unleashed a hate-filled backlash. one person crated a game allowing users to virtually punch her in the face.

sarkissian also cancelled a personal appearance in utah state, railing against what feminist lies and poison have done to the men of america. much of the vitriol appears on gamer gate. it has grown into a loose movement, associated with the worst of online harassment of women. gamergate is like a nut that you're dragging through the ocean. and it kind of picks up the worst gamers possible. you're basically creating this really angry anonymous mob. and i think you can't control a mob. >> so far, three women say they have been forced to leave their homes targeted by an onslaught of online threats. >> it's dumbfounding, when you are looking at it, we're talking about video games and you're threatening to rape and kill her

for talking about video games. >> can you hear me? >> deanna zant stirred thnt studies the re of women in technological. to reduce women on social media. >> that's okay, they cannot or should not be able to say i'm going to come rape you and kill you. you know, that's where we start to cross the line a little bit. >> reporter: she attributes some of the viciousness of gamergate to the fact that the gamer community feels under attack. >> when we find a culture that we fit into, that makes us feel good even for messed up reasons like beating up pursuits prostitutes in grand theft auto, people are going to react in really horrible culturally sanctioned,

frankly, ways. >> too bad she followed up. >> "america tonight" was given a rare glimpse into the mind of those who consider themselves part of gamergate. although they say no one here has never threatened anyone. >> any group large enough, there's always going to be a portion who take it too far. >> they share a passion for video games. >> you guys are really into this right? why are you into this? >> i get stressed out, i go play video games, it's a medical low baseline you can return to. >> they down play the sex and violence. >> it can be catharsis. it is very relaxing. it is something anyone can do, anyone can join. you can include all of new york city. you can get lost in that. >> joe's new york city apartment

is a shrine to his favorite, giganta. he and his friends are lost in grand theft auto 5. >> how much do you say you would spend on video games every year? >> probably $4,000 everyyear. >> each game after it comes out is $60 for a aaa. >> video games have grown into a $100 billion industry. overtaking motion picture movie sales. video gaming press is powerful. a bad review can make or break a game. so when gaming milks printed articles about gamer gate, with titles gamers are over, and it's a horrible time to consider yourself a gamer tensions flared. >> people were pretty offended. it was a flat-out assumption

that anyone who played games were misogynistic. censorship. >> if you start saying you can't have this in a game because it offends this group and you can't have this to me it seems like a slippery slope. like where would we stop? >> anita sarkissian has come up with a number of criticisms like women are oversexualized in these games. what do you feel she had to say? >> i watched some of her videos and it seemed a bit biased personally. >> when she started getting involved in video games, guess what her hits were in the millions. she goes to the media and she's like oh i'm a victim. >> brianna wu has also faced these charges. >> some gamergate supporters have

accused o you of exaggerate rating, because you're trying to drum up publicity about your game. >> everything i've said is absolutely accurate. the reason i talk about this is somebody has to take a stand. this scenes happening over and over and over again. i will answer any question anyone has about anything. working this this male dominated space. >> an industry where 90% of game designers are male, wu hopes that acting as a role model and speaking out against online harassment she'll provide cover for other female game developers. >> the thing at stake is women being in game development or not being in game development. and as an industry we have a choice right now. we can keep our head in the sand or we can address this issue and kind of make the industry a safe place for women to work. >> if you support gairmin gamergate does

that automatically make you one of the bad guys? >> right now the outcome of gamergate i use this word cautiously, it's terrorism against women. i think the venue itself is unredeemable. >> there's no indication that gamers are logging off any time soon. >> like i really wanted to stand up for it, video games have been under a lot of heat and i don't want to see them changed. >> the battle for the future of video games is far from game-over. adam may, al jazeera, new york . >> right after the break, a treatment that could change life for millions of americans with children living with autism. successful? >> first of all, young brains are incredibly ready for learning. second: being able to work at

the beginning symptoms may be particularly powerful point to work. because some later symptoms may actually be consequences of early symptoms. >> "america tonight's" michael okwu, on what could be a break through for the very young.

>> before the break we told you about a groundbreaking effort to fight autism in children. we end this hour though with the look at the life of a man who grew to adulthood with autism. he had other health problems, and recently passed away, not before blazing a trail for others with autism. "america tonight's" chris bury brings us his story. >> in santa monica, the community honored its own. >> there's a lot of tears, a lot of heart.

>> brandon kramer made a distinctive unusual mark here, standing up with others with autism. >> it disturbed me a little bit, he was a clipper fan and i'm a laker fan. >> and they took notice. local activist jerry rubin organized the service. >> it was the right thing to do. if santa monica promenade were a three block long island, it could rightfully and properly being named brandon kramer island. this was brandon kramer's world in many ways. >> in a visit last february, brandon kramer gave "america tonight" a tour of his world. >> what is this promenade? >> it's easy for me because i can walk everywhere and it's nice. >> good place for you to be independent.

>> exactly. everything for me to do. >> brandon spent his days walking the crowded streets of santa monica because epileptic seizures left him unable to work. fewer than one in ten awe autistic individuals work. >> i would see him daily on the promenade when i either walked or rode the bike down the promenade and he would make a bee line to me with a smile, tell me what was going on on the promenade. >> he would always gravitate towards us and it was such an amazing person, such an amazing man, to see how happy and content he was with his life despite his challenges. so he always brought hope to everyone that he touched. >> thanks for letting us come to your apartment.

>> you're welcome. >> appreciate it. brandon lived here in a small but cozy apartment in a public housing project. >> this is my stereo and entertainment center. >> your entertainment center is right here, nice. >> my chair and my bed and my light and my computer table. >> oh nice! >> on his own for 16 years, brandon treasured his independence. >> yes, i like it a lot because i can like come and go as i please . i feel happier. >> you don't have to worry about anyone checking on you, you're your own man. >> exactly. >> one of his favors was this bright red button from a tv commercial. he said it brightened his mood. >> that was easy. >> that was easy. >> and then i have this too.

>> but things were not easy for are brandon or his mother amalia. as a newborn he was tiny barely five pounds and by the time brandon was a toddler his mother knew he wasn't developing like other children. >> i noticed his speech or lack of it. words would come out . jumbled. i thought it would be good to pus him in nursery school. when i did that, the teacher said, he won't play with anybody, he plays by himself and he does one thing over and over and over been. >> by the time brandon was 9 he was having seizures, the diagnosis, epilepsy. back then the doctor urged his mother to keep it secret. but brandon struggled in school,

socially an easy target for bullies. >> he wanted to play basketball but his eye hand coordination was so poor that he had very slow movement and therefore, couldn't make a basket couldn't catch the ball and the kids were smart. they knew he couldn't catch the ball so they would throw it in his face and he couldn't stop it in time. he had broken his nose several times. >> eventually brandon was diagnosed with autism. >> can't make a friend, had communication difficulty. >> had all the attributes of an autistic person? >> every single one. i remember being so relieved and yet saddened at the same time. >> for a amalia, some provide some support until age 22. then the families are on their own.

>> what's it like for parents of autistic children when that educational support suddenly ends? >> parents are scared to death. the number 1 question is: what will happen to my children? or my child after reply husband and i die? >> an i rpt sf. >> over the last 10 years, cases have exploded by 40%. that means a tidal wave is on the way, half a million in 10 years. brandon's mother is on a mission to help others carve out a path to independence. at a conference in orlando, more

than 1,000 parents and professionals showed up to hear a keynote speech. >> how could we be anything else, we are codependent. we allow our children to grow. they'll have a better life now than after we are gone. >> reporter: and after living on his own for years, brandon had advice for others dealing with autism. what do you say to other autistic adults who are a little worried about leaving mum and dad and going off on their own, what do you tell them? >> i tell them look at me, look at what i have done. >> reporter: last month brandon died in his sleep, aged 41. >> he came here to serve a purpose. he came here to show people that when you are different, you can

still be accepted and be beautiful. he came here to live an independent lifestyle. he concurred it. it was his mission. he did a good job. and he left in peace. >> reporter: here in a community that accepted brandon and all his quirks, he left a lasting impression, serving as a model for other autistic when and women, able to live on their own, as adults we remember brandon kramer, and history for independence. that's "america tonight", if you would like to comment on stories seen, log on to the website aljazeera.com/americatonight. you can meet the team and look ahead at stories we are working on now, and tell us what you'd like to see on the programme. you can join a conversation on us at any time on twitter or facebook.

goodnight, and we'll have more "america tonight" this >> good evening, this is al jazeera america, i'm thomas drayton in new york. we're following a hostage situation in sydney, australia, customers at a coffee shop at gunpoint, could be politically motivated. refusal to call diplomatic, in