The MIVILUDES (Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires; Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Combat against Sectarian Drifts) is a French government agency, created by presidential decree in 2002. It is charged with observing and analyzing the phenomenon of cult movements, coordinating the government response, informing the public about the risks arising from sectarian aberrations and facilitating the implementation of actions to aid the victims. Functions According to the first article of the Decree Number 2002–1392 of 28 November 2002, the MIVILUDES is charged with: Observing and analyzing the phenomenon of sectarian movements whose practices are prejudicial to human rights and basic liberties, constitute a menace to public order, or are in conflict with existing laws and regulations; Favoring, in the respect of public liberties, the coordination of preventive and repressive action by the authorities against such practices; Developing the exchange of information between public services on administrative practices relating to the combat against sectarian aberrations; Contributing to the informing and training of public agents in this area; Informing the public about the risks and, in some cases, the dangers, arising from sectarian aberrations, and facilitating the implementation of actions to aid the victims of such practices; Participating in activities relating to issues falling within its scope undertaken at the international level by the ministry of foreign affairs. MIVILUDES provides information related to "cultic deviances" to the media, the French government, and individual members of the public. It recommends contacts and other organizations, and produces and archives documentation and discussion papers on groups considered cults. History Background The French authorities created MIVILUDES as the successor to MILS (Mission interministérielle de lutte contre les sectes; English: "Interministerial Mission in the Fight Against Cults"), which itself functioned from 7 October 1998 as the successor to the Observatoire interministériel sur les sectes established on 9 May 1996. These organizations were in charge of coordinating government monitoring of cults. In February 1998, MILS, headed by Alain Vivien, released its annual report on their monitoring of cults in France. The operations of MILS, and Vivien's background as the head of an anti-cult organization (he had served as President of the Centre Roger Ikor from 1997 to 1998), had occasionally received criticism from several human-rights organizations, such as the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, as well as the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a U.S. government agency. In January