Over the course of about six decades, more than 1,000 members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses were accused of sexually abusing Australian children, according to a new report. Victims were ordered to keep quiet. Not one of the alleged perpetrators were reported to the police.
After my experience, this doesn’t surprise me one bit. If you go to the elders you have to have two witnesses before they’ll even do anything!
A 107-page-long report released detailed a number of ancient policies that exhibited what the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse referred to as a “serious lack of understanding of the nature of child sexual abuse.”
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“The sanctions available within the organization’s internal disciplinary system are weak and leave perpetrators of child sexual abuse at large in the organization and the community,” the report also concluded.
Elders are more concerned with “protecting the congregation” and the fear “bringing reproach upon Jehovah’s name” than helping victims or protecting the community. They’d rather protect a pedophile than shepherd the flock and protect the little sheep.
Apparently, the Royal Commission will get together again in March to review what’s changed per the recommendations made. It’s doubtful the Watchtower will have changed in any meaningful way, and that makes me wonder what repercussions there may be for ignoring the recommendations.
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