https://nltimes.nl/2018/05/02/nearly-300-reports-sexual-abuse-among-dutch-jehovahs-witnesses
"The number of reports of sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses now stands at 267, Reclaimed Voices, a foundation that manages the hotline for this type of abuse, said to newspaper Trouw.
Reclaimed Voices was established last year after Trouw published the stories of a number of Jehovah's Witnesses who were abused during their youth. One victim called the religious group a "paradise for pedophiles", because the Jehovah's Witnesses elders tend to keep sexual abuse quiet. In the first week of its existence, the hotline received nearly 50 sexual abuse reports.
According to the newspaper, the victims of sexual abuse asked the Jehovah's Witnesses elders for a meeting to discuss this abuse six months ago, but still haven't heard anything. This has a big affect on the victims, Frank Huiting of Reclaimed Voices said to Trouw. "They are angry, they haven't known where they stand for some time and feel disappointed about the entire process. They still aren't being heard, is what it comes down to."
Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection also instructed the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses to start a conversation with the victims. "
I think they should rename their cult to Jehova's Defendants
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GreenDell144 ago
Heavy.
The article posted more or less repeats these from a year ago: https://nltimes.nl/2017/11/28/dutch-foundation-gets-dozens-sexual-abuse-reports-jehovahs-witnesses
https://nltimes.nl/2017/07/21/jehovahs-witnesses-paradise-pedophiles-
It is helpful for us to know the ways various organizations direct their policies in regards to reporting this crime. Most organizations (religious, or otherwise) had fairly draconian policies for years. Since the 90s tho, many more popular organizations have adjusted their policies for zero-tolerance and transparency. JW’s did this in the 90’s too. I found the JW policy repeated in their magazines and on their website:
(For sexual abuse) What can you do? .....call the police
and it’s been that way since the 90s.
There is some contention about the “two witnesses to an accusation” rule, for confronting a believer that is doing bad. They also apply that when there are disputes between each other, to avoid taking sides when situations are unclear. It seems the rule is being misapplied in some congregations to shield offenders from victim’s accusations. Bad.
The second article states that the elders in the Netherlands don’t want to embarrass themselves with these crime reports... to keep things quiet, totally against what their HQ says. The organization makes it clear that they scripturally follow the law and respect authorities. It seems the Netherlands congregations and perhaps some local groups don’t agree with this. There should be consequences, IMO.
Cc1914 ago
We can't lump all JW together just like we can't lump all the mainstream christians , Catholics etc together . There are bad seeds in every bunch and the truth is being revealed rapidly without bias. No religion will be able to hide what God already knows . Thanks for explaining the 2 person rule . It makes so much sense to me in order to be fair and not take sides verses going to a priest and confessing sins that for sure get hidden , because you basically pay the priest off to keep quiet . Think about it .. some charge you for prayers , healing etc and the sinner feels better because he feels forgiven.. then keeps doing the same sins over and over because he can pay for Gods forgiveness. This is how it seems to me anyways . This has been my experience.
GreenDell144 ago
It could work if it’s applied correctly. Recently, my mother-in-law threatened to accuse me of abusing my kids if I didn’t do what she wanted. I told her: “go ahead”! If she had thought I was bad, why did she wait ‘til now to accuse me? Well, it would be nice to recieve that benefit of the doubt, in this case. I was also struck with the need to be reasonable myself here. It’s a valid policy, IMO. Two witnesses... hmm. Reasonably, I am going to put more weight on the testimony of a victim, than on a 3rd party accuser (like my own mother-in-law). If I don’t know what to believe, I report the suspicious activity to the police and wait until there is more info (like a 2nd witness). Technically, this two witness thing isn’t even about crimes, tho. As far as I can tell, it’s about little disputes, or dealing with addictions or secret affairs or whatever.
There have been a few victims coming forward, stating that their reports of abuse were quashed by a misapplication of this rule. That’s unfortunate. Evidence that even a seemingly reasonable policy can be abused by imperfect people. Any rule however, no matter how decent, is useless for those with evil hearts, IMO.