Jehovah's Witnesses and child sex abuse

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1 Cases of abuse
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

Jehovah's Witnesses, as an organization, have been accused of covering up cases of child molestation committed by their members. The religious group came under scrutiny parallel to the discovery of systematic abuse and cover-ups, most famously, within the Catholic Church in the late 1990s and early 2000s, although other religions had less-noted issues concerning sexual abuse. (See Anglicans in Australia, Unitarian/Universalism, and possibly Greek Orthodox Christians).

In February 2001, Christianity Today printed an article alleging that Jehovah's Witness policies made reporting sexual abuse difficult for members, and did not follow legal norms on the issue. Shortly after, in 2002, Erica Rodriguez filed a suit in the US District Court in Spokane, Washington. Manuel Beliz was convicted of abusing her and was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment for his crime. In her suit, Rodriguez sought unspecified damages from Beliz for her abuse, and also from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. In 2003, Heidi Meyer alleged that her pleas concerning sexual abuse were dismissed and that this is a widespread problem. [1]

In response, Jehovah's Witnesses stated their opposition to any form of child abuse. They encourage parents - especially fathers - to take an active role in the proper guidance and protection of their children from pedophiles. They affirmed that the local elders are expected to investigate any accusation of child abuse. Declaring that where child abuse can be proven by their standards (two witnesses, which they interpret Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:15-17 to support, or a voluntary confession), and the member is unrepentant, he or she is disfellowshipped (expelled from the religious institution). [2] Some criticize this stand since acts of pedophilia are usually done in private. If the child comes forward, he or she is considered to be only one witness. Since two witnesses are not present no judicial action is taken. However, judicial action can be taken if two persons are witnesses to separate incidents of the same type of wrongdoing. In addition, the Jehovah's Witnesses organization and its adherents have nevertheless faced criticism for leniency on this issue.

Witnesses defend themselves by stating that they obey all legal requirements for reporting sex offenders, and that they do discipline and disfellowship (excommunicate) pedophiles. In addition, their policy is that a man who is a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position in the congregation and that anyone in a responsible position who is guilty of child abuse would be removed. ^[1] They further state that their procedures have been refined over time. They state that over the years, as they have noted areas where their policies could be strengthened, they have followed through and that they are continuing to refine them. ^[2] They also vigorously dispute statements that encourage a negative view of an already oft-persecuted religious group.

One common criticism of Jehovah's Witness policy regarding sex abuse is that the victim is encouraged to first report the crime to the elders. However, Witnesses' spokesman J. R. Brown said Witnesses are not required to report crimes to elders before calling civil authorities. Victims and their families are free to call police at will, he said, although some don't choose to. ^[3] Thus the victim may decide to report the crime to civil authorities. The elders are not instructed to encourage or discourage a report to civil authorities, nor do the elders themselves report the crime (though in some cases, elders have suggested to the victims that reporting the case could tarnish the reputation of the organization^{[citation needed]}). Even so, the victim and his or her parents have the freedom and the responsibility to take whatever they feel is the best course of action for themselves. ^[4].However they are expected to report the allegation to the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses in their country. In addition, the authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses states that the elders will report even uncorroborated or unsubstantiated allegations to the authorities if required by law: "The safety of our children is of the utmost importance. We take it very seriously."

The BBC reported on the controversy around Jehovah's Witnesses child abuse in July 2002, in the Panorama program "Suffer the Little Children"^[5]. In response to the above BBC program, Paul Gillies, spokesman for the Britain branch of Jehovah's Witnesses comments on their official web site: "Sexual abuse of children is not just a terrible sin but also a crime that can leave lasting emotional scars on its victims. Jehovah's Witnesses everywhere abhor the sexual abuse of children and will not protect any perpetrator of such repugnant acts from the consequences of his gross sin.”

[edit] Cases of abuse

September 22, 2006 - Elder Pleads Guilty. ^[6]
June 26, 2006 - Bethel Elder Charged. ^[7]
November 17, 2005 - Former elder "disfellowshipped" from congregation, convicted on sex charges. ^[8]