Jehovah's Witnesses

HANDLING OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE CASES

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Quotation:

"In the organization, you have to have two witnesses, and of course it's almost impossible to have two witnesses to a child molestation. So if a parent comes with their daughter to the elder, they ask and he says, no, I didn't do it, then that's the end of the matter. I would like to see them recognize it, take it to the civil authorities and professionals that are capable and qualified to help the victims." Joe Anderson, former WTS elder. ₁

Church rules about abuse:

Christianity bases its beliefs and practices on the Christian Scriptures (New Testament). Three main themes in the Scriptures are:

	A person should forgive someone who has hurt or abused them.
	Individuals can be redeemed.
	People can change through prayer and spiritual support.

These biblical themes often come into conflict with secular standards, which may include beliefs that:

	Abusive pedophiles or hebephiles should be punished for their crimes against children.
	Child sexual abuse perpetrators typically molest dozens of children before they are caught. Thus, they have to be isolated from new potential victims, at least until they receive counseling.
	Parents need to be informed if a child abuser is in their group or neighborhood.

Every religious institution develops their own policies and regulations concerning accusations of child sexual and physical abuse. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, (WTS) is the corporation which controls the Jehovah's Witnesses movement. ₂ The organization follows a biblical standard when investigating allegations of any offense on the part of a member. Proof that an offense has occurred requires either:

A confession on the part of the alleged perpetrator, or

The testimony of at least two witnesses to a single case of abuse, or

The testimony of one witness to abuse, followed by testimony of a second witness to another instance of abuse.

In the case of sexual abuse, the only witnesses are usually the perpetrator and the victim. As a result, proof cannot often be obtained unless the perpetrator is willing to confess to the crime. According to a 1995 article in the Watchtower, a publication of the WTS, if proof cannot be obtained, elders are to "explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial (church disciplinary) way...the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person." The article suggested that "The question of his guilt or innocence can be safely left in Jehovah's (God's) hands." Some victims ask for more.

At a recent trial in a Canadian court, a lawyer for the prosecution stated that the WTS imposes a three-year statute of limitations on behaviors like sexual abuse. Any charges brought to the elders of a congregation by an alleged victim must relate to recent abuse. ₅

Where child abuse can be proven, the member is disfellowshipped. This involves being expelled from the WTS. However, if they can convince elders that they have truly repented of their abusive behavior, they can be readmitted into the congregation.

The WTS has a dual policy concerning cases of child abuse which meet their standards of proof:

Local elders are required to alert police and/or child protection services only in those political jurisdictions which require religious institutions to report suspected cases of abuse. Some states in the U.S. do not have mandated reporting. Other require certain professionals like physicians, teachers, and social workers to report, but allow church leaders to remain silent. Some states have no laws at all in this area.

Where reporting is not mandated by the state, the WTS's policy is to keep keep the matter secret. Communications between elders and members are kept confidential. They generally do not report abuse but attempt to handle it within the organization. An abuser will often be encouraged to confess to authorities. A disciplinary hearing may be held. However, only elders can take notes, which are later collected and kept in a secure location. No tape recordings are permitted.

The WTS holds that the privilege of clergy confidentiality applies to any confidential communication among its members, including statements at disciplinary hearings which involve multiple elders and witnesses.

Some members in the organization suggest that the latter policies can put church members and the rest of the public at risk. Sometimes confessed molesters will be allowed to remain in the congregation, with disastrous results in the form of continued molestation. One responsibility expected of WTS members is that they do door-to-door evangelizing. An abusive pedophile or hebephile could use this opportunity to recruit new victims.

Some examples of continued abuse:

The church's policy of handling some suspected sexual abuse cases in secret has aroused a growing level of opposition inside and outside of the WTS. The main concern is that there is a very high probability that the abuse will continue. This is reduced by intensive counseling, but is never eliminated. There is a general consensus among mental health professionals that pedophilia and or hebephilia (the sexual attraction to children) is unchangeable, much in the same way that one's sexual orientation is fixed. What may be changed is the perpetrator's actions. They can sometimes control their feelings and not act upon them. The average abusive pedophile or hebephile who is arrested has molested dozens of children. Counseling by church elders may or may not break this pattern of abuse, and may leave children vulnerable to molestation in the future.

Some instances that have resulted in court cases include:

	New Hampshire: A church member informed elders that her husband was physically abusing their children. They took no action. For years afterwards, the man sexually and physically abused children in his own family. He was finally caught, tried and given a 56 year prison sentence.
	Texas: In 1992, church elders ordered a teen-age boy to stop molesting his younger sister. The youth later sexually abused another sister. Police found out about the latter case when alerted by hospital staff after his victim attempted to commit suicide. In 1997, the perpetrator was given a 40-year prison term.
	Maine: Church elders disciplined a member for child molesting. Later, the perpetrator molested a teen-age boy between 1989 and 1992. It was only after the second victim disclosed the abuse to a therapist that authorities were notified.

Reactions by church leaders:

Mario Moreno, associate general counsel for the WTS has said that the church obeys state laws which mandate reporting of suspected cases of child abuse. He said: "If there is a law that mandates reporting, that takes precedent over any confidentiality, whether in church policy or statute....The laws of this country, as well as people's moral values, tell you there are some things that should be kept private. That's why laws protect confidential communications between clergy and their flock....Parents are encouraged to do whatever they need to do to protect their child." He explained that in some cases, elders relocate the victim to isolate them from the alleged perpetrator. Other times, the church recommends that the victim's parent or guardian -- or even the accused person themselves -- report the abuse to the police.

Other church leaders feel that all suspected cases should be reported. In his letter of resignation as presiding overseer (chief elder), William H. Bowen of Draffenville, KY, wrote: "I refuse to support a pedophile refuge mentality that is promoted among bodies of elders around the world. Criminals should be ousted, identified and punished to protect the innocent and give closure to the victim." Bowen later organized a support and advocacy group for abuse victims called: Silentlambs .

Reaction by some church members:

Some church members have reported an unsympathetic response by their local church elders when they reported instances of abuse:

	Sara Poisson of Claremont, NH felt like many Jehovah's Witnesses that she should go to the church elders with problems, rather than to the authorities. She reported to the elders that her then-husband, Paul Berry, had physically abused some of her children. She said: "Whatever issues might arise that required guidance were to be handled within the congregation by the body of elders...You have to understand the Jehovah's Witnesses organization. Their life revolves around following the direction of what the local elders and the organization say." The elders allegedly told her that she "needed to be a better wife" and "needed to pray more." Poisson said that "Each time I spoke to the elders I was sanctioned in some way...Some privilege was removed because I had dared to usurp the authority of my husband." She said that she was prohibited from speaking at some meetings and restricted in the amount of door-to-door evangelism that she was allowed to do. When her son was discovered at school with marks of abuse on his skin, she was told by a social worker to either have her husband leave the home or lose custody of her children. She did the former and was then shunned by the congregation. She finally went to police after discovering that her former husband had sexually abused her daughter from the age of 4 to 10. Stories of aggravated sexual abuse and torture were revealed in court. At Berry's trial, 29 fellow members of his congregation testified favorably about his character. When sentencing Berry, Judge Arthur Brennan said the church might have done more to help the victim. "The church didn't help her and the state didn't help her... Perhaps if somebody had spoken years ago, if somebody had inquired, instead of relying perhaps on Jehovah...maybe it would have been...a lot less cruel for that child." The Hillsborough County Attorney's Office did not investigate whether the church elders violated the law, because more than a year had passed. The legislation that mandates such reporting has a statute of limitations of 12 months.
	In a case in Houston TX, parents reported that their teen-aged son was molesting his younger sister. When the elders visited the home, they counseled the family and received assurances from the boy that he would stop. Kelly Siegler, an assistant district attorney for Harris County. "All they did is tell him to stop and they prayed about it. They just blew it off. No one ever told the police." He continued with his sexual abuse and was eventually charged and tried as a 22 year old for abuse that he committed while an adult. He received a 40 year sentence for aggravated sexual assault. The ADA mentioned that she would have prosecuted the elders for violating Texas' mandated reporting law, except that the two year statute of limitations had expired. The family sued the church in a civil court and reached a settlement. Like most such cases, the family is prohibited from discussing the details.
	In Augusta. ME, Larry Baker had confessed to elders that he had sexually molested a boy. According to member Bryan Rees, the elders secretly disciplined Baker, giving him "some real strict, severe counsel...and that was essentially it." Alan Ayers, was one of the elders, but he did not warn his stepson Rees he was at risk of abuse by Baker. Later Baker and Rees went evangelizing door-to-door together. Baker is reported to have admitted that he molested Rees at least 30 times between 1989 and 1992 while Rees was a minor. He was convicted of unlawful contact with a minor and served about a 90-day jail term. Rees later won a $1.2 million judgement against Baker. He attempted to sue the WTS in 1998 but was unsuccessful.
	In Keene, NH, the guardian of a 15-year-old girl sued a WTS congregation in 1987, alleging that elders threatened the girl's parents with "religious excommunication and eternal damnation" if they they informed the police or obtained counseling for the victim, who was sexually abused from 1975 to 1985. The perpetrator pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated felonious sexual and was given a sentence of from three to eight years Church lawyer Mario Moreno said it would be "ridiculous" for an elder to make such a threat, which would violate church policy. He said: "That's not scriptural...We teach the Scriptures. The Scriptures don't say, 'If you file criminal charges against an abuser you're going to have eternal damnation.' The one in danger of eternal damnation is the abuser."

Reaction by child abuse specialists:

The Courier-Journal, in Louisville, KY, reported the comments of "David Richart, of the National Institute on Children. He said that "a strictly spiritual approach to child molestation is inadequate" He continued: "The whole idea of child sexual abuse is that it generally is an invisible kind of crime and it generally doesn't go away without in some cases treatment and in other cases imprisonment...The whole idea implicit in their response is that somebody can be persuaded or guilt-tripped into changing their behavior. It's generally a much more sophisticated problem than that. Prayer can do a lot of things, and in the case of child sexual abuse it can be a powerful instrument for change, but it's no substitute for a societal intervention...A lot of churches deal internally with allegations of child sexual abuse and refer to Scripture in ways which seem to encourage the children to be compliant."

Sam Neal, an elder in the WTS congregation in Jeffersontown, KY and a social worker said: "Nobody has a right to keep matters that really put other folks at risk secret. We're concerned about every member of the organization, and their best interest, their welfare, their security and safety are matters of concern...We don't feel we would be discharging our spiritual responsibility if we held something secret that has a direct impact on the safety and welfare of others."

Silentlambs protest group:

Silentlambs is a support group for people who have been discouraged by the WTS from getting help when they have been molested or abused. ₃They claim that the WTS has established a child abuse policy that has ignored abuse survivors, protected child molesters and disfellowshipped those who have tried to support the victims. They have a hotline "for victims of child abuse who need further assistance, for anyone to call to present material to establish hard evidence of Watchtower Abuse, [and] to provide information about where to go to get help." It is toll-free number: 1-877-WTABUSE or 1-877-982-2873. No record of the call will appear on your telephone bill. It is only accessible by U.S. callers. Others can call via long distance to 270-527-5353.

On 2002-SEP-3, they sponsored a demonstration at the WTS' head office in Brooklyn NY. Adults, and their advocates, who claim that they were molested in their childhood by Jehovah's Witnesses carried signs and 12 stuffed lambs to deliver as a symbol of innocence lost. They delivered a formal request for a church hearing to investigate possible criminal cover-ups by the denomination's governing body. They held a news conference and announced a national march for Witness' molestation victims scheduled later on 2002-SEP-27 September. ₄

On 2002-MAY-7 The WTS is reported to have started the process to excommunicate Bowen and three other outspoken members. Bowen reported: "Over one year ago when we first came forward, the leaders of the organization said the problem did not exist; when we produced over one thousand victims' stories on the "silentlambs" website, they were called liars. After we filmed the Dateline program with extensive proof, local congregations directed by home office now decide to disfellowship lifetime members who have been filmed by Dateline shortly before the program is set to air at the end of May first part of June? Apparently it is being done to discourage church members to not tune in to this expose' because Jehovah's Witness theology requires members not to listen to anything disfellowshipped members have to say about their church. If members refuse to obey, it could result in their being excommunicated as well."

According to the Silentlambs web site: "Barbara Anderson, was informed that she was being accused of causing 'divisions' within the organization and summoned to attend a judicial hearing or disassociate herself. Anderson is a former researcher who worked for the Church's Writing Department, in Brooklyn, New York, she is also featured on Dateline speaking out about child molestation cover-ups that go all the way up to the denomination’s Governing Body. 'For years the Governing Body (church leadership) has tried to silence abuse victims, so they can protect the image of the church,' said Anderson. 'Now they’re expanding their intimidation and cover up to include those of us who are whistleblowers trying to protect kids.' "

The group alleges that there are reports of 23,720 suspected child molesters on file at the WTS headquarters. If true, then this would be a rate of known molesters of 0.4% of the total Jehovah's Witnesses population. That is a reasonable percentage. It is often estimated that about 1% of girls are molested by their fathers, and a further 1% are sexually abused by step fathers. Victimizing of boys is at a lower level.

More information:

One episode of the program Panorama, sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation, (BBC) deals with the sexual abuse problem within the WTS. They interview individuals in England, Scotland and the U.S. A free 50 minute video is available online at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/2124573.stm

References:

Wisdom Martin, "Sexual abuse allegations within Jehovah's Witnesses denomination," WKRN Nashville, TN, at: http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=924294&nav=1ugBB5Z1
Peter Smith, "Jehovah's Witnesses' policy on child molesters attacked - Church says it follows laws on reporting suspected abuse," Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY, 2001-FEB-4, http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2001/02/04/ky_jeh.html
Silentlambs' web site is at: http://www.silentlambs.org/
"New Support Group Seeks Investigation of Church Hierarchy," Silentlambs news release, 2002-SEP-3.
"Colleagues concealed sex abuse to protect 'clean image' of Witnesses: elder," Canoe.ca, at: http://canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Jehovah-Lawsuit.html