Bill Bowen visits German WT branch office

by GermanXJW 18 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

  • silentlambs
    silentlambs

    Greetings from Germany!

    We have made some excellent contacts in this country as well as other surrounding countries. There are many silent lambs who are finding their voices and exhibiting great courage to come forward. I am to meet with a young woman Thursday who was raped by her JW father who subsequently murdered the resulting baby. As we speak he remains a JW in "good standing", there are many still "in" and trying to make it work while suffering from the affects of their abuse. Another young sister who is still a teenager has to remain silent as her jw father who raped her, remarries another sister with two little girls, he to is a jw with privileges in the congregation. I leave out the detalils as WT would go after them in short order, but it helps the reader to see this is a very current and ongoing problem. These young women need support greater than we can offer. If anyone knows of counslers in Europe that might be willing to assist, please contact silentlambs. In Germany there is a long waiting list for assistance and it can sometimes take months to get in front of help. If you know of resources or contacts please let me know.

    The stories are the same and many of these cases are documented wih correspondence directly from the Branch. It truly is a worldwide problem. I have interviewed with media outside of Germany and was able to assist in backing up the interviews of several abuse survivors. The trip to Selters was interesting as they were caught completely by surprise. They were well aware of who silentlambs was as well as Bill Bowen. I will have a further report when I get home, with pictures to boot. The Branch story was the same with all allegience going to New York and to hell with the victims. Silentlambs will have started a more organized effort in Germany to make known the child abuse issue. It is interesting to note that when the German PR man was interviewed and asked about child abuse in Germany he made the statement, "We have no cases of child abuse in Germany..."

    "oops they did it again..."

    silentlambs

  • TheOldHippie
    TheOldHippie

    UnDisfelllowshipped, what language is the article translated into?

  • abbagail
    abbagail

    Thanks UNDF'd for seeking out and posting the translation of the entire article. It sounds almost "comical" (in the English translation) though I'm sure it is quite the contrary in the native German. The points and WT responses are clear, no matter what the country or language. (It did seem rather "polite" though, that they actually accepted the stuffed lamb. Or am I being suckered in?)

    GRITS

  • UnDisfellowshipped
    UnDisfellowshipped

    TheOldHippie said:

    UnDisfelllowshipped, what language is the article translated into?

    That is a good question! LOL

    Seriously, I told "Babelfish" to translate it from German into English, and that's what it came up with. (Now I know what "Lost in the Translation" means).

    I used a different Translation Service, and I will post what it came up with below (Oh boy, looks like this Translation is just as Comedic as the last LOL):

    Edited by - UnDisfellowshipped on 16 October 2002 4:57:56

  • UnDisfellowshipped
    UnDisfellowshipped

    William H. Bowen in mineral water

    If from sexual children's abuse among witnesses Jehovas the speech is, the name William H also falls mostly. Bowen .

    The former oldest from the USA who was expelled in the meantime because of his(its) activities, is a founder of the organization silentlambs.

    After from him organized silentlambs March to the world head office of the witnesses Jehovas in Brooklyn, New York, came Bowen also after
    mineral water to call a visit among other things on the Germany head office of the organization.


    William H. Bowen in the little gatehouse in mineral water In the talk with Werner Rudtke

    Presentation of a lamb As a symbol for the victims of sexual abuse

    On
    Saturday 12th of October, 2002 a small group met in sect reconnaissance aircrafts in the railway station of low mineral water in the Taunus . With from the portion Jutta Birlenberg, founder by inc KIDS (children in destructive sects) were in Leverkusen, as well as Nora Herzog, Henriette Banscher and Stephan E. Wolf of the sect drop-out's initiative and affected initiative FROM / ROSE inc to the Jockgrim/Palatinate. They had come, around William H. To accompany Bowen by his(its) visit of the Germany head office of the watch-tower society in mineral water.

    Bill, like William H. Bowen is named in the meantime within the drop-out's scene, among other things had come to Germany to perform to a young witness Jehovas Beistand who had been abused as a small child by their(her) father. She had, how already many other affected persons in similar situations the painful experience done that neither the oldest of their(her) meeting, nor the witnesses Jehovas were ready as an organization to go forward against the offender. The mother of the young woman(wife) has separated in the mean time from their(her) man(husband) who was neither expelled nor was pulled in some other way to the account and furthermore as outstanding one Jehovas of house gives evidence at home goes.


    William H. Bowen before the entrance To the Germany head office of the watch-tower society

    In mineral water / Taunus

    William H. Bowen , silentlambs with Jutta Birlenberg, Inc KIDS before the access road of the watch-tower society

    In mineral water

    William H. Bowen with a lamb silent up to now

    William H. Bowen , silentlambs And Stephan E. Wolf, sect initiative FROM / ROSE inc.


    Bowens intention was to point out the watch-tower society to the fact that there are numerous abuse cases also in Germany and that it is the highest time for the watch-tower society to think over their(her) behavior carried out up to now opposite victims and offenders.

    In the gate of
    the head office of the watch-tower society Bowen asked for a talk with Werner Rudtke,
    board member of the watch-tower society of the witnesses Jehovas in Germany. This was got by the doorkeeper on the telephone and Bowen explained(expressed) his(its) intention. He asked for a clearing talk to this oppressive subject, about of the leaders(ladders) of the legal department of the watch-tower society in mineral water, Uwe W. Man's man, only recently in a television interview had said: " to Us, the religious community in Germany such cases are not known for Germany ".

    Rudthke knew immediately with whom he had to do it.
    He presented himself emphatically friendly reserved, however, broke off after few minutes the talk with the indication that his(its) English knowledge would not be enough and he wants to get another interlocutor.
    Bowen noted to his(its) companions opposite that he did not have at all the impression, Rudtke does not understand him and called the action Hinhaltetaktik . He held it also for strikingly that one him allowed to wait in spite of repeated demand on an individual talk outside in the cold and not the lowest institutions does
    to ask him at least in the inside of the building.

    There passed about one quarter of an hour, since the announced talk partner announced himself. Not possibly individually, but also only on the telephone. He introduced himself as Hans Obermeier. Also he knew obviously just(exactly) with whom he had to do it and got involved in a just 10-minutes talk with Bowen . Besides , Bowen demonstrated in detail what is his(its) request. He expressed that he considers it a big mistake how the witnesses Jehovas handled with cases of sexual children's abuse And he denounced first of all the fact that such unambiguously criminal businesses would be treated only inside instead of doing the only right thing and turning on the prosecution authorities.

    Bowen referred to an internal card index in the watch-tower head office in Brooklyn, the USA in which more than 23.500 such cases would be registered. His(its) interlocutor stated that it is, besides, predominantly about an American problem for which also the American head office of the watch-tower society is responsible. Here in Germany, however, only some individual cases are known. What Bowen answered to, that this cannot vote, because at his(its) organization silentlambs would also have announced themselves from Germany a whole row of abuse victims.

    High bailiff referred again to the American head office of the watch-tower society and said that one implements only their(her) instructions here in Germany. Therefore, he should address directly in Brooklyn.

    For the conclusion of the talk William H asked. Bowen his(its) interlocutor whether he can hand a small present to him. He can do this gladly, the answer came, he should leave behind it simply with the doorkeeper. William H. Bowen handed a small cuddly toy in form of a lamb - to symbol for the sheep silent umpteen thousand of God whom victims of sexual infringements became and from the organization to which they
    had brought absolute trust(confidence), in the stitch have been let.

    Stephan E. Wolf

    Edited by - UnDisfellowshipped on 16 October 2002 4:56:12

  • UnDisfellowshipped
  • JanH
    JanH
    William H. Bowen in mineral water

    LOL. Yup, "Selters" is a brand name for a popular brand of mineral water in Germany, tapped from the nearby springs.

    Sorry, folks, I have never seen an online language translation service make any article intelligeble in the target language.

    - Jan


    Blogging at Secular Blasphemy
  • hawkaw
    hawkaw

    Well done Bill. You are doing great work in a huge country.

    hawk

  • waiting
    waiting

    Thanks for the pictures and somewhat garbled translation....but the gist came through. "Cover up."

    It is interesting to note that when the German PR man was interviewed and asked about child abuse in Germany he made the statement, "We have no cases of child abuse in Germany..."

    "oops they did it again..." - Bill Bowen

    But the most thanks go to you, Bill, for continuing to do a great job. The brief accounts you gave of young girls being raped by their fathers is no different than in the USA. To say "We have no cases of child abuse in Germany" is just a flat out lie. Child abuse is everywhere - just some places don't want to face it.

    Waiting to welcome you home.

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