I think the internet is helping many to leave. The information revealing the changing WTS policies is a real eye-opener for many, including me(this board is where I learned about the UN scandal). I surfed for a number of weeks, after being told about the Silentlambs issue by another witness who taped it. It wasn't what made me want to leave in the first place, but it sure confirmed what I already knew about the society's don't ask/don't tell stance on abuse from firsthand knowledge.Seeing it in print made me realize that I could no longer remain loyal to an organization that claimed to fight for the rights of children and women (oh those slick Watchtower and Awakes), while in the back rooms of kingdom halls all over the world, they wielded the right to cut women and children off from their family and friends if they dare spoke out or sought legal action against their perpetrators(I was told not to call the police also, but my mother did anyway).
Also, when you are cut off from a way of life you've lived for many years, it can be a bit daunting to start a new one. It really helps to have a place like this board, where you can get advice from others who have been on the inside. I find that most people who haven't lived it have a hard time understanding why it's affected your life so completely.They don't understand that you just can't walk away from a kingdom hall the way you can walk away from the church of a mainstream denomination. I think having the boards to come to for support will help alot of people be able to get on with what is left of their lives. I know personally, when the elders came knocking, I thought of everyone here. When they relayed through my mother that I no longer had the spirit of God, and that I was cut off, I thought about everything I learned here.This board has really been a nice counter weight for me, and many others, I'm sure.