Sorry if I quoted you out of context, Morpheus. My bad.
However, I construe the JW organization as having a private face ( which has concerns more important to its interests than the cries of victims of sexual abuse at the hands of active JWs) and a public one (keen to be perceived as a loving, caring, empathic, morally sound group of 'true' worshippers).
Secular inquiries speak to the public face to try to effect change at the private policy and procedure level. Hence, sanctions and rules only reach so far. But, like most social legislation, the motivation for change (e.g., avoid penalties) is less important than the fact that the legislation is followed.
Little by little, year-by-year, ageing end-times religions must shift the focus to how they live from short-term focusing on pressing for the end to come. In this 'settling' down phase problems of everyday living are more likely to surface and the group's leaders are forced to attend , more and more on order within - which requires constant review of policies and procedures as new problems emerge.
Oh, child sexual abuse within the JW organization is not new - but what is new is secular society's pressing all groups to comply with legislation to follow best practice in looking after children. In a million print miles expecting to be persecuted for preaching its message of the end, I bet the GB never would have anticipated it would not be persecuted for noble witnessing of the word but instead be called to account for its derelict and backward policies and procedures on child protection.
Shameful indeed - and this public scrutiny has a corrective capacity within an organization that hankers for the status of moral superiority over all the "false" religions outside its ranks.
