Next steps for the Austrailian Royal Commission

by Coded Logic 40 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Coded Logic

  Since the Watchtowers' lawyers have (A) failed to make any recommendations to the ARC that would bring the Watchtower up to date with "best practices and procedures" (B) have failed to submit a proposal for victim restitution (C) have failed to secure funding for a redress scheme and (D) have completely dismissed all the ARCs' findings - what's the Royal Commission's next course of action?

  I see two possibilities:

  1.) Negotiate a settlement with the Watchtower

  2.) File a lawsuit in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia against the Watchtower

  .

  I find the first option unlikely since Justice Peter McClellan specifically wanted the Watchtower to submit ideas to the Court on how the Jehovah's Witnesses could best come up to date with Best Practices and Procedures and said he was not interested in having the Court assign changes to the Watchtower. McClellan said that the Court would then review the proposed changes and see if they met the Court's standards. I think this was a very pragmatic approach by the Justice as it forced the Watchtower to admit they could be doing more and, simultaneously, avoided a drawn out scenario in which the Court would make recommendations and then the Watchtower would shoot them down one by one claiming they were not practical to implement or were not in keeping with their religious beliefs.

  Another reason I feel negotiating a settlement with the Watchtower is unlikely is because the Watchtower has rejected almost every single finding of the ARC. Until such a time as the Watchtower can admit they have a problem it would be nearly impossible to broker any real change within the Society or get them to pay out millions of dollars to victims in a redress scheme.

  .

  And this brings us to the second option - a Federal Lawsuit. I find it impossible to believe the ARC is just going to sit on its hands as the Watchtower does nothing to change. I find a lawsuit quite likely at this point because the Commission has been collecting evidence and testimony from hundreds of JWs who have been abused in Australia. It seems to me they're taking the necessary time to put together a massive federal case.

  http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/636f01a5-50db-4b59-a35e-a24ae07fb0ad/case-study-29,-july-2015,-sydney.aspx

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/458960001/update-on-royal-commission-child-sex-abuse-inquiry-hears-4000th-testimony

  Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts on what might happen. I'm really interested what you guys think might happen with the ARC? And if this does become a federal case - what will it do to the R&F?
• 

  the girl next door

  We should also consider McClellan's closing words, "We will revisit this in the next couple of years, to see how you are doing."

  There are a lot of fish to fry for the ARC. I believe this is going to be an exercise in patience for all of us.
• 

  zeb

  For a start such a case will make the headlines on TV and in the press big time and this will not be able to be denied by most of the r&f. Some will never commit to the facts' of child abuse in their ranks no matter what evidence is presented.

  The r&f will be faced they have worshipped a monster so will have to decide to pull out or sink with the ship. I see huge numbers of mental breakdowns and suicides.

  I see the wts 'claiming' back all 'their' kingdom halls in Australia to be sold to pay for compensations to be paid to victims' with a 'poor pitiful me syndrome we are broke' syndrome. Remember who owns the titles to the kingdom halls.

  Thus the wts (read panic stricken gb) will seen to abandon the r & f in Australia. I see the Sydney bethel closed to a skeleton crew and when that shock has settled then sold off with all profits sent onto NY.

  Fasten your belts its going to be a rough ride especially for those, tragically for those in divided households and again with kids.

  In homes where the parents are fanatics the kids will be put through a veritable mental health mangle with huge amounts of what Satan is doing to Jehovah's org, evil apostates etc, extra purging of their possessions for satanic dolls, comics, books. The tv will be off. No sport at all. No contact with other kids at all. Thus the children in such cases will be made a second layer of victims over the first layer that the ARC has defended.

  And, what is the Sydney branch office doing about the Justices recommendations? probably nothing still believing that they are divine and all this will go away leaving them in their fully serviced lah-lah land to go on printing books and dreaming up new design ways to invade the personal lives of the r & f.
• 

  Mephis

  What ARC has done is to give WBTS chance to set its own house in order. If it doesn't do that, then expect the recommendations for new laws in Australia to reflect how some religions are willfully negligent and may need closer supervision. I'm unsure how that can be done, but a way will obviously have to be found to account for groups like the WBTS.

  Restitution for survivors will happen in one way or another just as soon as the Australians sort out the way they want to see it done and put it into law. WBTS have had a chance to give input into that process but they clearly weren't listening at that meeting.

  Ultimately ARC will provide an example of the best possible child safeguarding policy, as well as how organisations should best respond to reports of abuse. It's how to enforce that. Reports in the news today have the Vatican deciding that they don't need to report abuse to authorities unless specifically required to by law. It may be that ARC will weigh the options and decide that calling yourself a man of god means little if you haven't the wit or conscience to make sure a child is protected from abuse.
• 

  Village Idiot

  I would expect that the Watchtower would issue a revised version of its manuals stating that all child abuse cases be reported to the police. They have too much to lose if they don't change but then their arrogance and stupidity is beyond reason.
• 

  LostGeneration

  “These guys will deny and deny, they are belligerent, they are arrogant, they treat victims as adversaries. This is not an organization that is ready to accept the reality of what they have been doing.”

  -Irwin Zalkin
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  Beth Sarim

  Village Idiot

  ''They have too much to lose if they don't change but then their arrogance and stupidity is beyond reason.''

  Add to that stubbornness and defiant ways. It's been understood for a sometime now that the Society instructs these Big elders to accept THEIR directives first over and above the secular authorities. Should the authorities give instructions they will probably shrug it off and contract headquarters first for THEIR directives, with great risk.
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  zeb

  "They have too much to lose if they don't change but then their arrogance and stupidity is beyond reason. "

  "These guys will deny and deny, they are belligerent, they are arrogant, they treat victims as adversaries. This is not an organization that is ready to accept the reality of what they have been doing.”

  -Irwin Zalkin

  and "Get their house in order" ? Perhaps they are waiting for governments (many) to move on them and then they can scream "Persecution persecution" and then they have smoke screen under which to do nothing about the paedophiles.

  Thankyou for the sound comments thus far.
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  sparrowdown

  Great points Zeb. I can see them packing up and selling off the branch, maybe have some sort of office for any business that cannot be handled online. They may make some superficial adjustments to the way things are done in Oz, but they will string out the commission as long as they can. Their version of " you want us to pay up then make us."
• 

  sparrowdown

  Actually, just as a side note. Whan I watched the now infamous black bread broadcast of feb 2016. I couldn't help but notice that Australia seemed to feature fairly often on the big blue hypnoglobe in the background during the bread demo. But, maybe just a coincidence.