Netherlands: victims of abuse in Jehovah's Witnesses fear ‘witch hunt’
Netherlands: victims of abuse in Jehovah's Witnesses fear ‘witch hunt’
by yalbmert99 8 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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GrreatTeacher
I would too. You participate in a survey about JW sexual abuse and then the JWs want the info?
That should not be the way it works.
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Slidin Fast
Translation, Thanks yalbmert99
'Victims of abuse Jehovah's Witnesses fear witch hunt'
The Jehovah's Witnesses are making every effort to obtain interview reports from people who cooperated in an investigation of abuse. Victims fear that their identity could be traced by the religious organization, Trouw reports.
In the study, researchers from Utrecht University held discussions with victims and other stakeholders about the way in which the Jehovah's Witnesses handled incidents of abuse internally.
Last year's investigation showed that victims are very negative about the treatment of their complaint. Three quarters of the reporters give an unsatisfactory mark, the most frequently given mark is even 1.
Tried internally
The investigation was conducted in response to reports of sexual abuse within the church. Hundreds of reports were received at the reporting center that was set up.
The organization, with 30,000 members in the Netherlands, does not report perpetrators of sexual abuse to the police. They are tried internally, in so-called judicial committees. Records are made and kept of those internal court cases and of perpetrators' conversations with elders.
750 people participated in the research of Utrecht University. 300 of them said they themselves had been abused.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are now attempting to request material from the investigation through various procedures. At ministries, but also at the university.
Witch hunt
When the information is released, the participants fear a witch hunt. Kees van den Bos, leader of the research, says in Trouw that 'protecting research participants is a top priority'.
"This is very sensitive matter that can also be traceable anonymously, because it is a small community. For example, people have said in their own words what happened to them and by connecting answers you quickly suspect who it is. We must avoid the possibility of a witch hunt. "
A spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses says in a response to Trouw that their request focuses on anonymous documents. "With full respect for everyone's privacy and in accordance with the GDPR.
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Biahi
Of course it’s a witch hunt. They just don’t want to be called out on it. Imagine a world full of ONlLY these people. Dystopian world.
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john.prestor
I understand the desire to know who is accusing you, but because it's JWs who have a history of punishing victims of sexual abuse... I'm suspicious of their motives.
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road to nowhere
Just so long as the JWs do not address any shortcomings in the handling of matters.
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yalbmert99
The Watchtower wants to intimidate whistle blowers
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joe134cd
The Dutch tend to be quite liberal and open minded in their thinking. This is probably the reason the Dutch JWs were so willing to criticise HQ.
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yalbmert99
Thanks y'all!