No one really knows how many cases are won or lost because often these kind of issues are settled out of court, in fact that is how the organization prefers it, so they can maintain the fiction that these things rarely happen in their "spiritual paradise". That is part of the problem, that they give their members a false sense of safety within the congregations, people are very trusting and congregation elders have a great deal of authority. These things make for a pedophiles paradise.
It's true that these cases are often not won, as I am sure is the cases in many cases of this kind, whether against the Catholic church or any other organization. The age of the victims, the fact that evidence is hard to come by and the nature of the crime make it so. That does not mean that a wrong wasn't done, it just means that the deck is stacked against the victim, a fact that the Watchtower is happy to exploit.
The Watchtower is not at fault every time a Jehovah's Witness commits such a crime, but very often these cases could have been prevented if the Watchtower would take proper precautions, and when they are at fault they should pay the price. A child who has had their innocence stolen because the Watchtower did not take common sense precautions has every right to sue. There are many things they could do to help make sure they aren't contributing to the problem:
- Elders should be trained to recognize the signs of abuse, and how to talk to abuse victims.
- Child victims should never, ever be forced to confront their abuser
- The local authorities should be contacted in every case of suspected abuse, not just where it is a legal requirement. Elders are not qualified to judge whether abuse has actually taken place. Why does it take a law for the Watchtower to do the right thing?
- A person who has sexually molested a child should never be put in any position of authority, elder or MS, ever.
- Parents should be informed that their is always the possibility of child abusers in the organization, and that they should not automatically trust someone with their child just because they are a Jehovah's Witness.
- A woman who is married to an abuser should not be pressured to stay in the marriage, the elders should help her protect her children.
- A person with a history of child sex abuse should not be allowed to go in the ministry or conduct bible studies. If such a person becomes close to families with children the elders should take them aside and let them know of the problem.
These are just common sense precautions that would go a long way in preventing problems. That the Watchtower refuses to do them shows how little they care about innocent children and how greatly they care about their image.
I have seen first hand how the organization fails to protect children. My good friend had a son who was molested by a young Jehovah's Witness brother. He confessed and was reproved. Less that a year later he became engaged to a woman with young children. My friend was concerned because this woman was unaware of his history, so she informed her. My friend got in trouble with the elders and was told if she didn't shut up about the abuse she would be disfellowshipped. This kind of willful stupidity is inexcusable.
