I was an active JW for 25 years and have continued to be associated with my still-JW friends for ten years since. In my years in the 'truth' I've known hundreds of JW's. Growing up as a JW I closely associated with a number of teens in my area. In all that time, knowing all those people, knowing how 'gossip' gets around, I've only heard of ONE case of molestation by a JW. In this case, he was immediately df'd and reported to the police and did some time in jail. This was in the early 80's, so it was not as a result of the recent publicity.
I was abused by my non-baptized step-father way back in the 60's. He had also abused my aunt (12 yrs old - my age) and living in the same house. When he was caught abusing my aunt the presiding overseer spoke with my mother (also not baptized) and it was arranged not to contact the police and to send my aunt to live with another one of her sisters. Then they caught him abusing me. Same elder "encouraged" my mother again to not report him and I was sent into foster care. He then moved on to abuse my 5 yearolf sister. When he was caught this time he disappeared and again it was not reported to the police. My mother knew he had abused his 3 daughters by his first marriage. And we found out he moved to the US and married and became a foster parent to more girls. At least he is dead now. But maybe if he had been reposted there would be a lot fewer abused kids.
My aunt's father who was baptized had previously abused her. That was dealt with in the courts but I have no idea what was done to him in the congregation.
I also knew a young girl was being abused - well I suspected her elder father was abusing her. That was in the 70's. After she was grown the papers had a story that she finally went to the police about him and had him charged.
We all know how, even though judicial meetings and reasons for df'ing are supposed to be 'secret', the 'real' reason gets around. Usually when there is a problem, even if it is not 'openly' acknowledged by the WTS, there are some parts or counsel in the mags or publications. I never heard of there being any type of problem up until recently, when supposedly this has been going on for years. In the meantime, we all knew who in our halls were drinking too much, or fornicating, or doing other things they weren't supposed to be doing, but I never heard anything about this. (o.k...I've beat this point to death).
Child sexual abuse is a secret crime. People don't talk about it. Especially in the past it was rarely if ever talked about. Most victims remained silent for decades. It wasn't until the very late 70's and early 80's that people were beginning to address the problem professionally and the first support groups started sprouting up. The first books about the probelem were published around the same time. And the first research was done early to mid 80's. The shame involved in the issue of sexual abuse quieted the victims and the families. No one knew how to deal with it including the professionals. So it isn't surprising the JWs didn't know back then.
In spite of my disdain for the WTS, when I saw the thing on Dateline, I immediately dismissed it as hype of a few isolated instances. However, as I've been doing more research, I see more and more info on this. Most of what I see is on the POLICY, and how the POLICY can, through it's implementation, protect child molesters. I agree that the policy is very poor and immediate changes should be made and enforced.
Yes a lot has been written on the policy because the policy allows the perpetrators to remain free in the congregation and no one knows they are there and need to protect their children. it is an abuse waiting to happen and the abusers know it. Plus it does nothing to get help for the victims or their families.
What I don't see is overwhelming proof that molestation has occurred in any more frequency than in any other aspect of life or organization. In Bill Bowen's resignation letter as an elder, he writes that this policy will (not could) subject one in three witness children to molestation. Where is the documented proof of that?
In claiming one in three potential victims Bill is not claiming the JWs have more than any other group or the population at large. The research shows that 6/10 girls and almost as many boys are sexually abused in some way before they are 18 yrs old. That is US research done in 1985 byt Diana Russel and most recent studies show fairly similar results. Documentation on child sexual abuse rates can be found on almost any web site that deals with chils sexual abuse (check any family violence prevention program)
Again, most of the news articles and things relate to how the POLICY is in error and can protect pedophiles, but claim that molestation is rampant without offering any actual proof. I realize that there are children w/in the WTS that are molested, but that can be said everywhere (unfortunately). But to say that a third of witness kids have been or will be molested seems a little off-base to me. Further, I think that by classifying it as an 'organization of pedophiles' or calling them the 'pedophile at your door' is irresponsible and does a disservice to the many, many decent JW's who are sincere (even if they are extremely deluded) and find child molestation as abhorrent as do all normal people.
Consider that IF the JWs have a rate of abuse that equals the general population then Bill Bowen's claim is not exxagerated at all. But the danger here is the silence. A pedophile knows that once he has been reported to the elders and they don't have the required 2 witnesses he is free and clear. The elders will not make any announcement of his danger to children in the cong. Even if they tell him he can't go door to door what stops him? What stops him from showing up at the service meeting and being the olny male there takes the lead? After all if he is the only male the sisters will expect him to take the lead. And because no one knows he could so easily assign himself to go to doors alone or with a child. He could alos offer to befriend a young one in the cong and since single parents would not know his "status" (if in fact he was ever given one) they they think "How nice" He has an open environemnt to continue to find new victims and no one knows.
I guess what I'm asking for is someone to point me in the right direction towards the proof that this is happening on the scale purported. Now, before anyone gets on their high horse and starts telling me I just don't understand, let me share that I was molested by a non-JW relative, so if anyone understands anything about this topic, it's me. I know what it can and does do to people and how it has affected me my entire life. Even one molested child anywhere in the world is one too many, and I personally support the death penalty for serial abusers. In fact, I'd carry it out myself w/ no remorse. I'm just looking for answers, so anyone that can give them to me I would greatly appreciate.
Since you have "been there" you know the secrecy involved even in non-JW families where this happens. Families are more likely to report a non-family member or close friend than they are to report a stranger. People seem to think that if they don't talk about it they can pretend it never happened or it didn't really affect the child. We know better.
And the silence made it worse.
