April 2005--Child Abuse Awareness Month

by blondie 8 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

• 

  blondie

  Silentlambs has alerted us to this special month in making people aware of this issue. What could we do?

  www.silentlambs.org

  1-877-WTABUSE

  April is child abuse awareness month!
  Suggestions on what we might do to raise abuse awareness in our local communities

  http://www.silentlambs.org/Aprilabusemonth.htm

  ? Go by local abuse organizations and drop off information about silentlambs and ask if they would like to have a video for their library. Offer to bring by copies of silentlambs brochures that are printable off the website.

  ? Find out what events are going to be talking place in the local community such as walks or other gatherings and wear a silentlambs t-shirt and bring video and brochures to distribute or loan out to those interested in reviewing.

  ? ?Friendly? honk when you drive by a Kingdom Hall during the month of April.

  ? Participate in the "Lambs To Protect Kids" Campaign, [click here] for details.

  ? Distribute brochures to public places that offer information ask permission if required to do so. To download brochures click here

  ? March in Washington DC on April 10th of this year. [click here to register]

  ? Offer the silentlambs abuse awareness program to local institutions in your area.

  ? Join your local rape abuse hotline or shelter and participate in their education programs to be accredited to volunteer and offer assistance to other abuse survivors.

  ? Wear a silentlambs pin where ever you go and explain to those who see it what it stands for.

  ? Write your story of abuse to the local newspaper or television station and ask if they want to do a story.

  ? Leave the ?If your child becomes a victim? silentlambs material along with a stuffed lamb on Kingdom Halls and other churches in your area.
• 

  purplesofa

  Blondie,

  I know there is a child abuse situation going on in my hall right now. It is between two children. There does not seem to be any coverup. The family of the abused child has moved to another congregation. I am not sure what or if any litigation is going on. I spoke to the Grandmother last week and urged the family to do something. I did tell her that there was alot of information on the internet about child abuse coverup and that they would want to handle it right. I don't think they really know what to do.

  Any suggestions?

  purps
• 

  purplesofa

  Found the corrct information.

  Thanks for posting this.

  purps
• 

  blondie

  I know there is a child abuse situation going on in my hall right now. It is between two children. There does not seem to be any coverup. The family of the abused child has moved to another congregation. I am not sure what or if any litigation is going on. I spoke to the Grandmother last week and urged the family to do something. I did tell her that there was alot of information on the internet about child abuse coverup and that they would want to handle it right. I don't think they really know what to do.

  Any suggestions?

  If you have knowledge of child sexual abuse, direct or indirect, always report it to your local agencies, law enforcement and child protective services. Even if someone in the congregation says it has, still report it. Imagine that you have been told about a murder...then you see how serious it is to say something right away to the appropriate authorities (and I don't mean the elders).

  You might have noticed the ads in the upper right hand corner. From time to time you will se one for Love and Norris, a law firm out of Texas that has been handling JW abuse cases. While you may not be in Texas, they can help you find legal advice in your own state.

  Love & NorrisAttorneys at Law
  314 Main Street, Suite 300
  Fort Worth, Texas 76102

  Contact Us:
  817.335.2800 (telephone) | 817.335.2912 (facsimile)
  [email protected] | kdnorris@lovenorris.com

  http://www.lovenorrisattorneys.com/jehova.html

  http://www.lovenorrisattorneys.com/

  (I'm surprised this isn't in the Links Forum)

  Also, BEST OF threads

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/32/76846/1.ashx

  Blondie
• 

  AuntieJane

  purplesofa, why not report it to your local law enforcement? I work in the judicial system and have seen the help that can be given to these kids....they get psychological help and at least have a chance at being normal. I urge you to call someone yourself.
• 

  purplesofa

  My daughter is a very beautiful, outgoing 17yr old teenager.

  We lived in apts last summer with a pool. She was at the pool one day and a brother from our KH was there with his 3 sons. He is about 38, divorced and DF. My daughter does not know that he is DF. Although she is not baptised she would respect and be cautious with a DF person. He talks and talks to her for a long time. She talks with him being respectful, brother from the hall, older brother. It was awkward, but by the time the conversation ended he had her cell phone number.

  He called her many times and invited her to go to his apt when he was in town, and invited her to go to a bar. She said........Do you have any idea how old I am? my mother would never let me go there. Anyway, she was late coming home (about an hour) and I had her cell phone. I went through the recent calls and called his number not knowing it was him, thats how I found this all out. btw. she was not with him..........but he was the last call on the phone.

  Anyway, to make a long story short. My daughter fineally told me about what was going on. Some days he would call like 8 times a day leaving messages. She was just trying to deal with herself.

  I told a friend of mine at the hall. This is when I found out why he was DF. For recently molesting a teenager from our KH. I was furoius that I never knew. BUT, the clencher was, the DF son is an elders son at my hall, and he(the elder) knew he was calling my daughter. Now, why would he not alert me what was going on for the safety of my daughter? knowing this about his son??? His son told him that my daughter was calling him. HELLO!!!! either way......I should have been alerted.

  The son did again try to call my daughter and was threatened that if he ever called again the police would be involved.

  I talked to another elder about this and he warned us to be careful when we answered the door, that he felt this man had tendencies towards being that forceful. He asked me to confront the elder of the DF son, but I never did. I wondered why the elder would not take care of it himself.

  We have moved, have not changed congos.......My daughter only went to two meetings after the incident. I never made her go back. I was putting alot of things together by then about the org.

  There is a time when the privacy of what a person is DF for I respect, but when it is for something that endangers someone in this way I feel it should have been public. No one that commits a crime in the world gets this done privately.

  This man is a predetor and now that I am typing this out I am mad I never reported it to the authorities.

  I share this only to raise awareness. Keep an open communication with your children and do not make them feel as they have done anything wrong. This could have ended very differently.

  The girl he molested from the hall is an elders niece. I do not know if anything was done to alert the authorities. The more I type this the more I see how screwed up the whole thing is.

  sorry for going on.

  purps

  I did not post this for personal responses. We are ok.....we are getting out.
• 

  blondie

  http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/04.06.05/jehovahs-0514.html

  Witness Abuse Are Jehovah's Witnesses covering up child molestation? By Joy Lanzendorfer As Michael Jackson--raised as a Jehovah's Witness--stands trial for child molestation in Southern California, another controversy involving the apocalyptic religion and child sexual abuse is unfolding in Napa Superior Court. A string of lawsuits accuses Jehovah Witnesses of repeatedly covering up cases of child molestation. The plaintiffs say that not only were they sexually abused by church elders, but that other church officials knew about the abuse and refused to take the necessary steps to report it, instead allowing sexual predators to retain positions of power in the congregation. The alleged abuses span 27 years, from 1970 to 1997. The Napa case names three plaintiffs, Charissa Welch, 35; Nicole D., 32; and Tabitha H., 30. They are suing the Napa Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses as well as Jehovah's Witness headquarters in Pennsylvania and New York for an unspecified amount of money. Originally, Sacramento law firm Nolan Saul Brelsford brought 17 cases against Jehovah's Witness churches throughout California, including one in Sonoma County. The firm has dropped 11 cases and the remaining six lawsuits span several counties, including Napa, Santa Clara, Yolo, Placer and Tehama. Because the Napa case was the farthest along in the proceedings, the lawsuits were coordinated and are now being tried in Napa as one large case. Attorneys for the Jehovah's Witnesses deny the cover-up. "The church abhors child abuse," says defense council Robert Schnack. "And it denies any liability in these cases, both factual and legal." So far, the church has lost two motions in court. First, it claimed its status as a religious institution protects it from lawsuits under the First Amendment. Then it claimed it could not be held responsible for what its members did. On April 8, it is expected to argue that church officials had no knowledge of the abuse. In the Napa case, the alleged abuser was church elder Edward Villegas, who was convicted for child abuse in 1994 and died in prison soon afterwards. Much of the abuse happened in the 1970s and 1980s. During that time, Villegas operated a church-sponsored daycare. The complaint claims that the church not only knew about the alleged abuse, but "intentionally concealed" it from the police and the congregation and "continued to place Edward Villegas in positions of authority where he could abuse children while pursuing activities within the scope of his appointment." In 1970, Charissa Welch, then an infant, was placed in Villegas' daycare, which the church used to attract new members. Welch's mother, Betty Hopkins, converted to the religion soon afterward. According to the complaint, when Welch was three or four years old, Villegas allegedly began molesting her by "fondling her genitals, penetrating her vagina and forcing her to have oral sex." The abuse lasted 13 to 14 years. Tabitha H. alleges that she endured similar abuse by Villegas from 1977 to 1980. In 1971, Nicole D.'s family met Villegas through a church function. Nicole was placed under the elder's guidance. Her family even spent time at his home. In 1978, when Nicole was seven, he allegedly forced her to have oral sex with him. According to the complaint, Nicole told her father about the abuse. He immediately informed the church. The elders removed Nicole from Villegas' care, but allegedly "took no other steps to hold him accountable or to otherwise notify members. . . . Instead, they intentionally concealed this information. Therefore, Edward Villegas was able to continue to use his position of authority." The three plaintiffs say they were told they should let the elders handle the abuse. The complaint also says the church keeps "secret archival files regarding sexual abuse" by leaders. By not involving the police and keeping Villegas in charge, the plaintiffs are arguing that the church assumed a level of liability in the abuse. The Jehovah's Witness church hierarchy has three levels. The first level, pioneers, are the familiar members who go door-to-door attempting to convert people. The second level, ministerial servants, are men who act as deacons, doing grunt work for the church. After three years, a ministerial servant can advance to the third level, elder. The elders make up the church's governing body. "Elders are viewed as a direct representation of God on earth," says Bill Bowen, a former Jehovah's Witness elder. "To question an elder is to question God." Because elders develop a trusting relationship with members, they take on the responsibility of protecting and molding character and behavior, especially in the case of children, says attorney Bill Brelsford, who represents the plaintiffs. "The church takes these children and trains them in how to act," he says. "Through this undertaking as an organization, it has a certain responsibility here." The Napa cases are not the only ones. In fact, lawsuits accusing Jehovah's Witnesses of covering up child abuse have been popping up all over the country. Spearheading the lawsuits is Texas law firm Love and Norris, which initially approached Nolen Saul Brelsford about the California cases. Bill Bowen was an elder at a Jehovah's Witness church in Paducah, Ky., when he learned that a fellow elder had molested a child. He reported the incident, but the other leaders told him that since the elder claimed the abuse happened only one time, nothing should be done about it. "I spoke to the victim and found out it happened multiple times and places, and that the current allegations pointed to another child," Bowen says. "I said to them, ?Look, apparently he lied to us, there's even physical evidence pointing to another child,' and they said, ?Well, he denied it, so we have to leave it in God's hands.'" Bowen went to all the other leaders and even wrote Watchtower headquarters. Eventually, he was told that though the church would remove the man as an elder, Bowen was not to report the crime to the police. In response, Bowen officially resigned as an elder, went to the police, and then started a website, SilentLambs.org, to help Jehovah's Witnesses who have been sexually molested. As is its custom with all so-called heretics within its ranks, the church excommunicated or "disfellowshipped" Bowen. Family and longtime friends soon started shunning him. "I haven't spoken to my parents or sister in three years," he says. "If I had any contact with them, they would be disfellowshipped, too." Over 1,000 people have reported on SilentLambs.org that Jehovah's Witness members allegedly sexually abused them. According to the site, inside sources at the Watchtower office in New York say it has a computer database of reported incidents of child abuse that lists nearly 24,000 child molesters. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York did not respond to interview requests for this article. Bowen believes that child abuse within the church began as a small problem and has gotten worse over time. "It probably started out somewhat like it was with the Catholic Church, with the church thinking if we ignore this problem, it will go away," he says. "But it hasn't. And the Jehovah's Witnesses are nastier about it than the Catholic Church was, especially to abuse survivors. They know that if they don't cover it up, it will expose major problems in the religion." The allegations against the Jehovah's Witnesses are different from the Catholic Church in several ways. For one thing, with just 1 million members nationwide, there are far fewer Jehovah's Witnesses than the 60 million-member Catholic Church. For another, with its door-to-door conversion policy, a sexual predator who is a Jehovah's Witness has more contact with the public at large. While the church's responsibility in these cases is still up for debate, in some cases--such as with Villegas in Napa, who was convicted of molestation--the abuse is not. At the very least, Bowen feels the Jehovah's Witnesses should make more of an effort to protect its congregation. He says that in 1992, church members made recommendations to the New York office for a new policy dealing with child molesters. The policy stated that elders should report the abuse to the police first, that abusers should be removed from positions of responsibility within the church and that abusers should not be allowed to go door-to-door. "That was in 1992," Bowen says. "To this day, not one of those recommendations has been followed up on." [ North Bay | Metroactive Central | Archives ] From the April 6-12, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian. Copyright © Metro Publishing Inc. Maintained by Boulevards New Media.
• 

  jadedgramma

  Blondie-thanks for the announcement re:child abuse awareness.

  This is only my second post although I have been watching this forum and been very aware of Bill 's site and have personally spoken to him about several matters. I am so depressed enraged and a little hopeless over this hideous child abuse coverup! My daughter was involved in one of the lawsuits filed against the WTS within the last three years. The local cong. was also sued. Although the courts believed everything she and a friend testified to they determined that the WTS does not have the legal obligation to protect our children from known or suspected child molesters.

  How many other mothers or fathers are going through the rage and pain and agony of knowing what was perpetrated upon their children and realizing that NOTHING WILL BE DONE ABOUT BRINGING JUSTICE to these monsters? This was the main reason why I was so reluctant to post before........RAGE! Being afraid to say too much, yet hating myself for not making a clean and public break from an organization that protects these animals. How does one deal with the bitterness?

  I feel powerless to march or do anything public or political because I have grandchildren that would not be permitted to see me if it became known to the parents.

  If anyone has any comments I would welcome them. It is destroying me.

  jadedgramma
• 

  purplesofa

  I know there is a child abuse situation going on in my hall right now

  I found this out today about the child abuse situation in my congo. The parents did report it to a shrink and was given a report of what happened. It had been going on for quite some time. The shrink reported it to the proper authorities.

  The elder body told the parents to just forget about it..........even after getting the report of the findings from the shrink.

  The parents of the abused child has moved to another congo.

  The father did call the Society and was advised to take it all the way.

  They will be going to court. Apparently the father of the older boy does not believe his son did this.

  The elder that was removed(will do update on that thread) was removed by recommendation of the CO, as the elder felt that the father of the child that did the abuse needed to have priveledges removed while under investigation. (Did not have control over his family) The elder is the Grandfather of the abused child.

  The father(of the child that did the abusing) did give emblems at the Memorial.

  I think it is destroying the congregation, but that is just my opinion.

  purps