In the Netherlands: Jehovah's witnesses a "paradise for pedophiles" - report

[angelburst29]

Some information to consider - a one page CIA Document (declassified) 1948. Awhile ago, when I was checking into different religious institutions (Mormon, Scientology), I came across Government Documents suggesting the CIA infiltrated the Jehovah Witnesses in the early 1950's.

_KKE AND JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES | CIA FOIA (foia.cia.gov)
_https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP82-00457R002100830008-3.pdf

Date 22 December 1948

Country - Greece

Subject - KKE and Jehovah Witnesses

1. Pursuant to orders of the Party, officials and members of KKE have joined the religious sect of the Millennialists, or Jehovah Witnesses.

2. This is interesting because this sect forbids its followers to use deadly weapons, and consequently the members of KKE will find an area of activity in spreading defeatist propaganda and propaganda for avoiding compulsory military service in the struggle against the guerrillas.

3. This sect is gaining ground not only in the Athens - Piraeus area but also in some of the provinces e.g. in Crete.

4. This religious group is known under the name of Russelites (after the name of the founder, an American named Charles Russell) or Millennialists, or Jehovah Witnesses. They prefer the last name.

5. Concealed under this religious cloak the members of KKE are meeting for 'Party work".


Does Jehovah require an Organization?
Does God require us to belong to an earthly organization for salvation?

Throughout this site, I use the term "Watchtower" to refer to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as a whole, including the parent corporation that overseers the religion. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1884, along with the numerous other legal entities used by Jehovah's Witnesses, with the Governing Body as the leaders. The role of the Governing Body has experienced ongoing change ever since inception, both spiritually and legally.

To avoid argument over semantics, I use "Watchtower" to refer to Jehovah's organization, and "Governing Body" as the human leaders of Watchtower.

~~~
Note: So "using semantics" - Jehovah Witnesses are also referred to as - KKE or Russelites or Millennialists or Watchtower.
Does the last reference (Watchtower) give you any thoughts on what this organization's prime activity might be? And - for who?
Then consider - why Russia expelled "all 395 branches of the religious group on Russian territory"?

 

[angelburst29]

04.08.2018 - Jehovah's Witnesses Refuse to Cooperate With Dutch Police in Sexual Abuse Case
Jehovah's Witnesses Refuse to Cooperate With Dutch Police in Sexual Abuse Case

The religious group has been under fire for its widespread practice of having numerous sexual abuse cases adjudicated by the so-called "elders," who apparently often fail to report them to officials.

Samet G, 31, a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Netherlands, got a suspended 9-month sentence and a fine last week for the sexual abuse of his niece when she was between 4 and 14 years old, RTL Nieuws reports, citing court documents.

During the investigation, Jehovah's Witnesses had reportedly refused to give Dutch prosecutors a copy of a confession that the suspected perpetrator made in 2011, citing privacy concerns and claiming that its elders cannot be forced to disclose it.

This refusal to cooperate has provoked a backlash from human rights advocates and officials. "If we can't get the files via the courts we need politicians to act. Someone must force the Jehovah's Witnesses to hand them over," Frank Huiting, spokesman for Reclaimed Voices, an organization that helps survivors of child sex abuse inside the Jehovah's Witnesses group, told RTL..

Madeleine van Toorenburg, a Christian Democratic Appeal MP, has asked the legal protection minister to look into the right of the church to deny access to the important documents. "This shows that there is a culture of silence and cover-up, and they do not take responsibility," she said.

Jehovah's Witnesses are known to have their own committees that judge alleged sexual perpetrators internally and the police don't get involved in their proceedings. They are believed to be keeping records of these proceedings but won't reveal them.

This practice of handling sexual abuse 'in house' has been a hotly debated issue in recent years. This March, The Guardian disclosed allegations of child sex abuse in Jehovah's Witnesses' from more than 100 former and current members. According to them, the elders bullied victims into keep silent about mistreatment.

In 2015, it emerged that the Australia Branch of Jehovah's Witnesses had records of 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse, with cases dating back to 1950; the organization, however, didn't report any of them to police.

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Prosecutor investigating sexual abuse among Jehovah's Witnesses

By Janene Pieters on August 16, 2018 - 08:54

The Public Prosecution Service launched a criminal investigation into sexual abuse in the faith community of Jehovah's Witnesses, Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection said in a letter to parliament. Five people from different regions in the Netherlands filed declarations of sexual abuse, he said, ANP reports.

"At the Public Prosecutor, the declarations were carefully dealt with by specialist sex crime officers in the regions", the Minister said. He previously called on victims to file declarations so that a criminal investigation can be launched.

The Jehovah's Witnesses themselves refused to do an independent investigation into the abuse, despite the Ministry of Justice and Security insisting they do so multiple times. In May the board of the Jehovah's Witnesses said they saw no reason to launch an investigation.

Last year foundation Reclaimed Voices set up a helpline for Jehovah's Witnesses who want to report being sexually abused. Hundreds of reports were received.

 

[Hi_Henry]

I have read stores about such behavior in Buddhism, Judeism, Islam ..... . It's everywhere and no sacred cows exist on this material plane, IMHO. Jehovah's Witnesses are just garnering current attention as have the Catholics.

Guru

We don't hear much about Scientology lately. Has Tom and the group left the Planet ?

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Police raid Jehovah's witness buildings in sexual abuse inquiries - DutchNews.nl

Police raid Jehovah’s witness buildings in sexual abuse inquiries

December 6, 2018

The police last month raided three locations used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in connection with a major inquiry into sexual abuse, broadcaster RTL said on Thursday (Dutch only).

The raids took place on November 19 and included the religious group’s headquarters in Emmen and two church buildings. In addition, four private homes were searched as part of the inquiry.

The raids were prompted by multiple reports of sexual abuse made by victims against both former and current church members, a public prosecution spokesman told RTL. The department is currently investigating nine cases involving Jehovah’s Witnesses, the spokesman said.

Justice minister Sander Dekker said in August the public prosecution department had begun a criminal investigation into sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses community after at least five people have made a formal complaint.

And in July, MPs from across the political spectrum called for an investigation after the church said it would not sanction an independent inquiry into dozens of claims of abuse.

Protection

The church authorities say that measures have been put in place to protect children and very few victims have come forward. However, a foundation set up by victims of sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses has already registered 276 potential cases of abuse.

Dekker said last year that the church should look to the example of the Catholic church to dealing with complaints about sexual abuse. In total, 3,712 people have reported being victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic church to a special hotline set up in 2010.

There are some 30,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Netherlands.

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Utrecht University to investigate sex abuse claims against Jehovah's Witnesses - DutchNews.nl

Utrecht University to investigate sex abuse claims against Jehovah’s Witnesses

January 14, 2019

Utrecht University is launching an independent inquiry into sexual abuse by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, in the latest in a series of investigations focused on the church.

The university said it wanted to clarify how the church deals with incidents of abuse within its own community and whether this affects the likelihood of victims coming forward, the Telegraaf reported [Dutch only].

There are currently nine investigations ongoing into allegations of abuse in the community, the public prosecution service has said. Justice minister Sander Dekker has called for the Jehovah’s Witnesses to set up their own independent inquiry, but the church declined.

In a letter to parliament on Monday, Dekker said researchers at the university wanted to speak to victims and church leaders about allegations of abuse. The university hopes to conclude its inquiry in the autumn.

MPs from all parties have called for an independent inquiry into allegations against the church, which has around 30,000 followers across the Netherlands. A foundation set up by victims of sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses has registered 276 potential cases.

Dekker said last year that the church should follow the example of the Catholic church in dealing with complaints of sexual abuse. In total, 3,712 people have reported being victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic church to a special hotline set up in 2010.

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Jehovah's Witnesses go to court to block sex abuse report publication - DutchNews.nl

Jehovah’s Witnesses go to court to block sex abuse report publication

January 21, 2020

The Dutch branch of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious sect has gone to court to try to stop the publication of a report into sexual and physical abuse within the community.

Researchers at Utrecht University were commissioned to write a report on behalf of the justice ministry, following claims that sexual abuse claims are hushed up and that victims received no help.

After the first revelations were published by Trouw in 2017, hundreds of people came forward to report their own abuse stories.

Justice minister Sander Dekker had called for the Jehovah’s Witnesses to set up their own independent inquiry, but the church declined.

MPs from all parties called for an independent inquiry into allegations against the church, which has around 30,000 followers across the Netherlands.

According to regional paper Dagblad van het Noorden [in Dutch], the church has described the university findings as ‘incorrect, slanderous and extremely insulting’. Publication will cause untold damage to the community and may also be discriminatory, it claimed.

The case will be heard in Utrecht on Wednesday afternoon.

Other coverage in Dutch:
Jehovah’s Getuigen willen publicatie van misbruikrapport voorkomen
Jehova's stappen naar rechter om publicatie misbruikrapport te voorkomen

 

[Palinurus]

Source: More supervision needed on "closed community" Jehovah's witnesses: sexual abuse researchers

More supervision needed on "closed community" Jehovah's witnesses: sexual abuse researchers

By Janene Pieters on January 23, 2020 - 08:04

Sexual abuse is a serious problem within the Jehovah's Witnesses, they do not report such abuse allegations to the police, and a more intensive investigation is needed into this "closed community", researchers from Utrecht University said in a report that will be published on Thursday, AD reports [in Dutch] based on the summons of the summary proceedings the Jehovah's Witnesses filed against the publication of the investigation.

Utrecht University (UU) studied sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses at the request of Minster Sander Dekker for Legal Protection. The researchers received 751 reports of sexual abuse, and the reporters completed a survey. 292 did so for themselves, 459 reported the abuse of someone close to them. Three quarters of victims said that they were insufficiently helped by the church. 52 percent of reports were made by people who no longer belong to the Jehovah's Witnesses. 4 percent involved sexual abuse by an elder of the church. The other victims were abused by family members, or at home by members of the church.

The researchers advise setting up a hotline for sexual abuse within the church, which annually reports how the contact point deals with reports.

In the summons, the Jehovah's Witnesses' lawyers argue that the fact that most of the abuse happened outside the physical church show that the abuse was mainly non-institutional. They also find it unjust that the abuse by elders of the church is directly linked to the religion. "No previous study in the Netherlands, certainly not a study commissioned by the government, is based on such a discriminatory definition of 'sexual abuse', with the only requirement being that the alleged victim or alleged perpetrator is a supporter of a certain faith.

According to the summons, the researchers also suggest that the Education Inspectorate better monitor the school performance of children within the Jehovah's Witnesses, because they perform worse than might be expected based on their capacities. "Allegedly because the parents want the child to be more actively involved in his/her church community," the summons reads, according to the newspaper.

"The UU report wrongly attempts to justify the claim that Jehovah's Witnesses are a closed community and require special government intervention, including supervision of their children," the Jehovah's Witnesses' lawyers wrote in the summons. "Such supervision is not recommended for children raised in other religions, and no evidence is provided that children of the Jehovah's witnesses have, on average, worse performance than other children in Dutch schools."

"That would be surprising, given our experience that children of Jehovah's Witnesses in primary and secondary education in other countries perform better than average, and that the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses urges parents to see that children meticulously adhere to school obligations," the lawyers said.

Minister Dekker asked UU to investigate sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses after a hotline set up by foundation Reclaimed Voices received nearly 300 reports in 2018.

Other coverage by AD newspaper (Dutch only):
ad.nl/binnenland/minister-dekker-zwaar-teleurgesteld-in-jehova-s-ze-ontkennen-de-noodzaak~ad4bea29/
ad.nl/binnenland/opluchting-bij-misbruikslachtoffers-jehova-s-de-arrogantie-van-de-kerk-is-afgestraft~ae96ffda/


Source (Dutch only):
Rapport misbruik Jehova’s: ‘Je brengt een broeder niet voor de rechter’

Jehovah's Abuse Report: "You don't take a brother to court'

A parallel community with deviant values and norms, which hides abuse cases if at all possible and where women are subordinate to men. That picture emerges from a report about the Jehovah's Witnesses published on Thursday.

Bas Soetenhorst - 23 January 2020, 17:16

With the Jehovah's Witnesses the biblical point of departure is that you should not bring your brother to trial. That statement, made by one of the (ex-)Jehovah's Witnesses who speak in the report, is a sign of the organization's difficulty in dealing with sexual abuse.

The report of staff members of Utrecht University who were commissioned by the House of Representatives, sketches a parallel community that prefers to exclude the outside world. Leaders of the local community - elders or overseers - form judicial committees in abuse cases. This approach is by no means to everyone's satisfaction. Elders are often particularly fearful of damage to the church's reputation.

Last year, 751 people reported to an anonymous hotline that the Utrecht researchers had set up for (alleged) victims or people who have knowledge of abuse within the community. Three quarters of the victims feel that the treatment of their complaint by the Jehovahs is inadequate. No less than 57 percent of that group gave it a score of 1 on a scale of 10. The average score is 3.3. Of the reported abuse, 34 percent was within the family.

Experiences at the hotline as well as ten interviews with anonymous (ex-)Jehovahs show that the community focuses mainly on keeping the perpetrator inboard. Quote from a person involved: "If an offender confesses and repents, as a victim you are actually expected to forgive and sit next to him in the Kingdom Hall (a religious meeting place - ed.)".

Another witness: "A pedophile who spent five years in prison is now back in the Kingdom Hall. The victim's family has moved since then. They really were made into scapegoats".

_____________________________
Recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry

- Jehovahs should pay more attention to victims and make them explicitly aware of the possibility of reporting it to the police.
- Establishment of an internal hotline for abuse cases
- Training for elders in dealing with abuse cases
- A cultural change to improve the position of women
- Investigation into the introduction of a legal obligation to declare abuse cases, as already initiated in Australia and Belgium
- Follow-up study into the extent to which the findings are representative of the community in the Netherlands
_____________________________

Men are in charge, which does not strengthen the position of the mostly female victims. In addition, the so-called two-witness-rule applies, whereby someone else has to confirm the victim's story. In practice, abuse is often considered unproven or victims are not believed and even punished. Quote from an interview by the investigators: "If a man says, she's cheating, then that' s fine, but if I, as a woman, would say that about him I must have an elder or servant by my side to back me up".

Perpetrators often get away with a mild reprimand in the eyes of victims, if they are found guilty at all. For example, there was a case in which three people had similar experiences with a single person. Nevertheless, the judicial committee found it difficult to identify an offender.

The rule that the victim must confront the perpetrator in the presence of other men, many experience as intimidating. Moreover, elders also lack expertise. Quotation from the report: "Pedophiles are manipulative, so they often overwhelm the elders".

Exclusion

Shame sometimes stands in the way of good recovery. A victim: "At home, there has been attention for the abuse of my brother and me for about a week. After that we went back to business as usual".

Fear of exclusion keeps many victims from going to the police. One person involved: "My father has consulted a lawyer who has experience in these cases. But that lawyer said: then you will probably be excluded and become a renegade". Another: "It is always taught that you do not make a case against your brother or sister".

Sometimes elders or overseers discourage this in so many words: "The overseer said, 'Leave it in Jehovah's hands, pray, go on field duty. It is your testing. It is difficult, but when you go to the police you will get headlines. Is that what you want"?

In spite of summary proceedings with which the Jehovah's Board tried to prevent publication of the report on Thursday, the researchers write that the organization cooperated well. Recently, other rules have been introduced to better handle abuse cases. For example, an offender/victim confrontation is no longer mandatory. But according to those involved, little has changed in practice.

_____________________________
Outside world as Satan

The Jehovah's Witnesses are a 'Christian fundamentalist end time movement' with its own logic, norms and values which - according to the report published on Thursday by researchers at Utrecht University - 'to a certain extent seem to deviate' from the prevailing values and norms in society.

There are over 8.5 million followers worldwide, according to the organization itself. In the Netherlands there are almost 30,000. They believe that mankind is in the 'end time', the last phase before God intervenes and all non-Jehovahs are destroyed.

The organization has a strict hierarchy, in which men are dominant. At the top is the New York-based Governing Body, formed by eight veterans. Criticism of this Body is, according to a (former) follower, 'comparable to a North Korean criticizing Kim Jong-un'.

Underneath this, there is the Watchtower Society, an organization that directs the members worldwide, also from New York. The Dutch branch office is in Emmen. 'Overseers' regularly visit Jehovah's congregations. Within a congregation elders are in charge. They also administer justice. Children usually attend regular schools, but achievements are not highly regarded. VWO [High school or College] is sometimes discouraged.

Their 'purification code' forbids, among other things, blood transfusions, the celebration of Christmas, unnecessary contacts with non-Jehovahs, and participation in civil activities. Individuals are the property of the community. For those who do not comply, exclusion threatens - which is tantamount to a 'declaration of spiritual death'.

Criticism from the outside world is often regarded as a trial. One interviewee to the researchers: "The outside world is Satanistic. Only for members of the community (...) will there be a Resurrection after the world has been destroyed at Armageddon".

Another (ex-)Jehovah: "This committee of inquiry strengthens the core of Jehovah's Witnesses' belief. Their philosophy is that there will be natural disasters and that Jehovah's Witnesses will be prosecuted as heralds of Armageddon (...) For Jehovah's Witnesses, you are the very proof that they have the truth."
________________________________

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Other coverage in Dutch:
Slachtoffers geven afhandeling misbruikzaken door Jehovah's Getuigen een 1
Misbruikte Jehovah's Getuigen oordelen hard over interne afhandeling
Rechter: rapport over seksueel misbruik Jehova's mag openbaar
Uitgelekt rapport: Jehova's doen nauwelijks iets tegen seksueel misbruik
’Misbruik bij Jehova’s Getuigen ging in doofpot’
Dekker: reactie bestuur Jehova's getuigen uitermate kwalijk
Rapport jehova's mag openbaar worden gemaakt

 

[Palinurus]

Just archiving belated coverage:
Jehovah's Witness abuse victims unhappy at lack of care, report shows - DutchNews.nl

 

[Palinurus]

Source (Dutch only): Hoe Jehova’s op zondag een misbruikrapport verwerken

Reporter column - Margriet Oostveen in Nieuwegein

How Jehovah's are processing an abuse report on Sunday

Margriet Oostveen

Jehovah's reject homosexuality, and blood transfusions; they refuse conscription, do not vote and expect the End of Times (in 2034, according to the latest reports). They believe that there will then be a place in the Kingdom of Heaven for only 144 thousand Elect. But they also very much want to appear transparent and not a sect. That is why I am allowed to visit them.

How would Jehovah's discuss the report on sexual abuse that was released on Thursday, in their Sunday meetings? That was the question. The angry reaction of national board member Michael van Ling in the Dutch News hit it hard. The board had just lost the interlocutory proceedings with which the Jehovah's tried to forbid the publication of the report.

So, Utrecht University states that the Jehovah's do very little (in Dutch) with reports of sexual abuse. The vast majority of the 751 reported cases come from before 2010, with 32 cases from after that date - in 9 of which the abuse is still ongoing.

Kingdom hall in Nieuwegein

The Jehovah's themselves call their Sunday services an 'assembly' and do not speak of a church but of a 'kingdom hall'. There are four hundred of those in the Netherlands, for 30 thousand Jehovah's. Their own architects and workmen design and build all the halls. Last year three hundred thousand new Jehovah's joined the organization worldwide.

First I phone about ten kingdom halls to ask if I could come by on Sunday, but I got an answering machine everywhere. What's noticeable by the way, is the large number of languages in which the meetings are now offered there: Chinese, Arabic, Persian, Russian, Polish, Papiamento, and so on.

Then I call the headquarters in Emmen. Promptly 'Operation Warm Bath' starts: Jehovah's are very polite and nice if they want to convince you. Shortly after, I get the charming Bert Jutte on the line, an elder in Amsterdam-Zuid. Bert is going to arrange it for me somewhere, of course! And he's going to come there too, with Claudia, his wife!

I wait and in the meantime Google his name to discover that this extremely charming gentleman is a kind of media-Jehovah: Bert Jutte appears in suspiciously many publications, from NRC to Quote.

F.l.t.r. Bert, Claudia, Edwina and Michael

'That is right,' Bert laughs when we shake hands in the kingdom hall of Nieuwegein on Sunday morning. And ('Hee hallóóó!') there we have board member Michael van Ling again, all the way from Emmen; now a lot friendlier than in the Dutch News: 'How nice of you to come! So I thought: then I'll stop by too!

I'm shaking dozens more hands, it doesn't stop. Heehaw - there are the wives: Claudia and Edwina. Michael and Edwina have been living in 'a little studio' at the Emmen headquarters for fifteen years, like one hundred and fifty others. It's called voluntary work but it's full-time, you take a vow of poverty and then you get 'board and lodging'. Michael van Ling used to be an electrician and furniture upholsterer among other jobs.

Bert, a retired 'facility manager' at a telecoms company, also lived with Claudia at the headquarters for seven years. Then it was time again for 'some freedom'. Claudia happily flutters her hands, as if they were wings. Michael and Edwina now find that freedom only at the weekend. Then they go 'to enjoy evangelizing' in Groningen. Also right after the publication of the report by the way, and the responses were not too bad. And afterwards they go shopping of course, Michael says, with a 'we are like normal people' wink.

Question-answer, but not about the report

And then during the entire meeting in Nieuwegein, there's not a word about the report.

Not around the biblical lecture from Lucas.

Not in between the Corinthians and Matthew. Not after the Chronicles.

Nor in the second hour, during the ritual 'Watchtower' study.

Question-answer, question-answer, yes. But only on Leviticus. Anyone can contribute behind microphones that go around. Children, too.

Every week, all Jehovah's congregations worldwide study the same material, says Michael van Ling afterwards, 'so the report can't be now discussed here neither'.

The Watchtower of May was about sexual abuse though, Michael sends it to me by e-mail. And indeed: it states crystal clear that in case of suspicion of a criminal offense, one can always report to the authorities, even without the much criticized two witnesses. And that certainly not a blemish on the community should be feared: 'It is the child abuser who tarnishes God's name'.

The report, says Michael van Ling, is more about 'possible' mistakes from the past rather than the situation now.

That's right. At the same time, the report also strongly raises the issue of whether Jehovah's will practice what they preach from now on.


Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

[Palinurus]

Source (Dutch only): Jehovah's Getuigen verliezen hoger beroep over misbruikrapport

NOS News - Interior - Today, 14:42 - Adjusted Today, 16:04

Jehovah's Witnesses lose appeal on abuse report

The government does not need to remove a report on sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses from the Internet. Nor does the state have to post a rectification.

The Arnhem Court of Appeals decided today [in Dutch] that the Jehovah's Witnesses no longer have an urgent interest in their claims. The report was published months ago on Rijksoverheid.nl and wodc.nl and is also published on numerous other websites. "Therefore, there is insufficient urgency for removal or rectification."

The Court of Appeal also stated that the removal of the report will probably not prevent the House of Representatives from discussing the results. Furthermore, according to the court of appeal the civil judge cannot order the minister to write a letter to the House of Representatives stating what the House of Representatives should do and not do with the report, which the Jehovah's Witnesses had demanded.

The court of appeal did not pass judgment on the substance of the investigative report. Jehovah's Witnesses have to pay the legal costs of the counterparties amounting to more than 4700 euros.

Dissatisfied with handling of abuse

At the end of January, the investigation showed that Jehovah's Witnesses who were confronted with sexual abuse within the religious community usually did not report it to the police and were mostly negative about the internal handling of the abuse.

In a reaction, the leadership announced that the community has been taking care of the victims and providing pastoral care for them for years. The report would be discriminatory, because it only focuses on one organisation and ignores other religious communities. The advice to set up an internal hotline for sexual abuse was ignored by the board.

The board had instituted summary proceedings a few days before to prevent publication of the report, but the judge did not agree.


Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

[Palinurus]

Similar coverage: Jehovah's Witness sexual abuse report can stay online, judge rules - DutchNews.nl

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Dutch gov't launches hotline for sexual abuse in Jehovah's Witnesses

Dutch gov't launches hotline for sexual abuse in Jehovah's Witnesses

By Janene Pieters on Sunday, 30 August 2020 - 08:15

The government is expanding the 'Break the silence" hotline of Victim Support Netherlands so that there is a special hotline where victims of sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses can get the help they need, Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection announced. The Jehovah's Witnesses refused to set up its own, low-threshold internal hotline, so the Minister decided to do so himself.

"I expect every community or organization to do everything possible to combat sexual abuse and to help and support victims. That is not happening with the Jehovah's Witnesses and I find that extremely bad," Dekker said. "That is why we are reaching out now and victims from this community will soon be able to contact the 'Break the silence' hotline of Victims Support Netherlands. Victims are entitled to professional help and a listening ear, it cannot be that they run into a wall of reluctance."

The government agency for scientific research WODC investigated sexual abuse and the willingness to come forward in the Jehovah's Witnesses, following calls from Foundation Reclaimed Voices to do so, and concluded that there is evidence that coming forward is complicated by the closed nature fo the community. The WODC said it was essential for a low-threshold hotline to be created, and the government is doing so now after repeated instructions to the board of the Jehovah's Witnesses to create such a hotline were ignored.

The government will also give Reclaimed Voices financial support so that they can continue to help the victims of sexual abuse in the Jehovah's Witnesses community.

Minister Dekker said that he will "look seriously" at introducing a legal obligation on organizations to report sexual abuse. "No organization can close its eyes to abuses in its own club. Victims of sexual abuse must be able to count on help in taking steps towards the police and aid agencies. You can not keep that secret," he said.

 

[Palinurus]

Source (Dutch only): 'Jehovah's Getuigen zijn uit op gespreksverslagen misbruikslachtoffers'

NOS News - Interior - today, 07:31 am
'Jehovah's Witnesses are keen on interview records of abuse victims'

The Jehovah's Witnesses are doing their utmost to get hold of the written testimonies of members and ex-members about abuse in their own circle, writes Trouw (in Dutch). These are conversations that researchers from Utrecht University had with victims and other people involved, about the way in which the religious organization itself handled incidents of abuse.

Participants in the study fear that Jehovah's Witnesses will recognize them and seek them out if the organization can see the - anonymized - interview reports, they tell the newspaper.

The investigation report, published in January last year, found that by far the majority of cases were handled within the community and that the victims felt unheard, ignored and stigmatized in that process. They gave the approach the "grade" of 3.3 or lower [on a scale of 10]. Almost half of the reported abuse cases involved incest.

Wob

The Jehovah's Witnesses have already tried to request as much material from the study as possible from various ministries by invoking the Open Government Act (Wob). The University of Utrecht was also approached, but its request was partially denied.

Consequently, the religious community started an objection procedure last week. When asked, a spokesperson for the Jehovah's Witnesses told Trouw that it concerns "anonymized documents with full respect for everyone's privacy and in accordance with the AVG (European privacy legislation, ed.)."

Witch Hunt

The governing board of the Utrecht University must rule on the objection procedure within three weeks, but according to the principal investigator the request will certainly be rejected. He points out in the newspaper, that in the small community of Jehovah's Witnesses someone can already be recognized by the way he or she formulates: "The possibility of a witch hunt we must prevent," he says. After that, the organization can still turn to the courts.

The Jehovah's Witnesses already tried unsuccessfully in January last year to have the publication of the study banned through the courts. They called the report discriminatory, because other religious communities remain unaffected. They also questioned the scientific basis of the report.


Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Other coverage in Dutch:
Misbruikte Jehovah's Getuigen oordelen hard over interne afhandeling
Toen Merel meewerkte aan het misbruikonderzoek, volgde verguizing door andere Jehovah’s Getuigen

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Jehovah's Witness to be prosecuted for sexually abusing and raping a minor 20 years ago

Wednesday, 3 May 2023 - 18:10
Jehovah's Witness to be prosecuted for sexually abusing and raping a minor 20 years ago

A 48-year-old man from Assen will be prosecuted for the sexual abuse and rape of a minor within the Jehovah's Witness community. The sexual abuse allegedly took place in the period from 1993 to 1997, the Public Prosecution service (OM) said.

The man is also accused of having committed lewd acts in 2016 with a victim who was 8 years old at the time. The man must appear in court later this year, the OM Oost-Nederland confirmed on Wednesday, following earlier reports by the Dagblad van het Noorden.

In the context of the investigation into the alleged sexual abuse by Jehovah's Witnesses, investigators raided the headquarters of the church organization in Emmen, several homes of religious elders and the religion's Kingdom Halls in Assen and Dordrecht in 2018. The OM searched for documents from judicial committees that are organized by Jehovah's Witnesses when a member of the religious community is accused of child sexual abuse.

The Jehovah's Witnesses then filed a lawsuit accusing the government of ignoring the legal privilege of religious servants. The issue of legal privilege was examined by lower courts, and eventually made its way to the Supreme Court. Only in specific cases, when providing spiritual care to a member of the congregation, do Jehovah's Witnesses have a right of nondisclosure, the court ruled.

The Public Prosecution Service has returned the documents seized in this case. "Even without these documents, the Public Prosecution Service is of the opinion that there is sufficient reason to submit the case to the criminal court."

Reporting by ANP

Dutch coverage:
OM vervolgt alsnog ex-Jehova's getuige in Assen voor seksueel misbruik