if a jw person found out some information that meant that thier husband /brother /son had perhaps abused a child that he had denied abusing afterall , if they went to see the elders would they be advised to say nothing , or go to the authorities ? bear in mind that this perp is currently serving a prison term for children he had abused when he was a min servant , but got away with the other child ,because of lack of evidence . this information was brought to light by the childs family , that made the perps family aware of it , any ideas , would it be a conscience thing or "wait on jehovah" thing ? this perps jw family are supporting him even though he is disfellowshipped ( and it was not child abuse that he was disfellowshipped for )
if a jw became aware of a crime , what would theybe advised to do ?
by looloo 8 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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fokyc
In the UK, they would be advised to go straight to the police, it's a crime
and Elders do not deal with crime, they deal with sin.
fokyc
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flipper
LOOLOO- In the United States here, I asked this same question to a presiding overseeer local elder in a congregation in my area what the procedure is lined out by the society. He stated that the elders are told to , " not discourage any one knowing of the child abuse from going to the authorities " . So they won't discourage you from going now - but they won't encourage it either. I made this elder feel guilty by telling him, " You have a responsibility to members of your congregation to report it to the authorities " ! He just looked down and said , " It's up to the family. " Coward !
My recommendation is anyone knowing about the child abuse has a moral obligation to the victim and their family to report it to the police. No ifs ands or buts. A person's conscience should motivate them to do the right, just thing -
kwr
If this person is already in jail for sex abuse it is highly unlikely the prosecution would again prosecute the person again. It all depends how many years they are in and if they reached a plea deal. Every situation is different. The abused must decide to go forward to the authoritys and they will determine any actions, but a lot of time in a plea deal people get immunity from further prosection if they seek and stay in their treatment plan.
Every situation is different so unless the abused is willing to go through the court system then there is nothing any body can do about it.
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MeneMene
Here in the US just because someone is in prison for a crime or even managed to get off without being found guilty they can still be sued in a civil court by the victim or family of the victim (in the case of a child or if the victim was killed).
Have you checked into this in your country? Contact the people I referred you to in the other thread and they can probably direct you. Make sure your attorney has a copy of the CD Barbara Anderson made (www.watchtowerdocuments.com). You would be filing a lawsuit not only against the perp but also against the Watchtower organization. In a lawsuit the Witnesses that are aware of the situation could be subpoened to make a deposition. While they could still lie at the deposition you would have a better chance of getting at the truth that way.
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darth frosty
Check with the legal department.
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Poztate
If a JW is aware of a crime you really don't need advice from the Elders as what to do. IT IS A CRIME. That is what the police are for,to deal with crimes.
The WTBTS and the Elders have always put themselves above civil authority in handling these matters. That is a crime in itself.
If you are silly enough to take it to the elders first, LEGAL will be called immediately. You might not be discouraged from calling the police but they won't suggest it either.
You might even be commended that you brought the matter up to the elders instead of going to civil authorities. The most important thing for them after all is to "keep the congregation clean"™
They would be quite happy if you kept it to an internal matter and not go to those bad old civil authorities. They are after all tools of Satan and they are only out to make the FDS and jehobah look bad..
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Cheetos
They would be advised to set down on their face and hands and say and do nothing, or your bodily fluids will sapped from you by the elders.
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erandir
In the case of finding a person in the house-to-house work who was doing something wrong or was in possession of drugs or whatever, I was always advised to ignore it and go on. Not that it ever happened to me, but the question did come up, and that seemed to be the standard replay.
I don't know if that was the standard for someone in the congregation doing something wrong/illegal. We were encouraged to tattle to the elders, mostly.