Did You Personally Know Any JWs That Were Sexually Molested By Other JWs?

by minimus 147 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

  • truthseekeriam
    truthseekeriam

    Your parents probably finally had a chance to do what they should have done for your sister back when it happened. Unfortunately your sister most likely needed them to fight for her then:(

    My daughter was molested by a JW in our congregation and even though we went to the police you would be surprised at the guilt the elders make you feel. We heard reproach on Jehovah's name so many time I couldn't even count and sadly I admit when the elders left my home I almost felt guilty for going to the police(crazy huh) Most people will never know the added pressure that is put on you in a very critical time it makes you think things most free thinking people would never think. For good reason. From that moment on we were treated different we got the hint we might have not done the right thing(in their eyes) by speaking out and demanding justice from the worldly courts, which we did get.

    Sad to say your parents probably really thought they were doing the right thing at the time and it wasn't until they stepped back and really seen things clearly did they decide to what they could. Too late? Sure. but at least the did something. Many keep there eyes closed and their opinions to themselves and that's how these creeps continue.

  • truthseekeriam
    truthseekeriam

    Lise, I totally agree with LL ,you were a child and should feel no guilt for not coming forward.

    (((hugs)))

  • life is to short
  • friday77
    friday77

    I know of 3 past situations:

    1. a young bro who molested his nieces, nephews, and 4 neighborhood children over a period of 16 years! His guardians knew that he did this (the male guardian studied on and off; the female guardian was d&b, but was inactive for sometime). His fostermother (the female guardian) verbally scolded him and pleaded with the parents and guardians of the 4 neighborhood children to drop the situation. She also totally ignored and was in denial regarding the abused relatively, and strongly lamented to the aunts and uncles in defense of her foster son. The fosterfather beat him (he was sent to the hospital with a few cuts and bruises); the fostermother begged her husband to stop and sheilded this bro away from him. The parents/guardians of all decided to let this all go (this happened back in the mid-80's). He (the bro.) was put in a coma for 6 months, came out of it a vegetable [1 person of interest, and another delinquent person told a number of us that 1 woman and another elderly man got in an altercation with him, pushed him down an alley and he fell and was left for few hours, until an elderly lady with a dog who they said was homeless found him].

    2. in a KH with many bethelites in it, an older bro. (about in his 50's) was coming up behind many of the single sisters (Between the ages of 14 and 20) and breathing on their necks and shoulders. Startled, the sisters would look back askanced. He would make the excuse that he saw something (i.e., a bug) crawling on them, or that a collar was out of place, etc. 3 sisters got fed up with his actions, went to the P.O. and told on him. The P.O. angrily and vehemently accused them of slandering him, "He's really trying, since he's been deleted 3xs before! How dare you say that about him! You're wrong! ALL OF YOU!!!" Two of the sisters ran away in tears. The 3rd one, got mad and stormed off in a huff, and

    muttered that he did do what he did. (She later told me herself of this horrid experience). This abusive bro. later died of cancer 6 years later (survived by a wife who was d&b and an RP); the P.O. I hear was deleted to an elder in name only; someone said he was later deleted and possibly left BETHEL, but don't quote me here on this portion of this deplorable experience.

    AND 3. An elder in another county (about in his60's) made himself and another MS (like a sidekick of his) like a "guardian ad lideum" to a number of the young people, including the sisters and a few young bros. He would actually (esp. in the field) rub and stroke the necks/shoulders/backs of them all. He even took some of these to financial institutions, "I'm helping the young folks here in the truth to get financial advice, so that they could do this as a means to an end spiritually; this'll help them to progress spiritually for other higher privileges of service!" His sidekick enthusiastically agreed. One evening he came to a building that an older couple had that housed 12 young bros and sis. and wanted to take the younger ones of the group (all ranged in ages of 17-28; with the exception of 4, all the others were transplants--the 4 were "townies") in an unmarked van with his sidekick to go for a ride one Saturday evening in the late spring. The 6 younger ones were the ones he asked about. 3 wanted to go, but the other 3 plus 2 of the older ones were quite unsure.

    The 6, thankfully, decided not to go. The 2 older ones mentioned to the older sister and her elderly mother that this 6 would not be going with these bros. The bros then started an argument which turned out into a screaming match with the older sister, her elderly mother, a nephew (who used to study) and a neighbor next door that came by because the van looked suspicious to him--it was quite disheveled and rusted looking. These bros then ubruptly stormed off out of the building, got in the van and quickly sped off. The next day, Sunday, the MS couldn't even look at the group of young people, nor at the elderly sister. The elder did not even attend that day. This elder (about 9 years later) was deleted--mostly due in part of a relative who lived in his home who torched a few items in a vacant lot and was prosecuted for it. The MS was deleted and left the state. Some say this MS wanted to in his new congregation to get his MS privileges back, but the elders said his
    "ways and demeanor" as well as what they were told by a new set of elders in his former congregation via the C.O. made them feel hesitant and leary about appointing him.

    Sorry for this "encyclopedia" of horrible experiences, but that's what I so far have been told.

  • Palimpsest
    Palimpsest

    I'm new here, so I won't jump into the conversation that's going on within the conversation, other than to say that both sides ring true in many ways and it doesn't need to be an either/or. There are reactions of all sorts, and neither is a guarantee.

    To answer the original question, yes. It was certainly an issue within my congregation, and like many Witness girls, I had my own unpleasant experiences, to put it mildly.

    The case that will always stand out to me the most is the one that most directly provoked my fade. In brief: A teenage friend in my congregation was being raped by her step-father, a ministerial servant. Rather than punishing him, the elders 1) disfellowshipped her for "false accusations," 2) disfellowshipped her mother for refusing to shun the daughter and also for seeking a divorce, 3) disfellowshipped her secret boyfriend within the congregation for allegedly having sex with her (which they hadn't done), 4) disfellowshipped his parents for allowing the sex-that-wasn't-sex to happen in their home (again, it wasn't true), 5) helped the MS step-father gain sole custody of his biological daughter (just entering puberty) from his now-ex by painting the mother as unfit, and then -- my favorite part -- 6) promoted the rapist to elder status a few months later. Moral of story, made loud and clear to everyone in the congregation: If you come forward or try to help a child come forward (which was the "sin" of her boyfriend and his family), you will be punished, but if you rape your step-daughter, we'll reward you with an elder position.

    And then I got called into the back for daring to tell the elders that I didn't want the rapist to remain assigned to my bookstudy, which was held in my parents' home, since I was underage (16 or 17; can't fully remember now) and didn't want him having a key to my house anymore. I got the classic "watch your mouth, girl" speech that so many strong young women are familiar with growing up in that hell.

    That was the final straw for me. Count me out.

  • nugget
    nugget

    Yes, they told their wife it wasn't their fault that she had seduced him. It later turned out he had had numerous affairs and was a serial offender. JC punnished them both.

  • stillconcerned
    stillconcerned

    In the context of my work, I have spoken to 1,274 women, men and children who were sexually abused as children while attending a Jehovah's Witness congregation. The great majority (over 90%) were molested by a non-family member who was known to them through the congregation.

    Other than three situations expressed to me BY THE VICTIMS, those who told KH authorities were told either:

    -you must have misinterpreted what occurred;

    -you have no 2nd witness, so it can't be taken as true;

    -since you have no 2nd witness, you must not discuss this further;

    -communicating with secular authorities is unnecessary or wrong; OR 'we'll take care of it'.

    Many calls i get, i can finish the story for them.

    The most recent of these calls occurred 32 days ago, related to sexual abuse occurring 6 months ago. This tells me the problem is ongoing.

    I'm not saying ALL congs/elders handle this poorly, but apparently many DO.

    Kimberlee D. Norris

    attorney at law

    [email protected]

  • minimus
    minimus

    Thank you, Kimberlee.

  • Balsam
    Balsam

    While I was in the witnesses for 30 years I knew of two JW men who molested and had raped with their girl children. One man was an Elder for many years and molested his granddaughter. When I learned about this elder I couldn't understand why his daughter would even allow her daughter near her father knowing he raped her & her sister as a children. The other JW man molested all of his daughters and encouraged all their brothers to force sex on them also. All 4 of the daughters were so emotionally traumatized they suffered terribly.

  • stillconcerned
    stillconcerned

    hmmmm.... is it possible any longer to send a PM?

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