does anyone know if the new laws coming in great britain will mean that elders will have to let congregation members know when a sex offender is in the congregation ?
sarahs law
by looloo 1 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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As I understand it the new law, if accepted following the pilot in different areas of the UK, means that any individual can apprach the authorities and request information regarding a peson they are suspicious of, e.g. new partner, neighbour etc. as to whether they have a conviction re child abuse. It is then left to the authorities to decide whether it is relevant to tell the family or not. This is to try and avoid the situation that happened a couple of years ago when a tabloid newspaper 'named and shamed' paedophiles. It caused a whole lot of damage and violence (justified, some might say). But there were innocent people caught up in it, and some totally ignorant people looked through the phone book and found 'paediatrcian' and mistook it for paedophile and beat the person up. However, the new barring and vetting laws coming in this July means that anyone who has contact with 'vulnerable' groups will have to register. I don't think the JW congregation will be regarded as vulnerable.................even though we know different!