Taking on Jehovah's Witnesses fake Child Safeguarding Policy in the UK

by Watchtower-Free 55 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  ABibleStudent

  Hi AnnOMaly, Although the U.K. publications for protecting children that you quoted appear sufficient to a person, who cares about protecting children from sexual abuse, from an enforcement perspective it needs to be strengthened. Laws need to use words like "shall" and "must" and not "will" and "may require" to prevent organizations like the WTBTS from ignoring them. There also must be heavy penalties for not complying with laws both for the law breaker and agencies responsible for enforcement.

  I feel that dangerous cults like the WTBTS will find a way to avoid following child protection laws until laws specifically state that charitiable organizations must not "unduly influence" members by promoting that their members must ostercize each other for any reason. Let people critically think for themselves and decide what is best for them.

  It would be even better if laws required organizations with a history of promoting ostercism to promote to their members to not ostercise other members for as long as and as frequently as they promoted ostercising members. Also, It is more likely that laws would be enforced if politicians required the lead government agency to form a working group of charitable organizations and advocates to assist regulators enforcing laws.

  The WTBTS was able to avoid complying with child protection laws in Victoria, Australia until Steven Unthank, a private citizen, tried to prosecute the WTBTS in court. It was discouraging that the government did not want to enforce laws passed by politicians. It is almost as if politicians must include provisions for providing dedicated funds to enforce child protection laws and/or penalizing government agencies for not enforcing those laws.

  Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

  Robert
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  Heartofaboy

  I've just watched the first video...... I'm sure I would've lost my rag with the idiots on the end of the phone trying to protect their own butts.

  Louise does really well to make her point while keeping the conversation friendly.
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  Vidiot

  ScenicViewer - "Watchtower has become so secretive that they are secretive even when they don't need to be. They look bad already, why make it worse needlessly? Could it be that they have become so bad at answering difficult questions that they don't know what to say and when to say it for fear of trapping themselves again? This behavior seems overly cautious to the point of being panicky."

  Julian Assange of Wikileaks is of the opionin that the more an authoritarian regime experiences the exposure of compromising information, the more internally secretive it becomes in an effort to stem further exposure, and so on, and so forth...

  ...eventually reaching the point where its efforts at maintaining secrecy cripple its own ability to function.
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  Oubliette

  I just watched the first one.

  It's really hard to hear the JW speaking on the other end of the line. That being said, she really makes him twist in the wind!
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  AnnOMaly

  Robert, surely the Charity Commission can revoke the UK Org's charitable status if they repeatedly don't comply? That'll be scary enough for them (after all, it's all about the tax breaks, yes?).
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  ABibleStudent

  Hi AnnOMaly, I don't know enough about U.K. Charity laws to comment on what would motivate the Charity Commission and whether the WTBTS could lose tax breaks or lose government subsidies.

  If U.K. bureaucrats are like American bureaucrats, they are more interested in not causing waves to keep their jobs, and less on proactively enforcing laws. If the U.K. laws were more explicit and left bureaucrats no option but to be proactive, then I would feel more confident that the WTBTS would either have to change or lose its charitable status.

  Also, remember how long the WTBTS was able to avoid complying with Victoria Australia's child protection law and who finally forced the government and the WTBTS to comply.

  Peace be with you, and everyone, who you love,

  Robert
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  KiddingMe

  great videos, marking!
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  cliff

  I'm afraid that the UK Charity Commission is underfunded, understaffed and overworked, just like many government agencies.

  The chances of them taking on a (even minor) religeon is effectively zero. They don't need it or have any kind of crusading zeal.
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  konceptual99

  The Charities Commission will do little against the WTS unless unless it could be provem that systematic abuse has been wilfully covered up. Whatever the feelings of ones here or the numerous cases down on public record there is sadly no where near enough evidence to support such claims IMHO. The best hope is that somehow the levels of public awareness are raised very high and it becomes a matter of political discussion at high level, i.e. ministerial.
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  besty

  not wishing to get off topic here but the CC have denied status to other similar religions in the past, notably Plymouth Brethren, in connection with ostracism of former members

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/271691/1/Plymouth-Brethren-have-their-application-for-Charitable-Status-accepted-finally