According to Touchstone forum, a pro-witness site, the WTBTS published a letter to the BBC defending their position re the list of 23,720 paedophiles. Touchstone says the letter was posted on http://www.jw-media.org/. I can't find it! Has the WT had a re-think and taken it off the site?
However, Touchstone has posted a part of this letter at http://www.touchstoneforum.org/~dchoi/dcforum/DCForumID1/712.html to which there are 30 responses at this moment.
Here is the part of the letter that has been cut and pasted at Touchstone:
"You have been told that here in the United States we have complied a list of 23,720 names of child abusers. That is false. First of all, the total number of names in our records is considerable lower than that. In addition, it is not meaningful to focus on the number of names we have in our records. This is because our figures include names of many persons who have only beeen accused of child abuse whereas the charges have not been substantiated. We keep these records to document our complicance with the law in many U.S. jurisdictions. Also included on our list are allegations made on the basis of so-called "repressed memories," the validity of which many authorities challenge. The others are the names of persons who have been accused of abusing children before becoming Jehovah's Witnesses as well as individuals who have never been baptized Witnesses but whose names we are obliged to keep because of ther associations wit hthe witnesses. (And example of this would be a non-Witness father or step-father who is accused by his Witness children or step-children of abusing them.) To be safe, we also list the names of persons who may or may not be considered as child abusers, depending upon the jurisdiction where they live (for example, that 16-year-old boy who had sexual relationsh wit hthe consenting 15-year-old girl.) The name of the individuals who were guilty of voyeurism or invovled with child pornography, as further examples, would also be included in that list. And, to be sure, the list also includes names of persons who are actually guilty of child abuse. We do not apologize for keeping such records here in the United States. Apart from being legally needed, they have been very helpful to us in our efforts to protect the flock from harm. (Isaiah 32:2) Christian parents can rightly feel secure in the knowledge that such efforts are made to screen out possible child abusers from appointment to responsible positions within the congregation."
That's it folks!
Englishman.