Thanks, Devon. I am ready to fax this news release to the Arizona Republic, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and to authorize silentlambs to send it to the Associated Press and the world...but I need your help to reach our goal first! Only $250 remains!
Here is the text of the press release...don't send it around just yet!
For immediate release
Family of molestation victims find aid, comfort on the net
PHOENIX, August 16 A Phoenix familys appeal on the Internet this week for assistance in funding a trip to Philadelphia to press charges against their childrens alleged molester, a Jehovah's Witnesses minister, has been met with an overwhelming show of generosity and compassion. In the space of three days, the family was able to raise over $1000, much of it contributed anonymously by concerned strangers, to finance their travel.
Michael and Denise Pence of Phoenix, Arizona, first heard their childrens account of being sexually assaulted in early March of this year. Michael, a writer and software developer, said, "I had been researching an article for publication on the topic of Jehovah's Witnesses and child sex abuse when my own children came forward and described, in horrific detail, having been abused by an elder in our former Oreland, Pennsylvania congregation."
The family immediately notified the Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriffs department, and filed a report by fax with the Whitpain, Pennsylvania police. However, officials from the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, District Attorneys office informed the family that they would have to be physically present to provide a statement to prosecutors and press charges.
The family also notified the body of elders of the Oreland congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses of their allegations. No action was taken to remove the minister from his position of responsibility, or to limit his access to children. "To this day, friends who still attend that Kingdom Hall tell us that he continues to hold children on his lap during services and to preach from the platform," said Michael.
Accounts like this are familiar to William H. Bowen, of Draffenville, Kentucky, who resigned from his position as an elder in the group in 2000, in protest over their mishandling of child sexual abuse cases. According to Bowen, the church insists on handling allegations of child abuse internally, requiring the enforcement of a biblical edict that there must be two eyewitnesses to an act of abuse before they consider disciplining a member. As a result of these policies, Bowen says that the Witnesses have created a "pedophile's paradise."
Desperate, and shunned by Witness family members for alleging the abuse, the Pences asked for help on the Internet. The response was immediate and overwhelming. "I wept at the generosity and caring messages from people -- most of them strangers -- on the net," said Michael. "As Jehovah's Witnesses, we had always been taught that worldly people, non-Witnesses, are evil and selfish. Ironically, in our hour of need they have shown more compassion in three days than we received in 30 years of being in that group. We are deeply grateful."
The Pences have been plagued with financial and medical problems in recent months, making the required cross-country trip problematic. "I was so frustrated. I knew we had to get up there, and I didnt see how we were going to do it. We live from paycheck to paycheck," said Denise.
Thanks to the generosity of people on the Internet, the family has raised the $1022 needed to fly to Philadelphia and press charges. They will also be attending a demonstration in Brooklyn Heights on September, 27, in front of the world headquarters of the Jehovah's Witnesses, which is being hosted by Bowens organization, "silentlambs," in protest of the churchs policies.
"We feel that the policies of Jehovah's Witnesses contributed to our childrens abuse. Our children want to be there, to voice their anger, and to try to prevent other children from being similarly abused," said Michael.
Jehovah's Witnesses include 1 million members in the United States, with 6 million members worldwide. Allegations of mishandling of cases of child sexual abuse by the Witnesses, and lawsuits stemming from such charges, have been the topic of recent coverage by the Associated Press, Dateline NBC, the New York Times, CNNs Connie Chung Tonight, and the BBCs Panorama.
Contact:
Michael and Denise Pence: AZ 602-318-5442, [email protected]
William H. Bowen: KY 270-527-5350, http://www.silentlambs.org
Edited by - mikepence on 16 August 2002 13:46:42
