Full transcript:
"The Governing Body has also asked me address another topic that I
must say hits me close to my heart, being a father who raised two boys.
The subject is the abuse of children, and the damaging effects this can
have on such innocent victims. As an organization, we view all such
abuse of children, whether physical, sexual, or emotional, as deplorable.
As
you likely know, Jehovah's Witnesses take a stronger position than most
on the scriptural inappropriateness of any form of immorality. However,
to take advantage of innocent young ones is absolutely despicable. As a
religious organization, we have taken a decisive stand against such
behavior. It is our fervent desire to protect children from any kind of
abuse. Our policy as an organization is that one professing to be a
victim (or his parents) should never be discouraged from reporting the
incident to the appropriate authorities. While child abuse as been
perpetrated earth wide in many cultures for thousands of years, it is
only in the past 40 years or so that the magnitude and extent of the
problem has become better known. This is because governmental agencies
are now determined to take a more active interest in these problems.
Laws were enacted requiring medical and other professionals to report
cases to authorities when they became aware of them. Prior to that time,
many governmental, educational, and religious organizations were
somewhat naive about the magnitude and the complexity of the situation.
Others knew of the problem and covered it up. What is our position,
then, as an organization?
When what was termed as the "new morality" became popular over 50 years ago, which included sexual relations
among young ones, we condemned such behavior based on the Bible's
unerring and timeless principles. As the awareness of child abuse became
more and more known, we published a landmark Awake! magazine over 30
years ago. It was the issue of June 22, 1982. There are five article
titles that nail the subject in a very straightforward manner. The first
article was entitled "The New Morality". Then, "Chickens and Hawks" was
the second article. It warned about homosexual men who prey on and
advocate the right to use boys for sex. Shame on them. The next article,
"Baby Pros and Kiddy Porn", condemned prostitute rings that employed small girls in an array of
abuse. Then "Rape at Home"... No further explanation needed on that.
Then finally the article "To End Child Abuse". I remember this magazine
well since I had two boys who were in elementary school at the time. And
again remember that the world in general was somewhat naive about the
magnitude of this issue and the gravity of the problem. I read the five
articles, then I looked at my two boys, and I said a prayer to Jehovah,
thanking him for moving the organization to be so proactive in trying to
help parents to protect their young ones from the plague of the
"new morality" and the abuse of children. This issue has been straightforwardly addressed in print many time since then.
I'd
now like you to view a PSA. What is a PSA? It stands for "public
service announcement." It is a message of public interest which is aired
by the media without charge. The objective is to raise awareness about
changing public attitudes and behavior towards the social issue.
Television stations are not obligated to play all such 30 to 60 second
messages provided. However, if the topic and production values captures
their attention, they can choose to air the PSA for the benefit of the
viewing audience. In the late 1990's, the Governing Body approved four
PSAs on the subject of family life. I'd like to show you one of these
that was produced back in 2002. It was picked up and aired by some of
the largest TV networks in the United States. Why? Because they realized
this type of warning was important for their viewing audience to see.
It is true, the type of computer equipment shown in the video dates it.
However, the message is just a pertinent now as then, and maybe even
more so. Please watch.
[shows video]
While we cannot control everything that an
individual might say, it is clear that over the decades protecting
children from abuse is a top priority for this organization. We are
proud of our reputation in this regard and we look forward to the time
in God's new world when no one, young or old, will ever again be a victim
of abuse. Since the latter part of our discussion has addressed what
Jehovah's organization has done to protect children from predators, it
gives me great pleasure to release at this time another animated video
in the series "Become Jehovah's Friend." It is entitled "Protect Your
Children."
[shows video]
We’re happy to see how Jehovah’s organization continues
to teach our young ones how to make wise choices when the figurative monsters
of this world try to lure them into their traps. You parents should be commended
for your tireless efforts to protect your children."