Bowen leads protest in New York today
Bowen's group will head to the Jehovah's Witness church headquarters to
demand a hearing to investigate possible criminal cover-ups by the
denomination's leadership.
By C.D. Bradley
The Paducah Sun
Less than two years ago, Bill Bowen resigned as an elder in Draffenville's
Jehovah's Witness congregation because of church policy on handling
accusations of child abuse. Since then, he's been disfellowshipped, kicked out of the church and shunned by its members, including some of his own relatives, for "causing divisions" in the congregation.
He set up a support group for abuse victims called silentlambs and has been
featured in local, national and international media stories. He recently
returned from presenting a program on the issue in UK, and is considering invitations to travel to and several countries in Europe . Bowen said he never thought his decision to quit his leadership role in the church and go public with his concerns would have worldwide implications. "This was just a small thing when we started out," he said. "Now it seems to be on a global scale. The message is appealing to people around the world."
Bowen takes another step today in his struggle to make the church, which denies it has done anything wrong, change its policies. At , he will lead a march of what he expects to be hundreds of protesters to the front steps of the church's , headquarters demanding a church hearing to investigate possible criminal cover-ups by the denomination's
leadership. The church maintains that its policy meets legal requirments for reporting accused child abusers and that it does not protect them.
The protest march will also feature the awarding of Courage Awards to some victims who have come forward publicly. "The organization to date has punished people that speak out on abuse," he said. "We wanted to create a program where these people are rewarded rather than treated bad for talking about abuse." Bowen held a similar but smaller rally at the headquarters of the church in England earlier this month after addressing a conference on the issue in Wales. He also met with Ester Ransen, a child advocate who started Childline, a national hotline for children in distress in . Bowen said Ransen offered her support for a scheduled march in next spring.
Bowen also used the trip to ask supporters in to place "silent lambs"-- stuffed animals with Xs over their mouths -- on the doors of kingdom halls throughout the continent. Bowen said he is trying to have the toys placed on as many halls as possible to raise awareness in the congregations about the issue.
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silentlambs
Edited by - silentlambs on 4 October 2002 12:13:48