Elder told me that they are required to report to police.

by CitizenofEarth 17 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  CitizenofEarth

  Yesterday i had my weekly "mandatory" study with an Elder, and i brought up child abuse and the whole issue with reporting it to the police. He told me that they are required to report to the police immediately, and that they never deter people from reporting anything. May i remind you that i am from Denmark.

  I find this interesting, as everything i find elsewhere states quite the opposite, or atleast provides statements that does not agree with his statements. What are the newest guidelines on this issue? Have they made a new stance on police reporting? Or maybe i am just in that rare congregation with people who generally have some common human decency and moral ethics, and are therefore able to report immediately if something were to happen?
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  Finkelstein

  If in Denmark religoius clergy are to report situations of child abuse within their congregations to the police, the elder may be misinformed.
  

  The set rule is JWS elders are to only report to the police if required to do so by law, they still have to make notice first to WTS's legal department.

  Its well known that the WTS/JWS instigated hiding this situations for many years as a means to uphold the image of the organization similar to the Catholics.
  
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  cha ching

  I do not have knowledge of Denmark, and perhaps you are in that rare congregation (they do exist) but if I were an elder nowadays, and heard of ARC, and possible punitive damages for not reporting, I wouldn't care what the heck the "Society" said.

  Wellllll, even if there were NO punitive damages, I would report.
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  CitizenofEarth

  If in Denmark religoius clergy are to report situations of child abuse within their congregations to the police, the elder may be misinformed.

  Just found further info. It is punishable by law if you know anything about child abuse and doesnt report it - so of course he would say that. However i am glad to see that Denmark, unlike other countries, have made these steps to ensure that justice is served.

  He made it sound af is the Org was really good and had made it so, but in reality they are forced to. He did not mention how this is only in Denmark, and other countries with similar laws. How saddening.
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  scratchme1010

  I find this interesting, as everything i find elsewhere states quite the opposite, or atleast provides statements that does not agree with his statements. What are the newest guidelines on this issue? Have they made a new stance on police reporting? Or maybe i am just in that rare congregation with people who generally have some common human decency and moral ethics, and are therefore able to report immediately if something were to happen?
  

  In the early 2000s I had a conversation with one of my still-in JW sisters and she mentioned that there was supposedly some change and that they were required to report to the police. My other still-in JW sister told me that they were mandated to say that they were required to report to the police, and that there isn't any time line for that, meaning that they can do so after the statue of limitations passes.

  How true that is, I don't know, I don't care anyway. The WT doesn't give a fuck about children, period.
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  smiddy

  Some countrys such as Australia have different laws for different states,some states

  have mandatory reporting laws and others dont .

  Thats why Geoffrey Jackson recomended Australia adopt a national mandatory law covering all states in Australia at the ARC.,taking the onus off the JW religion for not doing the right thing when morally they should have done so......1006 cases they failed to report to the Authorities over 50 years.

  Where their was no mandatory law to report they didnt do so ,only where their was a mandatory law were they obliged to do so
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  Landy

  Yesterday i had my weekly "mandatory" study with an Elder,

  It's only mandatory if you're 10 years old.
  
  
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  CitizenofEarth

  It's only mandatory if you're 10 years old.

  Well - my situation is different. Im only 18 years old, and fading while living at home is hard. Unless i want to rise suspicions i cant remove, i have to study with this elder. My condition for the study though, is that i raise the questions, and i decide what we should talk about. But within a week i wont be living home anymore, since my parents have "thrown" me out (they cant take that i once/twice a week show them another thing about the Org that is unbiblical). And when im out i can begin fading in a different way - so i am looking forward to that.
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  Landy

  My condition for the study though, is that i raise the questions, and i decide what we should talk about.

  That will cause more problems than it solves.

  If you must do it then just nod and smile sweetly and then never go again when you move.
  
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  CitizenofEarth

  That will cause more problems than it solves.

  If you must do it then just nod and smile sweetly and then never go again when you move.

  Indeed it has. And yes - i have more important things, like education, to spend my time on atm.