https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/495876/the-rules-and-culture-that-keep-child-sex-offenders-hidden-from-followers-of-the-jehovah-s-witness-faith
RNZ New Zealand
Anusha Bradley, Investigative Reporter
August 15, 2023
Edward Narayan didn't know he'd had a child molester over for dinner until he became an elder of his Jehovah's Witness congregation in 2020.
"He was a very nice guy, I'm sure a lot of them are," Narayan says.
"Then, this other elder let it slip that he was a convicted paedophile."
The man, who has since died but can't be named, was convicted in 1990 for historical child sexual abuse.
But Narayan didn't know anything about his dinner guest's past until he was put in charge of his Chartwell congregation's confidential files. And that's when he realised there were others.
He discovered another active member of his congregation was a convicted paedophile and two other men had a history of serious child sexual abuse allegations made against them. The two alleged cases, including one that came to light as recently as 2012, were never reported to police while Narayan was in charge of the files.
Narayan admits he wasn't too concerned about his discoveries at the time because he implicitly trusted the other elders knew what they were doing. And as a new elder, he was keen to follow the rules.
"In the elder's handbook, 'Shepherd the Flock of God', [it says] you can't say a word unless the legal department of the local branch office tells you that you can."
Edward Narayan Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
An RNZ investigation has found 11 active Jehovah Witnesses have child sex abuse convictions or serious allegations made against them, apparently unbeknownst to most followers. A former elder has also claimed he was told to destroy evidence from the church's internal disciplinary proceedings, which could have included cases relating to child sex abuse. The Jehovah's Witnesses strongly deny any suggestion of criminal destruction of evidence.
The religion's policies and practices have kept members in the dark about child sex offending within the church for years, and while it appears to be trying to address this, some current and former members of the church say it is not enough.
All of the 19 former or current Jehovah's Witnesses spoken to for this story want to see the church change the way it deals with allegations of child sexual abuse and the perpetrators, saying the current policies still fail to keep children safe.
READ MORE: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/495876/the-rules-and-culture-that-keep-child-sex-offenders-hidden-from-followers-of-the-jehovah-s-witness-faith
