In 1976 I was sexually assaulted by my stepfather when I was fifteen. The elders said there was nothing they could do becauese it was his word against mine, and they forbade me to talk to anyone else about it.
About three years ago I talked to a CO who claimed that the elders who had handled it had been wrong and that the society always reports accusations of child abuse to the authorities and always have.
I told him that the elders had called the society for instructions, so obvioulsy they were following policy. But he refused to believe it.
I described to him how horrible it was to sit by myself in a room with three old men firing sexually explicit questions at me. I said that that interrogation was a rape in itself and no young child should ever have to sit through that. I then asked, "is that still how they handle sexual abuse accusations?"
He wouldn't look me in the eye, he looked away, hemmed, hawed, and mumbled "i'm not sure, I'll check into that"
So he lied about that Society always reporting, either that or he doesn't have a clue as to how the society handles those matters, which i find hard to believe. And as far as the "I'm not sure comment", well he was obviously a little embarresed how the socieity handles it and is ashamed to admit it.
Yep, fine christian he is.