http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/04/jehovahs-witness-church-says-it-will-comply-with-mandatory-reporting-of-child-abuse.
august 4, 2015. australian associated press .
the jehovahs witness church says it will comply with mandatory reporting obligations when they learn about sexual abuse crimes against children in their congregation.. a royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse has heard that the theocratic church records more than one child abuse allegation every month yet in 60 years has never reported them to police.. in the second week of a hearing into the churchs handling of abuse incidents, the head of the communitys service desk, rodney spinks, acknowledged they dealt with matters internally and did not encourage reporting to police.. the service desk under the auspices of the churchs legal entity, the watchtower bible and tract society australia, is the first point of contact for elders looking for advice on how to deal with child abuse reports.. spinks said the first issue addressed is the safety of the child, and elders are referred to watchtower publications on the matter.. they are also given generic advice based on a handbook that says they should never suggest not reporting the allegation to police.. spinks acknowledged they had not had a practice, against the wishes of the victim or otherwise, to directly report to police.. the commission chair, peter mcclellan, pointed out there were mandatory reporting obligations when a crime had been committed.. spinks said he had been made aware of this in these hearings and the church would accept and comply with mandatory reporting, regardless of our strongly held religious belief that individuals should have the right to decide what is done with that information.. he said when there were mandatory reporting requirements with some sort of uniformity across the country we will happily and willingly comply.. mcclellan pointed out that uniform laws were not yet in place and they would differ from state to state but they would impose a criminal sanction on a person who knows [about an abuse crime] and does not report.. spinks said he understood that.. mcclellan said the church needed to have a very good look maybe with the help of the churchs lawyers at what the law provides.. the commissioner also pointed out that what the jehovahs witnesses were doing was different to what other churches might be doing because you might be taking allegations and resolving, as you see it, the truth of the allegation by reason of your process.. the commission has heard that the jehovahs witness process is based on a biblical rule that the wrongdoing is only proven when there are two witnesses, and expect the abuse victim to confront the abuser..
"mcclellan pointed out that uniform laws were not yet in place and they would differ from state to state but they would impose a criminal sanction on a person who knows [about an abuse crime] and does not report.. spinks said he understood that..."
So out of the 1006, have there been any crimes committed that will be pursued? (b/c i'd like to see Spinks locked up)
is this rc triggering any painful memories for anyone else?
.
for me, it's stirring up all the emotions of what it felt like dealing with assholes like this.
Newbie here and i'd just like to say - I'm glad I recently found all of you guys.
It's just like Bob Dylan wrote:
Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections than people who are most content
I don’t have any regrets, they can talk about me plenty when I’m gone
You always said people don’t do what they believe in, they just do what’s most convenient, then they repent
And I always said, “Hang on to me, baby, and let’s hope that the roof stays on”
Brownsville girl.
I quoted the words: "you can talk about me plenty when i'm gone" to an elder right before i left.
thought i would put this in its own thread.
it another embarrassing statement from the rc (royal commission not regional convention lol).
it's not even one about abuse, its about the jw's stance on science and the bible.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/08/04/women-never-rule-jehovahs-church
Quote from article: "Counsel for the commission, Angus Stewart SC, said the problem for the commission was trying to pin down the source of the policies was like trying to "put your finger on a ball of mercury"."
Welcome to our world Angus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=72&v=9vvqxf9uwu0.
thanks beauty for reminding me of this. I referred to Herds talk to my 32yo JW son the other night and how JWs are raising little mysogenists. He immediately stood up and walked out of my house with his 10 month old baby boy, saying: "I'm not letting my son hear this!"
i would give up trying but that's exactly what he and the rest of JWs want me to do.
it seems like there has not been as much discussion here about the rc testimony on day 6 (4th august) as there has been about previous days.
i was quite surprised by rodney spinks' testimony, which was a marked contrast to the bungling and inarticulate testimony of the elders that appeared before him.
spinks seemed reasonably co-operative, and a lot more willing to concede points than anyone else has been.
Yeah. I wouldn't get my hopes up on Spinks.
I just heard he has angrily denied reports that he became a JW to seek/serve Jehovah. He assured reporters that it was to help others molest children in a safe and protected environment away form the police.
i'm revisiting an old topic here, but this was a subject of much confusion for me when i was still a witness.
i went to a spanish congregation in the u.s. and it seemed to be taken for granted by most that you needed to cook beef thoroughly to "get rid" of the blood.
i was surprised when i learned that folks in the english speaking hall would order a steak medium-rare and think nothing of it.. it wasn't until after i left the witnesses that it started to occur to me that if the red fluid that was present when you'd cut the beef was blood, cooking it thoroughly wouldn't get rid of it, it'd just cook it and transform it into another color.
Spinks: . but should we say that we will NEVER allow a pedo returned to cong? Elders don't stop rehabilitation. UnChristian to stop pedophiles from attending meetings.
McClellan: you miss the point. Civil procedures have mechanisms that JWs don't. JWs don't have the education or means to rehabilitate.
Spinks: We are willing to change.
angus: Do JWs engage at all in assisting the ped to get treatment?
Spinks: No. our concern is only spiritual things
Angus: Catholics say the same, but have now set up programs to deal with Peds.
Spniks: i see.
