JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES continue to victimize sex abuse survivors

An article was published recently about Jehovah’s Witnesses and their inappropriate handling of child sex abuse allegations after-the-fact, in The Guardian.

Jonathan Rose is a convicted pedophile and a former “elder” of the Manchester New Moston congregation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was jailed for nine months.

As if his original sexual abuse of a child is not enough…

• one victim was criticized as being a troublemaker, not a reliable witness
• one victim’s abuse was essentially dismissed for having been too close (as a child) in age to the (adult) perpetrator at the time
• one victim was threatened that actions against Rose would be dropped if at least two victims did not show up to a three-hour appeal process
• one victim was forced to confront Rose, and to be questioned by him as in “What was I supposed to have done to you that night”

All told, this charity failed. It failed to protect children in the first place. Then it failed to provide accurate/complete answers to the Charity Commission’s investigation. Then it failed to respect the dignity of the survivors and their families, by continuing to allow Rose to carry out pastoral and promotional duties, despite the fact that Rose has been “disallowed” or expelled. And, ultimately, the charity did not consider the inherent conflicts of loyalties within its own commission.

Lest we think that re-victimization of child sex abuse survivors is unique to the UK, similar concerned have surfaced in Australia, where a commission found that congregations were encouraged to avoid reporting claims to the police, and in the US, where investigation efforts have resulted in millions of dollars of fines for withholding details of alleged abuse.

If your child has been a victim of molestation by a Jehovah’s Witness elder, or if you suspect so, please reach out to child sexual abuse law firm Estey & Bomberger, using this form.We offer no-charge and no-obligation confidential consultations, and we involve our in-house psychologist to make sure that your child benefits from the maximum healing. We front all costs on a client’s behalf, including medical bills; the client pays nothing in advance.