The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has been holding public hearings in Sydney, Australia. These public hearings began on Monday July 27 2015 for the church of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are referred to as Case Study 29. The scope and purpose of the public hearing was to inquire into:

  1. The experience of survivors of child sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church in Australia.
  2. The response of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations, reports or complaints of child sexual abuse within the Church.
  3. The systems, policies and procedures in place within the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd for raising and responding to allegations of or concerns about child sexual abuse within the Church.
  4. The systems, policies and procedures in place within the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to prevent child sexual abuse within the Church.
  5. Any related matters.

Here are some interesting facts regarding child sexual abuse within Jehovah’s Witnesses that were brought out as part of that hearing:

These figures are staggering when you consider that Australia is a large country, but with a small population of almost 24 million. It is clear that Jehovah’s Witnesses did not report child sexual abuse to the authorities because they were more interested in protecting their “godly” image rather than protecting their children from sexual predators.

Further information can be garnered from the attached excel file.

The Bare Facts

Other Translations