Child safeguarding and the institutional handling of abuse
Esta sección se basa en las conclusiones de investigaciones oficiales, sentencias judiciales, informes de organismos reguladores y los propios documentos de política de la organización. No contiene detalles explícitos, se refiere a las personas supervivientes solo con los identificadores empleados en el registro público, y expone primero la posición de la organización, en sus propias palabras.
Última revisión 19 de septiembre de 2026
Cómo leer esta página. Una conclusión es un resultado al que llega una investigación pública, un organismo regulador o un tribunal sobre los procedimientos de la organización. Una acusación o un cargo es una imputación contra una persona que aún no se ha resuelto. Una condena es el fallo de un tribunal. Cada cosa está etiquetada. La crítica que aquí se hace es de la política publicada y de su aplicación por las sucursales y los ancianos, no de los testigos de a pie, que en su inmensa mayoría son padres que intentan proteger a sus hijos. Si esta página le afecta a usted o a un menor que conoce, al final hay servicios de apoyo por país.
The Australian Royal Commission (2016) found no evidence that the organisation had reported to police any of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators recorded in its Australian files since 1950, found a general practice of not reporting unless the law required it, found the rule’s application to child sexual abuse ‘wrong’, and concluded that children were not adequately protected.Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016
Since 2016 the organisation has documented reforms to its reporting practice; it has said the two-witness rule itself ‘can’t be changed or avoided’.Source: ABC News (Australia), 10 de marzo de 2017
La posición de la organización, en sus propias palabras
Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.
Does this mean that before an allegation of abuse can be reported to the authorities, two witnesses are required? No. This requirement does not apply to whether elders or others report allegations of a crime.
If the victim or another minor is still in danger of abuse, the elders should report the matter to the secular authorities even if there is not a legal obligation to do so.
The current statement describes the internal investigation as ‘a purely religious proceeding’ limited to the alleged abuser’s standing in the congregation, says it ‘is not a replacement for the authorities’ handling of the matter’, that victims are never required to make their accusation in the presence of the accused, and that an abuser ‘does not qualify to receive any congregation privileges … for decades, if ever’.Source: Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection (cpt-E 9/25), septiembre de 2025
Explicación de la organización · mayo de 2019Verificado
mayo de 2019 · pp.8-13 · pars. 13-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Does this mean that before an allegation of abuse can be reported to the authorities, two witnesses are required? No. This requirement does not apply to whether elders or others report allegations of a crime.”
Par. 15. Par. 13: 'In places where such laws exist, elders endeavor to comply with secular laws about reporting allegations of abuse.' Par. 16: 'The absence of a second witness does not mean that the one making the accusation is untruthful.' Par. 18: a repentant abuser 'may never qualify to receive any congregation privileges or to serve in any position of responsibility'. IICSA described this article as the document that 'explained and expanded on' the worldwide policy for congregants.
abril de 2021 · ch. 12 par. 40(2); ch. 14 pars. 4, 6, 7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) in response to NZ Royal Commission Notice to Produce 1 (doc ID JHV0000012)
“Eyewitnesses: There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just people repeating hearsay; no action can be taken if there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15-17; John 8:17; 1 Tim. 5:19, 24, 25) If there are two or three witnesses to the same kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, the elders can consider their testimony.”
Ch. 12 par. 40(2), under 'Evidence Establishing Wrongdoing'. Ch. 14 par. 7: 'To ensure that elders comply with child-abuse reporting laws, two elders should immediately call the Legal Department for legal advice when the elders learn of an accusation of child abuse', with ten listed situations in which the call must still be made, including where 'the alleged abuse is based on the testimony of only one witness'. Ch. 14 par. 4 says the victim or anyone reporting 'should be clearly informed that they have the right to report the matter to the secular authorities. Elders do not criticize anyone who chooses to make such a report'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for "Shepherd the Flock of God"—1 Peter 5:2, elders' handbook, April 2021 revision (chapters 12, 14, 16, 22), Chapter 12 'Determining Whether a Judicial Committee Should Be Formed' par. 40; Chapter 14 'Child Abuse' pars. 4-8
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the NZ-hosted PDF; quotations verbatim. The October 2021 and April 2022 full editions (also in the NZ library, EXT9990227 and EXT9990228) contain the same chapter 14 structure; the 2019 first edition and the 2023 edition were not opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library (public record); 35 pages.
Notes.The brief asked for 'ks19 ch.14: always call the branch office Legal Department first' — confirmed in this April 2021 text as ch. 14 par. 7 ('immediately call the Legal Department').
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ks-2021-0400-shepherd-flock-ch12-ch14
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
septiembre de 2025 · pp.1-2 · pars. 3-5, 11-15 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (jw.org)
“Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.”
Paragraph 5 of the organisation's current public child-protection statement. Par. 3 says elders 'do not shield any perpetrator of child abuse from the authorities'; par. 4 that anyone reporting to elders is told they are free to report to the authorities; par. 11 describes the internal investigation as 'a purely religious proceeding'; par. 12 says elders 'never require victims of child abuse to present their accusation in the presence of the alleged abuser'; par. 14 says an abuser does not qualify for privileges 'for decades, if ever'; par. 15 says the document is reviewed at least every three years.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection (cpt-E 9/25), Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection
Nota de confianza.Opened the jw.org landing page and downloaded the official PDF (cpt_E.pdf, 176,911 bytes, dated 2025-11-19 in the CDN metadata but bearing the print code 9/25). Text extracted locally and quoted verbatim. Note the document does not use the phrase 'two witnesses' at all.
Procedencia del escaneo.Official PDF served by jw.org's own CDN (resolved via the page's GETPUBMEDIALINKS API, pub=cpt); document code 'cpt-E 9/25'.
Notes.IICSA recorded the first edition as published 2018. The NZ Royal Commission copy is the 12/20 edition; wording of par. 5 changed between 12/20 and 9/25 (see the NZ entry).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cpt-2025-0900-child-protection-position
20 de abril de 2023 · Mark Scolforo and Peter Smith · Associated Press
“does recognize abuse as a crime”
Organisation spokesman Jarrod Lopes' response, adding that members may report to authorities, that the second-witness requirement applies only to internal discipline and that elders comply with reporting laws regardless of witness availability. The AP reported nine men charged between October 2022 and February 2023 after a four-year grand jury investigation, with the Attorney General saying the investigation of the organisation itself was ongoing.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Associated Press (via WESA, Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania charges put focus on Jehovah's Witnesses' handling of abuse
Nota de confianza.Syndicated copy opened (wesa.fm redirected to wesanews.org).
Notes.Official PA Office of Attorney General releases (e.g. Westmoreland County, Allegheny County, Butler County case updates) could not be opened (HTTP 403); their existence is confirmed by search listings only. Archive reference removed: https://apnews.com (blocked in this environment; original AP URL not recorded)
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ap-2023-0420-wesa-pa-charges
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización explica que el Departamento de Servicio no denuncia por sí mismo porque «los ancianos tienen la información de primera mano»; la IICSA indicó que una remisión desde la sucursal «garantizaría que se ha presentado una denuncia» ( parte E, párr. 6.4).
Mostrar las pruebas (3 fuentes)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
abril de 2021 · ch. 12 par. 40(2); ch. 14 pars. 4, 6, 7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) in response to NZ Royal Commission Notice to Produce 1 (doc ID JHV0000012)
“Eyewitnesses: There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just people repeating hearsay; no action can be taken if there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15-17; John 8:17; 1 Tim. 5:19, 24, 25) If there are two or three witnesses to the same kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, the elders can consider their testimony.”
Ch. 12 par. 40(2), under 'Evidence Establishing Wrongdoing'. Ch. 14 par. 7: 'To ensure that elders comply with child-abuse reporting laws, two elders should immediately call the Legal Department for legal advice when the elders learn of an accusation of child abuse', with ten listed situations in which the call must still be made, including where 'the alleged abuse is based on the testimony of only one witness'. Ch. 14 par. 4 says the victim or anyone reporting 'should be clearly informed that they have the right to report the matter to the secular authorities. Elders do not criticize anyone who chooses to make such a report'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for "Shepherd the Flock of God"—1 Peter 5:2, elders' handbook, April 2021 revision (chapters 12, 14, 16, 22), Chapter 12 'Determining Whether a Judicial Committee Should Be Formed' par. 40; Chapter 14 'Child Abuse' pars. 4-8
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the NZ-hosted PDF; quotations verbatim. The October 2021 and April 2022 full editions (also in the NZ library, EXT9990227 and EXT9990228) contain the same chapter 14 structure; the 2019 first edition and the 2023 edition were not opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library (public record); 35 pages.
Notes.The brief asked for 'ks19 ch.14: always call the branch office Legal Department first' — confirmed in this April 2021 text as ch. 14 par. 7 ('immediately call the Legal Department').
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ks-2021-0400-shepherd-flock-ch12-ch14
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
septiembre de 2025 · pp.1-2 · pars. 3-5, 11-15 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (jw.org)
“Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.”
Paragraph 5 of the organisation's current public child-protection statement. Par. 3 says elders 'do not shield any perpetrator of child abuse from the authorities'; par. 4 that anyone reporting to elders is told they are free to report to the authorities; par. 11 describes the internal investigation as 'a purely religious proceeding'; par. 12 says elders 'never require victims of child abuse to present their accusation in the presence of the alleged abuser'; par. 14 says an abuser does not qualify for privileges 'for decades, if ever'; par. 15 says the document is reviewed at least every three years.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection (cpt-E 9/25), Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection
Nota de confianza.Opened the jw.org landing page and downloaded the official PDF (cpt_E.pdf, 176,911 bytes, dated 2025-11-19 in the CDN metadata but bearing the print code 9/25). Text extracted locally and quoted verbatim. Note the document does not use the phrase 'two witnesses' at all.
Procedencia del escaneo.Official PDF served by jw.org's own CDN (resolved via the page's GETPUBMEDIALINKS API, pub=cpt); document code 'cpt-E 9/25'.
Notes.IICSA recorded the first edition as published 2018. The NZ Royal Commission copy is the 12/20 edition; wording of par. 5 changed between 12/20 and 9/25 (see the NZ entry).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cpt-2025-0900-child-protection-position
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
1 de diciembre de 2021 · pp.1-10 · pars. 1, 5, 6, 8 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (World Headquarters Legal Department); produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) (doc ID JHV0000013)
“If the victim or another minor is still in danger of abuse, the elders should report the matter to the secular authorities even if there is not a legal obligation to do so.”
Par. 8, which then lists screening questions (does the victim live in the accused's home; other minors in the home; proximity to minors) and says that if any answer is 'Yes' the Service Desk 'will direct that a report be made to the secular authorities'. Par. 1 restricts circulation to Branch Committee members, Service Department and Legal Department and forbids any electronic distribution. Par. 6: the Service Desk 'should assure the caller that he or she is free to report the allegation to the secular authorities'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Child Sexual Abuse—Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks, Child Sexual Abuse—Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks (Annexure K to CCJW Australasia response to NZ Royal Commission Notice to Produce 1)
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the NZ-hosted PDF; quotations verbatim. IICSA (2021) described this document as one of four core policy documents (its 2020 UK equivalent).
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library (public record). The production date is 1 December 2021; the internal document is undated in the extract.
Notes.An earlier version of these guidelines (August 2013) was in evidence at the Australian Royal Commission (Case Study 29 report p. 21, endnote 109).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-csa-guidelines-2021-1201-branch-service-desks
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
septiembre de 2025 · pp.1-2 · pars. 3-5, 11-15 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (jw.org)
“Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.”
Paragraph 5 of the organisation's current public child-protection statement. Par. 3 says elders 'do not shield any perpetrator of child abuse from the authorities'; par. 4 that anyone reporting to elders is told they are free to report to the authorities; par. 11 describes the internal investigation as 'a purely religious proceeding'; par. 12 says elders 'never require victims of child abuse to present their accusation in the presence of the alleged abuser'; par. 14 says an abuser does not qualify for privileges 'for decades, if ever'; par. 15 says the document is reviewed at least every three years.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection (cpt-E 9/25), Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection
Nota de confianza.Opened the jw.org landing page and downloaded the official PDF (cpt_E.pdf, 176,911 bytes, dated 2025-11-19 in the CDN metadata but bearing the print code 9/25). Text extracted locally and quoted verbatim. Note the document does not use the phrase 'two witnesses' at all.
Procedencia del escaneo.Official PDF served by jw.org's own CDN (resolved via the page's GETPUBMEDIALINKS API, pub=cpt); document code 'cpt-E 9/25'.
Notes.IICSA recorded the first edition as published 2018. The NZ Royal Commission copy is the 12/20 edition; wording of par. 5 changed between 12/20 and 9/25 (see the NZ entry).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cpt-2025-0900-child-protection-position
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
diciembre de 2020 · pp.1-3 · pars. 3-5, 9-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; produced to the NZ Royal Commission by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) (doc ID JHV0000010)
“When elders learn of an accusation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses to ensure compliance with child abuse reporting laws. (Romans 13:1) Even if the elders have no legal duty to report an accusation to the authorities, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if a minor is still in danger of abuse or there is some other valid reason.”
Paragraph 5 of the December 2020 edition, produced to the NZ inquiry. Useful for showing the wording of the policy as it stood in 2020-2021, side by side with the 2025 edition.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection (cpt-E 12/20), Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the NZ-hosted PDF; quotation verbatim.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library (public record). Document ID JHV0000010; print code 'cpt-E 12/20'.
Notes.The NZ case study that received this document was later declared unlawful for exceeding the inquiry's terms of reference ([2026] NZHC 1295); that ruling concerns the Commission's findings, not the authenticity of documents the organisation itself produced.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cpt-2020-1200-child-protection-position-nz
La regla de los dos testigos: qué es y dónde se aplica
The rule derives from Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:16. In the elders’ handbook it governs whether a judicial committee can act. The text below is from the chapters produced to a New Zealand inquiry under a notice to produce; this site quotes the handbook only from such lawful exhibits.Source: Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry (New Zealand), evidence library, 2024
Eyewitnesses: There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just people repeating hearsay; no action can be taken if there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15-17; John 8:17; 1 Tim. 5:19, 24, 25) If there are two or three witnesses to the same kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, the elders can consider their testimony.
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización afirma que la regla rige únicamente la acción judicial interna, y no si el abuso se denuncia a las autoridades, y que 'la ausencia de un segundo testigo no significa que quien hace la acusación no diga la verdad' ( párrs. 15-16).
Mostrar las pruebas (3 fuentes)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
abril de 2021 · ch. 12 par. 40(2); ch. 14 pars. 4, 6, 7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) in response to NZ Royal Commission Notice to Produce 1 (doc ID JHV0000012)
“Eyewitnesses: There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just people repeating hearsay; no action can be taken if there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15-17; John 8:17; 1 Tim. 5:19, 24, 25) If there are two or three witnesses to the same kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, the elders can consider their testimony.”
Ch. 12 par. 40(2), under 'Evidence Establishing Wrongdoing'. Ch. 14 par. 7: 'To ensure that elders comply with child-abuse reporting laws, two elders should immediately call the Legal Department for legal advice when the elders learn of an accusation of child abuse', with ten listed situations in which the call must still be made, including where 'the alleged abuse is based on the testimony of only one witness'. Ch. 14 par. 4 says the victim or anyone reporting 'should be clearly informed that they have the right to report the matter to the secular authorities. Elders do not criticize anyone who chooses to make such a report'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for "Shepherd the Flock of God"—1 Peter 5:2, elders' handbook, April 2021 revision (chapters 12, 14, 16, 22), Chapter 12 'Determining Whether a Judicial Committee Should Be Formed' par. 40; Chapter 14 'Child Abuse' pars. 4-8
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the NZ-hosted PDF; quotations verbatim. The October 2021 and April 2022 full editions (also in the NZ library, EXT9990227 and EXT9990228) contain the same chapter 14 structure; the 2019 first edition and the 2023 edition were not opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library (public record); 35 pages.
Notes.The brief asked for 'ks19 ch.14: always call the branch office Legal Department first' — confirmed in this April 2021 text as ch. 14 par. 7 ('immediately call the Legal Department').
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ks-2021-0400-shepherd-flock-ch12-ch14
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
mayo de 2019 · pp.8-13 · pars. 13-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Does this mean that before an allegation of abuse can be reported to the authorities, two witnesses are required? No. This requirement does not apply to whether elders or others report allegations of a crime.”
Par. 15. Par. 13: 'In places where such laws exist, elders endeavor to comply with secular laws about reporting allegations of abuse.' Par. 16: 'The absence of a second witness does not mean that the one making the accusation is untruthful.' Par. 18: a repentant abuser 'may never qualify to receive any congregation privileges or to serve in any position of responsibility'. IICSA described this article as the document that 'explained and expanded on' the worldwide policy for congregants.
2010 · pp.131-132 · pars. 18-19 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Child abuse is a crime. Never suggest to anyone that they should not report an allegation of child abuse to the police or other authorities. If you are asked, make it clear that whether to report the matter to the authorities or not is a personal decision for each individual to make and that there are no congregation sanctions for either decision.”
Par. 19, pp. 131-132. Par. 18: 'You should immediately call the branch office for direction if you learn of an accusation of child abuse, regardless of the age of the victim now or at the time of the alleged abuse'. A margin note refers elders to the 1 October 2012 letter. This is the edition the Australian Royal Commission examined in 2015.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for "Shepherd the Flock of God" (ks10-E), elders' handbook, 2010 edition, Chapter 12 (Handling Certain Judicial Matters), 'Child Abuse', pars. 18-21
Nota de confianza.Downloaded the NZ-hosted scan (143 pages) and text-extracted chapter 12; quotation verbatim.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library. The scan carries Australian Royal Commission document IDs (WAT.0003.001.0001 ff.; Exhibit 29-0003 per Case Study 29 report endnote 106) and NZ IDs (MSC0500457).
Notes.Not published on wol.jw.org (elders-only publication). Quoted from the copy tendered in evidence to the Australian Royal Commission; no other copy is cited.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ks-2010-0000-shepherd-flock-ch12
What the rule meant for a lone complainant was stated in 1995: where an accusation is denied and there is no second witness, ‘nothing more can be done in a judicial way’ and the congregation ‘will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person’. The 2019 article adds that ‘the absence of a second witness does not mean that the one making the accusation is untruthful’.Source: The Watchtower, 1 de noviembre de 1995Source: The Watchtower (study edition), mayo de 2019
If the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way. And the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person. The Bible says that there must be two or three witnesses before judicial action can be taken. (2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19)
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: El pasaje aparece en un análisis de los «recuerdos reprimidos»; el artículo de la organización de 2019 dice ahora que la ausencia de un segundo testigo «no significa que quien hace la acusación no diga la verdad» ( párr. 16).
Mostrar las pruebas (2 fuentes)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de noviembre de 1995 · pp.25-29 · section 'Repressed Memories', par. beginning 'If the accusation is denied' · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“If the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way. And the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person. The Bible says that there must be two or three witnesses before judicial action can be taken. (2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19)”
Written in the context of adults recovering 'repressed memories' of childhood abuse; instructs elders what to do when only one accuser exists and the accused denies it. The Royal Commission cited this article as still informing procedure in 2015 (Case Study 29 report p. 25, p. 64).
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: «Los testigos de Jehová consideran que el requisito de los dos testigos no es materia de debate, puesto que se basa en requisitos bíblicos» ( párr. 5.18); la regla está «en armonía con el derecho probatorio» y se toman medidas cautelares incluso cuando faltan pruebas (párrs. 9.211-9.216). En marzo de 2017: «la regla de los dos testigos la exigen las Escrituras y no puede cambiarse ni eludirse... Esa es nuestra postura» ( pág. 26525).
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
9 de noviembre de 2015 · pp.1-141 · pars. 5.17-5.18, 9.12-9.19, 9.210-9.216, 9.355-9.359 · Counsel for Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd and the elder witnesses · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Commonwealth of Australia)
“Jehovah's Witnesses consider that the requirement for two witnesses is not a matter for debate as it is based on Scriptural requirements found in the Mosaic Law and reiterated by Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Even when the requisite Scriptural evidence is lacking, elders nevertheless take precautionary measures.”
Par. 5.18. Par. 9.16: 'when an allegation is made by an adult survivor of child sexual abuse, it is not the right of an organisation to make a report on that adult's behalf unless the adult requests that it be done.' Par. 9.211 compares the two-witness rule to the criminal standard of proof and the hearsay rule. Pars. 9.358-9.359 quote the 1 October 2012 letter to bodies of elders (pars. 11-13) on remaining 'vigilant' and warning parents.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 29, Submissions on behalf of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia & Others (SUBM.1029.001.0001)
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the 141-page PDF; quotations verbatim. This is the organisation's formal written response to Counsel Assisting's proposed findings.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library copy of the Australian Royal Commission submission (RC doc ID SUBM.1029.001.0001; NZ ID MSC0500435).
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Paul Gillies (Oficina de Información Pública) dijo a la IICSA que el proceso interno 'sirve únicamente para determinar si el acusado debe seguir siendo testigo de Jehová. Es un proceso exclusivamente eclesiástico' (Parte E, párr. 6.5).
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
4 de agosto de 2023 · Background; Findings; Conclusions · Charity Commission (gov.uk)
“is not the organisation that is currently directly responsible for the safety of JW beneficiaries, including children”
The Commission's conclusion about Watch Tower Britain (charity 1077961) after a nine-year inquiry (opened 27 May 2014, report 4 August 2023). The inquiry found the charity had a role only in the 2011 policy; the current policy is 'a global policy used by JWs across the world' prepared at World Headquarters; responsibility passed to the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (2011) and, after March 2022 mergers, the Kingdom Hall Trust. The charity's responses 'have not been as straightforward and as transparent as they should have been', though the Commission did 'not conclude that the trustees have deliberately failed to cooperate'. Litigation (judicial review 2014-2016; Supreme Court refused permission July 2016) 'substantially constrained inquiry progress'. An NSPCC review had found the 2013 policy 'at odds with UK legislation and guidance'.
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
9 de noviembre de 2015 · pp.1-141 · pars. 5.17-5.18, 9.12-9.19, 9.210-9.216, 9.355-9.359 · Counsel for Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd and the elder witnesses · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Commonwealth of Australia)
“Jehovah's Witnesses consider that the requirement for two witnesses is not a matter for debate as it is based on Scriptural requirements found in the Mosaic Law and reiterated by Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Even when the requisite Scriptural evidence is lacking, elders nevertheless take precautionary measures.”
Par. 5.18. Par. 9.16: 'when an allegation is made by an adult survivor of child sexual abuse, it is not the right of an organisation to make a report on that adult's behalf unless the adult requests that it be done.' Par. 9.211 compares the two-witness rule to the criminal standard of proof and the hearsay rule. Pars. 9.358-9.359 quote the 1 October 2012 letter to bodies of elders (pars. 11-13) on remaining 'vigilant' and warning parents.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 29, Submissions on behalf of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia & Others (SUBM.1029.001.0001)
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the 141-page PDF; quotations verbatim. This is the organisation's formal written response to Counsel Assisting's proposed findings.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library copy of the Australian Royal Commission submission (RC doc ID SUBM.1029.001.0001; NZ ID MSC0500435).
Denunciar a las autoridades: qué decía la política publicada y cómo cambió
Elders’ handbook, 2010
Reporting is the individual’s ‘absolute right’; elders call the branch
Child abuse is a crime. Never suggest to anyone that they should not report an allegation of child abuse to the police or other authorities. If you are asked, make it clear that whether to report the matter to the authorities or not is a personal decision for each individual to make and that there are no congregation sanctions for either decision.
Branch guidelines (2021) and public statement (2025)
Report whenever a child remains at risk, ‘even if there is not a legal obligation’
If the victim or another minor is still in danger of abuse, the elders should report the matter to the secular authorities even if there is not a legal obligation to do so.
Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización alegó que unos 200 de los 1.006 no eran miembros en el momento de la primera acusación, que muchos expedientes surgieron en jurisdicciones sin denuncia obligatoria, que los supervivientes adultos tienen derecho a decidir si denuncian, y que su propia revisión halló que 383 presuntos agresores habían sido «tratados por la policía o por autoridades seculares» ( párrs. 9.12-9.19; págs. 58-60). La Comisión no aceptó nada de esto como algo que desplazara la conclusión: «Las cifras hablan por sí solas».
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
9 de noviembre de 2015 · pp.1-141 · pars. 5.17-5.18, 9.12-9.19, 9.210-9.216, 9.355-9.359 · Counsel for Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd and the elder witnesses · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Commonwealth of Australia)
“Jehovah's Witnesses consider that the requirement for two witnesses is not a matter for debate as it is based on Scriptural requirements found in the Mosaic Law and reiterated by Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Even when the requisite Scriptural evidence is lacking, elders nevertheless take precautionary measures.”
Par. 5.18. Par. 9.16: 'when an allegation is made by an adult survivor of child sexual abuse, it is not the right of an organisation to make a report on that adult's behalf unless the adult requests that it be done.' Par. 9.211 compares the two-witness rule to the criminal standard of proof and the hearsay rule. Pars. 9.358-9.359 quote the 1 October 2012 letter to bodies of elders (pars. 11-13) on remaining 'vigilant' and warning parents.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 29, Submissions on behalf of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia & Others (SUBM.1029.001.0001)
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the 141-page PDF; quotations verbatim. This is the organisation's formal written response to Counsel Assisting's proposed findings.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library copy of the Australian Royal Commission submission (RC doc ID SUBM.1029.001.0001; NZ ID MSC0500435).
Conclusión independiente · agosto de 2015Verificado
De los 1.006 presuntos agresores registrados en los expedientes australianos, 579 habían confesado el abuso sexual de menores; 108 eran ancianos o siervos ministeriales en el momento del primer presunto abuso; 28 fueron nombrados ancianos o siervos ministeriales después de una acusación; y 230 de los 401 expulsados de la congregación por abuso sexual infantil fueron readmitidos posteriormente. Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización dijo que «una mera recitación de cifras no ayudará a la Comisión [Real]» y que su definición de conducta indebida que debe comunicarse es amplia (incluye el «sexting») ( pág. 59).
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
Conclusión independiente · octubre de 2016Verificado
La Comisión Real concluyó que era práctica general de la organización de los testigos de Jehová en Australia no denunciar a la policía ni a otras autoridades las acusaciones de abuso sexual infantil, salvo cuando la ley lo exigía, y que esa práctica 'demuestra un grave fallo de la organización a la hora de velar por la seguridad y la protección de los niños'. Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización alegó que era erróneo concluir que existiera una 'política de no denunciar'; la Comisión respondió que 'aunque puede que no haya una política concreta, es práctica de la organización no denunciar esos abusos cuando no hay una obligación legal' (p. 61). Desde 2015 la organización afirma que denuncia siempre que un menor esté en peligro; en la audiencia de marzo de 2017 dijo que se habían denunciado 15 de 17 nuevas acusaciones.
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
Precision on the 1,006 figure. The number is of alleged perpetrators recorded in the Australian branch’s files since 1950. The Commission found no evidence that the organisation had reported any of them; it did not find that none were ever reported by anyone, and it recorded that 161 had been convicted after coming to police attention by other routes. The organisation objected that the figure includes people who were not members at the time and reflects a broad definition; the Commission answered that ‘the simple fact is that the organisation has files relating to 1,006 alleged abusers’. The figure is Australian only.Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 29, 9 de noviembre de 2015
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización se apoyó en esto para mostrar que nunca desaconsejó denunciar; la Comisión lo calificó de «política pasiva» y dijo que la justificación del «derecho absoluto» «no hace nada por proteger» a un denunciante que todavía es un niño (informe, págs. 61-62).
Mostrar las pruebas (2 fuentes)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
2010 · pp.131-132 · pars. 18-19 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Child abuse is a crime. Never suggest to anyone that they should not report an allegation of child abuse to the police or other authorities. If you are asked, make it clear that whether to report the matter to the authorities or not is a personal decision for each individual to make and that there are no congregation sanctions for either decision.”
Par. 19, pp. 131-132. Par. 18: 'You should immediately call the branch office for direction if you learn of an accusation of child abuse, regardless of the age of the victim now or at the time of the alleged abuse'. A margin note refers elders to the 1 October 2012 letter. This is the edition the Australian Royal Commission examined in 2015.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for "Shepherd the Flock of God" (ks10-E), elders' handbook, 2010 edition, Chapter 12 (Handling Certain Judicial Matters), 'Child Abuse', pars. 18-21
Nota de confianza.Downloaded the NZ-hosted scan (143 pages) and text-extracted chapter 12; quotation verbatim.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library. The scan carries Australian Royal Commission document IDs (WAT.0003.001.0001 ff.; Exhibit 29-0003 per Case Study 29 report endnote 106) and NZ IDs (MSC0500457).
Notes.Not published on wol.jw.org (elders-only publication). Quoted from the copy tendered in evidence to the Australian Royal Commission; no other copy is cited.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ks-2010-0000-shepherd-flock-ch12
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización presenta estas medidas como posturas de siempre que se han aclarado, y no como reformas (cpt párr. 2: 'postura basada en las Escrituras, mantenida desde hace mucho tiempo y ampliamente publicada').
Mostrar las pruebas (7 fuentes)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
septiembre de 2025 · pp.1-2 · pars. 3-5, 11-15 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (jw.org)
“Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.”
Paragraph 5 of the organisation's current public child-protection statement. Par. 3 says elders 'do not shield any perpetrator of child abuse from the authorities'; par. 4 that anyone reporting to elders is told they are free to report to the authorities; par. 11 describes the internal investigation as 'a purely religious proceeding'; par. 12 says elders 'never require victims of child abuse to present their accusation in the presence of the alleged abuser'; par. 14 says an abuser does not qualify for privileges 'for decades, if ever'; par. 15 says the document is reviewed at least every three years.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection (cpt-E 9/25), Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection
Nota de confianza.Opened the jw.org landing page and downloaded the official PDF (cpt_E.pdf, 176,911 bytes, dated 2025-11-19 in the CDN metadata but bearing the print code 9/25). Text extracted locally and quoted verbatim. Note the document does not use the phrase 'two witnesses' at all.
Procedencia del escaneo.Official PDF served by jw.org's own CDN (resolved via the page's GETPUBMEDIALINKS API, pub=cpt); document code 'cpt-E 9/25'.
Notes.IICSA recorded the first edition as published 2018. The NZ Royal Commission copy is the 12/20 edition; wording of par. 5 changed between 12/20 and 9/25 (see the NZ entry).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cpt-2025-0900-child-protection-position
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
mayo de 2019 · pp.8-13 · pars. 13-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Does this mean that before an allegation of abuse can be reported to the authorities, two witnesses are required? No. This requirement does not apply to whether elders or others report allegations of a crime.”
Par. 15. Par. 13: 'In places where such laws exist, elders endeavor to comply with secular laws about reporting allegations of abuse.' Par. 16: 'The absence of a second witness does not mean that the one making the accusation is untruthful.' Par. 18: a repentant abuser 'may never qualify to receive any congregation privileges or to serve in any position of responsibility'. IICSA described this article as the document that 'explained and expanded on' the worldwide policy for congregants.
abril de 2021 · ch. 12 par. 40(2); ch. 14 pars. 4, 6, 7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) in response to NZ Royal Commission Notice to Produce 1 (doc ID JHV0000012)
“Eyewitnesses: There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just people repeating hearsay; no action can be taken if there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15-17; John 8:17; 1 Tim. 5:19, 24, 25) If there are two or three witnesses to the same kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, the elders can consider their testimony.”
Ch. 12 par. 40(2), under 'Evidence Establishing Wrongdoing'. Ch. 14 par. 7: 'To ensure that elders comply with child-abuse reporting laws, two elders should immediately call the Legal Department for legal advice when the elders learn of an accusation of child abuse', with ten listed situations in which the call must still be made, including where 'the alleged abuse is based on the testimony of only one witness'. Ch. 14 par. 4 says the victim or anyone reporting 'should be clearly informed that they have the right to report the matter to the secular authorities. Elders do not criticize anyone who chooses to make such a report'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for "Shepherd the Flock of God"—1 Peter 5:2, elders' handbook, April 2021 revision (chapters 12, 14, 16, 22), Chapter 12 'Determining Whether a Judicial Committee Should Be Formed' par. 40; Chapter 14 'Child Abuse' pars. 4-8
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the NZ-hosted PDF; quotations verbatim. The October 2021 and April 2022 full editions (also in the NZ library, EXT9990227 and EXT9990228) contain the same chapter 14 structure; the 2019 first edition and the 2023 edition were not opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library (public record); 35 pages.
Notes.The brief asked for 'ks19 ch.14: always call the branch office Legal Department first' — confirmed in this April 2021 text as ch. 14 par. 7 ('immediately call the Legal Department').
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ks-2021-0400-shepherd-flock-ch12-ch14
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de diciembre de 2021 · pp.1-10 · pars. 1, 5, 6, 8 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (World Headquarters Legal Department); produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) (doc ID JHV0000013)
“If the victim or another minor is still in danger of abuse, the elders should report the matter to the secular authorities even if there is not a legal obligation to do so.”
Par. 8, which then lists screening questions (does the victim live in the accused's home; other minors in the home; proximity to minors) and says that if any answer is 'Yes' the Service Desk 'will direct that a report be made to the secular authorities'. Par. 1 restricts circulation to Branch Committee members, Service Department and Legal Department and forbids any electronic distribution. Par. 6: the Service Desk 'should assure the caller that he or she is free to report the allegation to the secular authorities'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Child Sexual Abuse—Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks, Child Sexual Abuse—Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks (Annexure K to CCJW Australasia response to NZ Royal Commission Notice to Produce 1)
Nota de confianza.Downloaded and text-extracted the NZ-hosted PDF; quotations verbatim. IICSA (2021) described this document as one of four core policy documents (its 2020 UK equivalent).
Procedencia del escaneo.New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library (public record). The production date is 1 December 2021; the internal document is undated in the extract.
Notes.An earlier version of these guidelines (August 2013) was in evidence at the Australian Royal Commission (Case Study 29 report p. 21, endnote 109).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-csa-guidelines-2021-1201-branch-service-desks
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováRespaldado
1 de agosto de 2016 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia (on behalf of the Governing Body's direction) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“That is a letter to All Bodies of Elders dated 1 August 2016. It is on the letterhead of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia.”
Counsel Assisting (Mr Stewart SC) introducing the letter in evidence, transcript p. 26500. At p. 26505 Mr O'Brien agreed that 'as at the date of the 1 August 2016 letter, the 1 October 2012 letter no longer applies'. The letter is the organisation's main post-Case-Study-29 policy revision, later superseded by the 2018 public policy and the 2019 elders' handbook.
No online copy located.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Letter to All Bodies of Elders, 'Protecting Minors From Abuse', letter to all bodies of elders, 1 August 2016 (exhibited at Royal Commission Case Study 54, 10 March 2017)
Nota de confianza.The letter was not opened; its existence, date and status are established from the Case Study 54 transcript (copy opened) and the ABC's reporting of the hearing.
Notes.Sometimes called the 'August 2016 letter'. The brief's suggestion of a 2 September 2019 letter could not be located in any inquiry or court record examined.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-boe-2016-0801-letter-protecting-minors
10 de marzo de 2017 · pp.26486-26574 · pp. 26491-26493, 26500, 26505, 26513, 26524-26525, 26530, 26543 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“THE CHAIR: Yes. But if there are not two witnesses, you don't accept it, do you? MR O'BRIEN: Because scripturally we're not able to.”
P. 26543:13-16. At p. 26525:17-21 Mr O'Brien confirmed the organisation's response to the recommendation to modify the two-witness rule: 'the two-witness rule is required by the scriptures and can't be changed or avoided ... That's correct. That's our stand.' Counsel Assisting's opening (pp. 26492-26493) said that of 17 allegations received since Case Study 29 the organisation had reported 15 to the authorities, the two exceptions being adult survivors who elected not to report. At p. 26513 Mr O'Brien described the Branch Office practice of instructing elders that where there is a risk to a child 'the matter is to be reported to the police'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 54 (Institutional review of the Jehovah's Witnesses), transcript Day 259, Evidence of Terrence O'Brien and Rodney Spinks, 10 March 2017
Nota de confianza.Official transcript not opened (host unreachable); a complete copy was opened and the central quotation matches the ABC's contemporaneous report. Upgrade to 'verified' once the official PDF is opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the DTI transcript (89 pp.) hosted by saysorry.org, a survivor-advocacy (discovery-tier) site; used because the official host was unreachable. Key quotation independently reported by ABC News on the day.
Notes.Case Study 54 was the follow-up 'institutional review' hearing held on Friday 10 March 2017. The Governing Body did not give evidence at this hearing.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2017-0310-cs54-day259-transcript
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: El señor Jackson dijo que la toma de decisiones 'se basa en el principio de la jefatura... en que, según las Escrituras, los hombres toman las decisiones finales', pero que dos mujeres cercanas a la víctima pueden recoger su testimonio y transmitirlo a los ancianos ( p. 67). La política pública actual dice que las víctimas pueden ir acompañadas de 'una persona de confianza de cualquier sexo' ( párr. 12).
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización dijo que «no es un requisito probatorio que un niño o un superviviente adulto se enfrente a su agresor» y que había habido «cierta confusión» en la audiencia ( párr. 5.16).
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
septiembre de 2025 · pp.1-2 · pars. 3-5, 11-15 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (jw.org)
“Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.”
Paragraph 5 of the organisation's current public child-protection statement. Par. 3 says elders 'do not shield any perpetrator of child abuse from the authorities'; par. 4 that anyone reporting to elders is told they are free to report to the authorities; par. 11 describes the internal investigation as 'a purely religious proceeding'; par. 12 says elders 'never require victims of child abuse to present their accusation in the presence of the alleged abuser'; par. 14 says an abuser does not qualify for privileges 'for decades, if ever'; par. 15 says the document is reviewed at least every three years.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection (cpt-E 9/25), Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection
Nota de confianza.Opened the jw.org landing page and downloaded the official PDF (cpt_E.pdf, 176,911 bytes, dated 2025-11-19 in the CDN metadata but bearing the print code 9/25). Text extracted locally and quoted verbatim. Note the document does not use the phrase 'two witnesses' at all.
Procedencia del escaneo.Official PDF served by jw.org's own CDN (resolved via the page's GETPUBMEDIALINKS API, pub=cpt); document code 'cpt-E 9/25'.
Notes.IICSA recorded the first edition as published 2018. The NZ Royal Commission copy is the 12/20 edition; wording of par. 5 changed between 12/20 and 9/25 (see the NZ entry).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cpt-2025-0900-child-protection-position
26 de julio de 2017 · Findings; Conclusions · Charity Commission (gov.uk)
“Mr Rose was permitted to cross-examine at [sic] individuals whom he had been convicted of indecently assaulting”
The Charity Commission’s inquiry report into the congregation’s handling of safeguarding. The report records that the individual concerned had been convicted in 2013 of indecent assault and imprisoned, and that the trustees did not engage openly and candidly with the Commission.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses: inquiry report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk report page opened; quotations confirmed.
Declaración explícita · 1 de enero de 1997Verificado
La Atalaya del 1 de enero de 1997 declaró que «un hombre del que se sabe que ha abusado sexualmente de menores no reúne los requisitos para ocupar un puesto de responsabilidad en la congregación» y no puede ser precursor, y declaró también que un abusador arrepentido puede «participar en el servicio del campo» y que la congregación «no lo protegerá» de las sanciones del Estado. Source: The Watchtower, 1 de enero de 1997
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización cita este artículo como prueba de una postura protectora de larga data ( cap. 14 párr. 4 cita w97 2/1 pág. 29).
Mostrar las pruebas (1 fuente)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de enero de 1997 · pp.26-29 · pars. on p. 29 (child molesters) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“For the protection of our children, a man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position in the congregation. Moreover, he cannot be a pioneer or serve in any other special, full-time service.”
The same article says: 'Depending on the law of the land where he lives, the molester may well have to serve a prison term or face other sanctions from the State. The congregation will not protect him from this.' It does not instruct elders to report; it also says a repentant abuser may 'share in the field service'. Courts later examined a 14 March 1997 letter to elders issued alongside this article (see Lopez and Padron).
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Watchtower alegó que los documentos eran confidenciales y, más tarde, que los documentos posteriores a 2001 eran inaccesibles; el tribunal calificó esto último de 'maniobra procesal'.
9 de noviembre de 2017 · Holding and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)
“$2,000 per day for every day Watchtower did not produce responsive documents and $2,000 per day for every day Watchtower did not search for responsive documents”
The San Diego Superior Court sanction ($4,000/day in total) imposed after Watchtower's counsel 'unequivocally informed' the court on 8 April 2016 that it would not comply with a 25 March 2016 order to produce all responses to the 14 March 1997 letter (redacted for victim and elder names). The Court of Appeal affirmed, describing Watchtower's conduct as 'abuse of the discovery process' and noting it had argued against production at least five times.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, Padron v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (No. D070723)
Nota de confianza.Full opinion opened on FindLaw. The opinion does not state the total accrued; press reports of 'more than $2 million' are not confirmed here.
14 de abril de 2016 · Holdings and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)
“known to have been guilty of child molestation”
The court's description of the 14 March 1997 letter whose responses the trial court had ordered produced. The trial court had struck Watchtower's answer for refusing to comply and entered a $13.5 million default judgment; the Court of Appeal upheld the document-production order but vacated the terminating sanction and default judgment because lesser sanctions should have been tried first, and vacated the order to depose Governing Body member Gerrit Lösch.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One, Lopez v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (No. D066388)
14 de marzo de 1997 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“known to have been guilty of child molestation”
The phrase the California Court of Appeal used in Lopez (2016) when describing the March 14, 1997 letter and the documents elders sent to headquarters in response. The Padron (2017) court ordered production of all responses to this letter and upheld daily sanctions for non-compliance.
No online copy located.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Letter to All Bodies of Elders, Letter to all bodies of elders, 14 March 1997 (requesting information on members 'known to have been guilty of child molestation')
Nota de confianza.The letter was not opened; its date and subject are taken from two appellate opinions that were opened (Lopez, Padron).
In England the Charity Commission found misconduct or mismanagement by the trustees of one congregation (2017) and, after a nine-year inquiry that the charity contested up to the Supreme Court, found the national charity’s responses ‘not as straightforward and as transparent as they should have been’ (2023). It did not conclude that trustees deliberately failed to cooperate, and it found that the policy is set globally at world headquarters.Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales, 26 de julio de 2017Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales, 4 de agosto de 2023
not as straightforward or transparent as they should have been
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Posteriormente la entidad revisó su política para que no se exija a las víctimas exponer sus acusaciones en presencia de los presuntos agresores.
26 de julio de 2017 · Findings; Conclusions · Charity Commission (gov.uk)
“Mr Rose was permitted to cross-examine at [sic] individuals whom he had been convicted of indecently assaulting”
The Charity Commission’s inquiry report into the congregation’s handling of safeguarding. The report records that the individual concerned had been convicted in 2013 of indecent assault and imprisoned, and that the trustees did not engage openly and candidly with the Commission.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses: inquiry report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk report page opened; quotations confirmed.
“As our report makes clear, the victims of abuse were badly let down by the charity. The trustees should have made the victims' welfare their first priority.”
Harvey Grenville, Head of Investigations and Enforcement. The release records that the charity subsequently revised its policy 'to ensure abuse victims are not required to make allegations in the presence of alleged abusers'. Page marked withdrawn 7 December 2023.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Investigation leads to improvements in safeguarding at Jehovah's Witnesses charity (press release)
Nota de confianza.gov.uk page opened; quotation confirmed.
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La entidad dijo que la Comisión 'debería haber dejado claro en todo momento que el Comité de Sucursal de Gran Bretaña ha sido, y sigue siendo, responsable de que la política de protección de menores de los testigos de Jehová cumpla las leyes de Inglaterra y Gales'; ante la IICSA, el señor Gillies calificó la investigación de 'manifiestamente injusta' ( Parte F, párr. 17).
4 de agosto de 2023 · Background; Findings; Conclusions · Charity Commission (gov.uk)
“is not the organisation that is currently directly responsible for the safety of JW beneficiaries, including children”
The Commission's conclusion about Watch Tower Britain (charity 1077961) after a nine-year inquiry (opened 27 May 2014, report 4 August 2023). The inquiry found the charity had a role only in the 2011 policy; the current policy is 'a global policy used by JWs across the world' prepared at World Headquarters; responsibility passed to the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (2011) and, after March 2022 mergers, the Kingdom Hall Trust. The charity's responses 'have not been as straightforward and as transparent as they should have been', though the Commission did 'not conclude that the trustees have deliberately failed to cooperate'. Litigation (judicial review 2014-2016; Supreme Court refused permission July 2016) 'substantially constrained inquiry progress'. An NSPCC review had found the 2013 policy 'at odds with UK legislation and guidance'.
“not as straightforward or transparent as they should have been”
How the Commission characterised the trustees' conduct during the inquiry regarding who held safeguarding responsibility. The release records 67 child-abuse allegations reported against individuals in JW congregations between 2009 and 2019 and quotes Chief Executive Helen Stephenson: 'a charity must be a safe, trusted environment'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Watchdog reports on investigation into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (press release)
Nota de confianza.gov.uk page opened; quotations confirmed.
“The Commission's concerns have been amplified by recent criminal cases concerning historic incidents of abuse involving individuals who appear to have been connected to Jehovah's Witnesses congregations.”
Announcing statutory inquiries into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (charity 1077961, opened 27 May 2014) and Manchester New Moston Congregation (charity 1065201, opened 30 May 2014). The release stresses the Commission 'is not a safeguarding authority and its inquiries will not investigate allegations of abuse'. Page marked withdrawn 19 October 2023 (inquiries concluded).
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Charity Commission investigates Jehovah's Witnesses charities (press release)
Notes.Both charities announced they would challenge the inquiries; the challenge went to the Court of Appeal (dismissed March 2016) and Supreme Court (permission refused July 2016) per the 2023 report.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cc-2014-0610-press-release-inquiries-opened
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización calificó el informe de 'científica y fácticamente incorrecto y difamatorio' y solicitó un requerimiento judicial; más tarde alegó que el Estado discriminaba al centrarse en una sola comunidad, y dijo que no había adoptado la línea de ayuda interna independiente que se recomendaba.
Through a contact point set up by the university. Of respondents, about 80% had reported to elders and 27% had filed a police report; 75% were dissatisfied with the internal handling (average score 3.3/10) against 6.4/10 for the police. The team, led by Professor Kees van den Bos, recommended an internal reporting centre with trained staff, elder training, annual reporting and consideration of mandatory reporting; it stressed the findings are not claimed to be fully representative.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Utrecht University news, Discontent among part of Jehovah's Witnesses about internal handling of abuse complaints
23 de enero de 2020 · Kees van den Bos et al. (Universiteit Utrecht) · WODC, Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid (repository handle 20.500.12832/2450)
“Seksueel misbruik en aangiftebereidheid binnen de gemeenschap van de Jehova's Getuigen”
Title as cited in the Dutch court's ruling of 23 January 2020, which records that the report was accepted by the WODC director on 11 December 2019 after unanimous positive advice from its supervisory committee. Commissioned by the WODC at the request of the Ministry of Justice and Security following a parliamentary motion; published 23 January 2020.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for WODC (Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Documentatiecentrum) / Universiteit Utrecht, Seksueel misbruik en aangiftebereidheid binnen de gemeenschap van Jehova's getuigen (Sexual abuse and willingness to report within the Jehovah's Witnesses community)
Nota de confianza.The report PDF itself was not opened (the WODC repository serves a JavaScript application to automated fetches; the item was confirmed via the repository's search API). Its findings are taken from Utrecht University's release and the court and parliamentary records, all opened.
“the government is guilty of discrimination because it is focusing solely on one religious community”
The organisation's position as reported. The article gives the report's figures (751 reports; 292 from victims themselves) and notes the organisation said it had provided pastoral care for years but had not implemented the recommended 'central internal independent hotline'.
23 de enero de 2020 · Section 4 'De beslissing', 4.1-4.2 · mr. R.A. Steenbergen (voorzieningenrechter) · Raad voor de Rechtspraak (open data)
“Juridisch gezien ligt de drempel voor een publicatieverbod hoog. Het belang dat met het rapport gediend wordt, weegt zwaarder dan de bezwaren van de Jehovah's Getuigen, ook omdat die bezwaren voor een belangrijk deel onjuist zijn.”
(Gloss: Legally the threshold for a publication ban is high. The interest served by the report outweighs the Jehovah's Witnesses' objections, also because those objections are largely incorrect.) The Jehovah's Witnesses sought to prevent publication of the WODC/Utrecht report on the day it was due to be released; the court 'wijst de vorderingen af' (dismissed the claims) and ordered them to pay costs. An appeal was rejected by the Gerechtshof Arnhem-Leeuwarden in August 2020.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Rechtbank Midden-Nederland (District Court of Central Netherlands), voorzieningenrechter, Christelijke Gemeente van Jehovah's Getuigen Nederland c.s. v Universiteit Utrecht and the State, ECLI:NL:RBMNE:2020:227 (kort geding, C/16/495765 / KG ZA 20-25)
Nota de confianza.Full judgment XML retrieved from the Rechtspraak open-data endpoint; quotations verbatim.
“Het rapport volgt uit gedegen, genuanceerd wetenschappelijk onderzoek en is getoetst door een wetenschappelijke begeleidingscommissie.”
(Gloss: the report follows from thorough, nuanced scientific research and was reviewed by a scientific supervisory committee.) The university records that the Gerechtshof Arnhem-Leeuwarden rejected the Jehovah's Witnesses' appeal against publication (decision reported as 4 August 2020 in legal databases).
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Universiteit Utrecht nieuws, Onderzoeksrapport over misbruik binnen gemeenschap Jehova's getuigen blijft openbaar, ook na hoger beroep
Nota de confianza.Page opened; quotation confirmed.
“the government is guilty of discrimination because it is focusing solely on one religious community”
The organisation's position as reported. The article gives the report's figures (751 reports; 292 from victims themselves) and notes the organisation said it had provided pastoral care for years but had not implemented the recommended 'central internal independent hotline'.
Conclusión independiente · 27 de enero de 2020Verificado
El ministro neerlandés de Protección Jurídica dijo al Parlamento que el informe presentaba un panorama 'extremadamente preocupante', en el que el carácter cerrado de la comunidad dificulta que se denuncie a la policía; instó a los dirigentes de la organización a crear un punto de denuncia independiente y anunció que se reuniría con ellos. Source: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, Kamerstuk 34843 nr. 39, 27 de enero de 2020
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización dijo después que ofrece atención pastoral, pero que no había implantado una línea de ayuda central e independiente.
27 de enero de 2020 · S. Dekker, Minister voor Rechtsbescherming · Officiële bekendmakingen (overheid.nl)
“uit het onderzoek blijkt dat redenen zijn om aan te nemen dat het doen van aangifte bemoeilijkt wordt door het gesloten karakter van de gemeenschap”
(Gloss: the research shows there are reasons to assume that reporting to the police is made harder by the closed character of the community.) The minister described the picture as 'extremely concerning', urged the leadership to set up an independent reporting point and announced a meeting with them; a separate November 2019 WODC report addressed widening mandatory reporting.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, Kamerstuk 34843 nr. 39, Brief van de Minister voor Rechtsbescherming inzake seksuele intimidatie en geweld (WODC-rapport Jehova's getuigen)
Nota de confianza.Parliamentary paper opened; quotation confirmed.
Notes.The organisation later (December 2023) sued the Dutch State alleging discrimination; a court rejected that claim (NOS, 2024) — not opened, so not relied on.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-tk-2020-0127-kamerbrief-dekker
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: En la audiencia de marzo de 2017 la organización dijo que la regla de los dos testigos 'no se puede cambiar ni eludir' y que 'las Escrituras le prohíben modificar la aplicación de la regla de los dos testigos' ( pp. 26491, 26525). No se ha localizado ninguna declaración pública posterior en la que acepte los puntos 16.27-16.29.
15 de diciembre de 2017 · Recommendations 16.27, 16.28, 16.29 · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse · Commonwealth of Australia
“abandon its application of the two witness rule in cases involving complaints of child sexual abuse”
Recommendation 16.27 as summarised in the search index of the official site and in secondary sources; 16.28 asks the organisation to revise its policies so that women are involved in processes for investigating and determining allegations of child sexual abuse; 16.29 asks it to no longer require members to shun those who disassociate where the reason relates to their being a victim of child sexual abuse. The Jehovah's Witnesses chapter is chapter 15 of Book 3 (confirmed from the Volume 16 table of contents in Book 2, which was opened).
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Final Report, Volume 16 Religious institutions, Book 3, Chapter 15 Jehovah's Witnesses; Recommendations 16.27-16.29
Nota de confianza.Neither the official nor the royalcommission.gov.au copy of Book 3 could be downloaded from this environment (both hosts time out / TLS fails; a Python download was left running). The recommendation wording is consistent across the official site's search snippet, the ABC's 2017 reporting, the Case Study 54 transcript (which describes the recommendations as they stood in the Case Study 29 report) and multiple secondary summaries, and the claims it supports are labelled accordingly.
Notes.Volume 16 Book 2 (Catholic Church) was downloaded from tjhcouncil.org.au and its contents page confirms Book 3 contains '15 Jehovah's Witnesses'. Final Report presented 15 December 2017.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2017-1215-final-report-vol16-bk3
10 de marzo de 2017 · pp.26486-26574 · pp. 26491-26493, 26500, 26505, 26513, 26524-26525, 26530, 26543 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“THE CHAIR: Yes. But if there are not two witnesses, you don't accept it, do you? MR O'BRIEN: Because scripturally we're not able to.”
P. 26543:13-16. At p. 26525:17-21 Mr O'Brien confirmed the organisation's response to the recommendation to modify the two-witness rule: 'the two-witness rule is required by the scriptures and can't be changed or avoided ... That's correct. That's our stand.' Counsel Assisting's opening (pp. 26492-26493) said that of 17 allegations received since Case Study 29 the organisation had reported 15 to the authorities, the two exceptions being adult survivors who elected not to report. At p. 26513 Mr O'Brien described the Branch Office practice of instructing elders that where there is a risk to a child 'the matter is to be reported to the police'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 54 (Institutional review of the Jehovah's Witnesses), transcript Day 259, Evidence of Terrence O'Brien and Rodney Spinks, 10 March 2017
Nota de confianza.Official transcript not opened (host unreachable); a complete copy was opened and the central quotation matches the ABC's contemporaneous report. Upgrade to 'verified' once the official PDF is opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the DTI transcript (89 pp.) hosted by saysorry.org, a survivor-advocacy (discovery-tier) site; used because the official host was unreachable. Key quotation independently reported by ABC News on the day.
Notes.Case Study 54 was the follow-up 'institutional review' hearing held on Friday 10 March 2017. The Governing Body did not give evidence at this hearing.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2017-0310-cs54-day259-transcript
10 de marzo de 2017 · Nicole Chettle and Michelle Brown · Australian Broadcasting Corporation
“Because scripturally we're not able to.”
Terrence O'Brien's answer, as reported, when Justice McClellan pressed him on the two-witness rule at the 10 March 2017 hearing. The report also records that of 17 allegations since 2015, 15 were reported to police, and that the US-based hierarchy declined to appear.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for ABC News (Australia), Uniting Church apologises to victims of sexual abuse, Jehovah's Witnesses defend treatment
Nota de confianza.Article opened; quotation confirmed.
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
“not as straightforward or transparent as they should have been”
How the Commission characterised the trustees' conduct during the inquiry regarding who held safeguarding responsibility. The release records 67 child-abuse allegations reported against individuals in JW congregations between 2009 and 2019 and quotes Chief Executive Helen Stephenson: 'a charity must be a safe, trusted environment'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Watchdog reports on investigation into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (press release)
Nota de confianza.gov.uk page opened; quotations confirmed.
En el caso Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam), unos ancianos a los que en 2016 se les habló del presunto abuso de un padre a su hija no lo denunciaron a la policía hasta julio de 2019, mientras él seguía viviendo en el hogar; la jueza Lieven habló de 'una enorme preocupación por la protección de los niños dentro de la comunidad de los testigos de Jehová', y la IICSA afirmó que los ancianos 'deberían haber hecho la derivación cuando conocieron la denuncia por primera vez'. Source: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), 2 de septiembre de 2021
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: El señor Gillies dijo que 'los ancianos aceptaron las garantías de la madre de que ella estaba proporcionando la protección adecuada' y que, con la política actual, se haría una denuncia aunque el progenitor se negara (IICSA, Parte E, párr. 7).
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
Conclusión independiente · octubre de 2016Verificado
La Comisión Real no aceptó las opiniones de la doctora Monica Applewhite, la perita contratada por la organización, porque su informe no identificaba los hechos y supuestos en que se basaba, comparaba a la organización con otras entidades religiosas no identificadas y no tenía en cuenta las experiencias de los supervivientes. Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: El informe de la doctora Applewhite afirmaba que los materiales de la organización eran «coherentes con, y en algunos aspectos mejores que» las prácticas de otras organizaciones religiosas (informe, pág. 74).
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
Conclusión independiente · octubre de 2016Verificado
La Comisión Real escuchó que el miedo a que se evite el trato con ellos disuade a los miembros de marcharse, y que la sobreviviente BCG y sus tres hijos 'fueron completamente rechazados, condenados al ostracismo y evitados de forma activa por los miembros' de su antigua congregación después de que ella se fuera; la Comisión incluyó la práctica de evitar el trato con quienes desean marcharse entre las políticas problemáticas de la organización. Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: En la audiencia de 2017 el señor Spinks presentó la desasociación como una decisión del propio individuo; el señor O'Brien confirmó que la práctica se basa en una interpretación de las Escrituras.
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
El Tribunal Superior de Nueva Zelanda declaró que el estudio de caso sobre los testigos de Jehová publicado en 2024 por la Comisión Real sobre Abusos bajo Tutela era ilegal porque excedía los términos de referencia de la investigación, y rechazó al mismo tiempo las alegaciones de la organización sobre libertad religiosa y justicia natural. Source: High Court of New Zealand, Wellington Registry, 15 de mayo de 2026
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización había pedido que se retirara el estudio de caso; el tribunal solo concedió una declaración.
15 de mayo de 2026 · pp.63 pp. · [205] · Boldt J · Courts of New Zealand
“I declare that the whole of the Commission's "Jehovah's Witnesses" case study was unlawful as it exceeded the inquiry's terms of reference.”
Para [205]. The court dismissed the organisation's Bill of Rights and natural-justice grounds but held the 57-page Whanaketia case study (2024) went beyond 'abuse in care', the Commission having identified only one instance of abuse in the care of an elder in the inquiry period. The declaration marks the illegality but does not remove the report from the parliamentary record.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for High Court of New Zealand, Wellington Registry, Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) Ltd v Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions [2026] NZHC 1295
Nota de confianza.Judgment PDF opened and quoted verbatim.
Notes.Consequence for this project: do not rely on the NZ case study's findings; the organisation's own documents produced to that inquiry remain authentic primary material.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-nzhc-2026-0515-ccjw-v-royal-commission
On 14 August 2015 Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson gave evidence by video. Asked whether the Governing Body sees itself as ‘Jehovah God’s spokespeople on earth’, he answered: ‘That I think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using’, and went on to say that the Governing Body sees itself as trying to fulfil the role of the ‘slave’ of Matthew 24. The Commission commented that this ‘seems to be inconsistent with the documentary evidence’ describing the Governing Body as the channel of Jehovah’s will. On the two-witness rule he said its scriptural basis was ‘absolutely’ established, that it concerns only whether a judicial committee is set up, and that ‘circumstances can also be one of the witnesses’. Transcript copies were used because the Commission’s website could not be reached during research; page and line references are in the source record.Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 29, transcript Day 155, 14 de agosto de 2015Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016
Declaración explícita · 14 de agosto de 2015Verificado
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Jackson añadió que el Cuerpo Gobernante considera que 'intenta cumplir' la función del 'esclavo' de Mateo 24, encargado del 'alimento espiritual' (transcripción p. 15937:39-47).
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
14 de agosto de 2015 · pp.15929-16000 · p. 15937 lines 35-47; p. 15966 lines 6-17; p. 15967 lines 19-47 to p. 15968 line 13; p. 15971 line 43 to p. 15972 line 10; p. 15988 lines 24-33 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“Q. And do you see yourselves as Jehovah God's spokespeople on earth? A. That I think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using.”
P. 15937:35-38. On the two-witness rule, p. 15967:33-47: 'Q. Is there a scriptural basis to that? A. ... Absolutely', citing Matthew 18:16; p. 15968:9-13: 'this is only talking about setting up a judicial committee. It doesn't mean to say that Jehovah's Witnesses would feel that someone is totally, a hundred per cent squeaky clean, just because there was only one witness to the crime.' P. 15971:43 to 15972:10: asked whether the scriptural basis is 'so solid or is there not space for your Governing Body to recognise that in cases of sexual abuse it need not apply', he answered 'We believe it does because of the number of times that that principle is emphasised in the scriptures.' On reporting, p. 15966:6-17: a policy requiring a report where others are at risk 'is a possible thing for us to consider'; p. 15967:19-22: 'it would certainly be a lot easier if we had mandatory laws on that'. P. 15988:29-33 (to the Chair): 'I would hope that the conscience of the elders would notify the police if the parent is not willing to do that.'
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 29, transcript Day 155, Evidence of Geoffrey William Jackson (member of the Governing Body), 14 August 2015
Nota de confianza.The official transcript URL could not be opened (host unreachable). A full copy was opened and the 'presumptuous' exchange matches the Commission's own quotation in the Case Study 29 report (p. 14, endnote 23); the two-witness passage matches the organisation's submissions' citation. Upgrade to 'verified' once the official PDF is opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the DTI transcript (72 pp., pagination 15929 ff.) hosted by jw-verite.org, a discovery-tier site; used only because the official host was unreachable. Wording checked against the Case Study 29 report (p. 14) and the organisation's own submissions, which cite T15967:33-T15968:7.
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Cuando se le preguntó si el Cuerpo Gobernante podría reconocer que la regla no tiene por qué aplicarse a los abusos sexuales, respondió: 'Creemos que sí se aplica, por el número de veces que ese principio se recalca en las Escrituras' (p. 15972:9-10), aunque reconoció que 'las circunstancias también pueden ser uno de los testigos' (p. 15972:1-3).
14 de agosto de 2015 · pp.15929-16000 · p. 15937 lines 35-47; p. 15966 lines 6-17; p. 15967 lines 19-47 to p. 15968 line 13; p. 15971 line 43 to p. 15972 line 10; p. 15988 lines 24-33 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“Q. And do you see yourselves as Jehovah God's spokespeople on earth? A. That I think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using.”
P. 15937:35-38. On the two-witness rule, p. 15967:33-47: 'Q. Is there a scriptural basis to that? A. ... Absolutely', citing Matthew 18:16; p. 15968:9-13: 'this is only talking about setting up a judicial committee. It doesn't mean to say that Jehovah's Witnesses would feel that someone is totally, a hundred per cent squeaky clean, just because there was only one witness to the crime.' P. 15971:43 to 15972:10: asked whether the scriptural basis is 'so solid or is there not space for your Governing Body to recognise that in cases of sexual abuse it need not apply', he answered 'We believe it does because of the number of times that that principle is emphasised in the scriptures.' On reporting, p. 15966:6-17: a policy requiring a report where others are at risk 'is a possible thing for us to consider'; p. 15967:19-22: 'it would certainly be a lot easier if we had mandatory laws on that'. P. 15988:29-33 (to the Chair): 'I would hope that the conscience of the elders would notify the police if the parent is not willing to do that.'
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Case Study 29, transcript Day 155, Evidence of Geoffrey William Jackson (member of the Governing Body), 14 August 2015
Nota de confianza.The official transcript URL could not be opened (host unreachable). A full copy was opened and the 'presumptuous' exchange matches the Commission's own quotation in the Case Study 29 report (p. 14, endnote 23); the two-witness passage matches the organisation's submissions' citation. Upgrade to 'verified' once the official PDF is opened.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the DTI transcript (72 pp., pagination 15929 ff.) hosted by jw-verite.org, a discovery-tier site; used only because the official host was unreachable. Wording checked against the Case Study 29 report (p. 14) and the organisation's own submissions, which cite T15967:33-T15968:7.
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
P. 60. Other key passages: p. 58 (files since 1950 record allegations against 1,006 members; 579 admissions; at least 1,800 alleged victims); p. 59 ('The numbers tell their own story'); p. 61 ('We are satisfied that it is the general practice of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Australia not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police or other authorities unless required to do so by law'); p. 65 (two-witness rule: 'retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong'); p. 67 (men-only decision-making is 'a fundamental flaw'); p. 69 ('places children within the organisation at significant risk'); p. 70 (BCG 'completely shunned, ostracised and actively avoided'); p. 77 ('We do not consider the Jehovah's Witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse').
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Report of Case Study No. 29: The response of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse
Nota de confianza.The official Royal Commission host could not be reached from this environment (TLS renegotiation failure / timeouts), so the NZ-hosted copy of the same Commonwealth publication was downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. Tabled in Parliament 28 November 2016.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the Commonwealth publication (CC BY 3.0 AU) held in the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission evidence library; identical ISBN and pagination to the official release.
Notes.Public hearing 27 July-5 August and 14 August 2015, Sydney. Survivors identified only as BCG and BCB. Also on parlinfo.aph.gov.au as a tabled paper.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-arc-2016-1000-cs29-report
Los resultados se exponen íntegramente, incluidas las reducciones y las revocaciones. Los demandantes adultos identificados eligieron litigar con su propio nombre; los autores no se nombran aquí salvo que una sentencia recoja una condena y el nombre sea necesario para identificar el caso.
En Conti v Watchtower, un jurado de California concedió en 2012 unos 28 millones de dólares (7 millones en daños compensatorios y 21 millones en daños punitivos, estos últimos reducidos por el juez de primera instancia a 8,61 millones); en 2015, el Tribunal de Apelación confirmó la responsabilidad por no supervisar el servicio del campo de un abusador conocido, pero revocó la indemnización punitiva, al sostener que los ancianos «no tenían el deber de apartarse de la política de confidencialidad de Watchtower y advertir a los miembros de la congregación». Source: California Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three, 13 de abril de 2015
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización alegó, y el tribunal de apelación lo aceptó, que no tenía el deber de advertir a la congregación; no aceptó la conclusión sobre la supervisión, pero la condena compensatoria se mantuvo.
13 de abril de 2015 · Holdings and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)
“The elders of the Fremont Congregation had no duty to depart from Watchtower's policy of confidentiality and warn the members of the Congregation that Kendrick had molested a child.”
The court reversed the punitive award but held that 'Defendants had a duty to use reasonable care to restrict and supervise Kendrick's field service to prevent him from harming children'. The 2012 Alameda County jury had awarded $7,000,000 compensatory and $21,000,001 punitive damages (about $28m); the trial court reduced the punitive award to $8,610,000. On appeal the compensatory verdict (reported as about $2.8m against the defendants after apportionment) was affirmed and the punitive award reversed with directions to enter judgment for Watchtower on that claim. The opinion describes a 1 July 1989 letter to elders on confidentiality and a 1 August 1995 letter saying 'steps should be taken to protect the child, or other children'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for California Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three, Conti v. Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc., 235 Cal.App.4th 1214 (No. A136641)
Nota de confianza.Full opinion opened on FindLaw; holdings and figures confirmed. Justia and Leagle copies were blocked or truncated.
Notes.Candace Conti waived anonymity and is the named plaintiff. The abuser (Kendrick) was a congregation member, not an elder.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-cal-2015-0413-conti-v-watchtower
Un jurado de Montana concedió 35 millones de dólares (31 millones de ellos en daños punitivos) a una mujer que sufrió abusos después de que unos ancianos hubieran tratado internamente una denuncia anterior sobre el mismo hombre; en enero de 2020 el Tribunal Supremo de Montana revocó la sentencia, al considerar que los ancianos estaban exentos de la obligación de denunciar porque su doctrina exigía mantener la confidencialidad de esas comunicaciones. Source: Montana Supreme Court, 8 de enero de 2020
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La organización alegó con éxito que su práctica de confidencialidad quedaba amparada por la excepción legal para el clero (art. 41-3-201(6)(c) MCA).
8 de enero de 2020 · paras 25, 33 · Montana Supreme Court (opinion text via FindLaw)
“A member of the clergy or a priest is not required to make a report under this section if the communication is required to be confidential by canon law, church doctrine, or established church practice.”
Montana Code Annotated s. 41-3-201(6)(c), as quoted. The court held (para 33) that 'undisputed material facts in the summary judgment record demonstrate as a matter of law that Jehovah's Witnesses were not mandatory reporters' because their doctrine required confidentiality, reversing a Sanders County jury verdict of $4 million compensatory and $31 million punitive damages ($35 million) for Alexis Nunez and directing judgment for the defendants. Elders of the Thompson Falls congregation had received reports in 2004 about a member and disfellowshipped, then reinstated, him without informing authorities.
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Los demandados impugnaron tanto la responsabilidad vicaria como la prescripción; el juez Globe concluyó que seguía siendo posible un juicio justo y que el abuso estaba «inextricablemente entrelazado» con las funciones de él.
19 de junio de 2015 · paras 25, 90, 91 ff., final paragraph · Mr Justice Globe · Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (approved judgment)
“he was ostensibly performing his duties as a Jehovah's Witness ministerial servant. I am satisfied that the progressive acts of intimacy were only possible because he had the actual or ostensible status of a ministerial servant that meant no one who saw him questioned his being alone with the claimant. ... In such circumstances, in my judgment, it is fair and just to hold the defendants to be vicariously liable for his acts.”
Para 90. The claimant was abused between about 1989 and 1994 (aged about four to nine) by a ministerial servant in the Loughborough congregations (named in the judgment, which records that he has since died), who was later 'arrested and later convicted of and imprisoned for sexually abusing' two other children (para 25). Globe J also upheld the 'safeguarding claim' that elders who learned in 1990 of his abuse of another child failed to take reasonable steps to protect her, and gave judgment for the claimant with quantum to be agreed. The trial was heard 3-16 February 2015 under an anonymity order.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for High Court of Justice, Queen's Bench Division, A v The Trustees of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and others [2015] EWHC 1722 (QB) (HQ13X01985)
Nota de confianza.Approved judgment opened in full (chambers copy) and quoted verbatim; provenance is a barristers' chambers rather than BAILII, so the text is an approved-judgment copy rather than an official law-report transcript.
Procedencia del escaneo.Copy of the approved judgment (31 pp., neutral citation and 'Approved Judgment' header) hosted by Outer Temple Chambers, chambers of the claimant's counsel. BAILII was unreachable from this environment.
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
Part H.1 Conclusions, para 25 (p. 113). Part B para 15.4: over 131,700 members in England and Wales; records showed allegations concerning 67 individuals reported to the Branch Office in the previous ten years, including 25 against elders and 32 against ministerial servants. Part D para 19 lists the four core policy documents (2018 public statement; Watchtower May 2019; Shepherd the Flock of God; Guidelines for Branch Office Service Desks) and notes that the two documents that explain how to refer matters to statutory authorities 'are not circulated to members of the congregation'. Part E para 6.4: the Service Department 'does not make reports to the statutory authorities'. Part E para 7: Lancashire County Council v E & F [2020] EWHC 182 (Fam) — elders told in 2016, police not informed until July 2019; Lieven J spoke of 'very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community'. Part F para 17: the Charity Commission's Harvey Grenville called the level of legal challenge 'simply unprecedented'.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), Child protection in religious organisations and settings: Investigation Report
Nota de confianza.gov.uk PDF downloaded and text-extracted; all quotations verbatim with printed page numbers. iicsa.org.uk HTML pages returned 403 to automated fetch.
Procedencia del escaneo.gov.uk copy of the report (224-page PDF). Printed page numbers are 14 lower than PDF page numbers.
Notes.Published 2 September 2021 after 16 hearing days in 2020. IICSA made two recommendations (policy/training; unregistered educational settings); neither is JW-specific.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-iicsa-2021-0902-religious-organisations-report
Una investigación de varios años realizada por un gran jurado estatal de Pensilvania sobre abusos dentro de congregaciones de los testigos de Jehová dio lugar a cargos penales contra al menos catorce hombres entre octubre de 2022 y julio de 2023; el fiscal general dijo que la investigación sobre la organización en sí seguía abierta. Los comunicados de prensa de la oficina del fiscal general informan de que algunos de los acusados se han declarado culpables desde entonces o han sido condenados; esos comunicados no pudieron abrirse durante la investigación, así que aquí no se verifican los resultados individuales. Source: Associated Press (via WESA, Pittsburgh), 20 de abril de 2023Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 7 de julio de 2023
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: El portavoz Jarrod Lopes: la organización 'sí reconoce el abuso como un delito', los miembros pueden denunciar y el requisito del segundo testigo solo se aplica a la disciplina interna.
20 de abril de 2023 · Mark Scolforo and Peter Smith · Associated Press
“does recognize abuse as a crime”
Organisation spokesman Jarrod Lopes' response, adding that members may report to authorities, that the second-witness requirement applies only to internal discipline and that elders comply with reporting laws regardless of witness availability. The AP reported nine men charged between October 2022 and February 2023 after a four-year grand jury investigation, with the Attorney General saying the investigation of the organisation itself was ongoing.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Associated Press (via WESA, Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania charges put focus on Jehovah's Witnesses' handling of abuse
Nota de confianza.Syndicated copy opened (wesa.fm redirected to wesanews.org).
Notes.Official PA Office of Attorney General releases (e.g. Westmoreland County, Allegheny County, Butler County case updates) could not be opened (HTTP 403); their existence is confirmed by search listings only. Archive reference removed: https://apnews.com (blocked in this environment; original AP URL not recorded)
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-ap-2023-0420-wesa-pa-charges
7 de julio de 2023 · Rodrigo Torrejón and David Gambacorta · The Philadelphia Inquirer
“The charges follow a statewide grand jury investigation; the defendants were charged in five separate counties.”
Report of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s announcement of charges arising from a statewide grand jury investigation. Charges are allegations; none of the defendants had been tried when the announcement was made, and each is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pa. attorney general charges five Jehovah's Witnesses with rape, sexual abuse of children
Notes.Charges are allegations until conviction; later press releases report convictions and sentences of individual defendants (not opened: attorneygeneral.gov returned 403).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-inquirer-2023-0707-pa-charges
El fiscal general de Delaware demandó a la congregación de Laurel y a dos de sus ancianos, alegando que no habían denunciado una relación sexual entre una mujer adulta y un miembro de 14 años; el Tribunal Superior se negó a desestimar el caso sobre la base del argumento de los ancianos relativo al privilegio de «sacerdote y penitente», y, según se informó, el caso se resolvió mediante acuerdo en 2018 sin que se dictara conclusión alguna en su contra. Source: State of Delaware v. Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and two elders (C.A. No. N14C-05-122 MMJ), 26 de enero de 2016
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Los ancianos alegaron que la ley de denuncia de Delaware eximía las comunicaciones «entre sacerdote y penitente en una confesión sacramental».
26 de enero de 2016 · Judge Mary M. Johnston · Delaware Superior Court (listed on Justia)
“between priest and penitent in a sacramental confession”
The wording of Delaware's reporting-law exemption (16 Del. C. s. 909) on which the elders relied. The State alleged two elders learned in January 2013 of a sexual relationship between an adult woman and a 14-year-old congregant and did not call the child-abuse report line. The court denied the defendants' motion for summary judgment (AP, 4 February 2016), leaving factual issues for trial. The case was reported to have settled in January 2018; the settlement terms have not been verified from a court record and are not published here.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for State of Delaware v. Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and two elders (C.A. No. N14C-05-122 MMJ), State of Delaware v. Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Joel Mulchansingh and William Perkins (C.A. No. N14C-05-122 MMJ)
Nota de confianza.The opinion could not be opened (Justia blocks automated fetches); the filing, the privilege argument and the January 2016 ruling are confirmed by two AP reports (Fox News 4 Feb 2016; NBC10 Philadelphia 7 Sept 2017) that were opened. The settlement terms are unverified.
Notes.The full case caption, which names the two elders, is recorded in the court record; this site cites the case by its short form.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-de-2016-0126-state-v-laurel-congregation
If an accusation is denied and there is no second witness, ‘nothing more can be done in a judicial way’
The Watchtower instructs that the congregation ‘will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person’ where the accusation is denied and unsupported by a second witness. Source: The Watchtower, 1 de noviembre de 1995
Abrir las pruebas If an accusation is denied and there is no second witness, ‘nothing more can be done in a judicial way’
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de noviembre de 1995 · pp.25-29 · section 'Repressed Memories', par. beginning 'If the accusation is denied' · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“If the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way. And the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person. The Bible says that there must be two or three witnesses before judicial action can be taken. (2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19)”
‘A man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position’
The Watchtower states the congregation ‘will not protect him’ from state sanctions; the article does not instruct reporting. In March 1997 headquarters wrote to all bodies of elders asking about members ‘known to have been guilty of child molestation’, a letter later the subject of US discovery orders. Source: The Watchtower, 1 de enero de 1997Source: Letter to All Bodies of Elders, 14 de marzo de 1997
Abrir las pruebas ‘A man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position’
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de enero de 1997 · pp.26-29 · pars. on p. 29 (child molesters) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“For the protection of our children, a man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position in the congregation. Moreover, he cannot be a pioneer or serve in any other special, full-time service.”
2010 · pp.131-132 · pars. 18-19 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Child abuse is a crime. Never suggest to anyone that they should not report an allegation of child abuse to the police or other authorities. If you are asked, make it clear that whether to report the matter to the authorities or not is a personal decision for each individual to make and that there are no congregation sanctions for either decision.”
13 de abril de 2015 · Holdings and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)
“The elders of the Fremont Congregation had no duty to depart from Watchtower's policy of confidentiality and warn the members of the Congregation that Kendrick had molested a child.”
“The Commission's concerns have been amplified by recent criminal cases concerning historic incidents of abuse involving individuals who appear to have been connected to Jehovah's Witnesses congregations.”
19 de junio de 2015 · paras 25, 90, 91 ff., final paragraph · Mr Justice Globe · Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (approved judgment)
“he was ostensibly performing his duties as a Jehovah's Witness ministerial servant. I am satisfied that the progressive acts of intimacy were only possible because he had the actual or ostensible status of a ministerial servant that meant no one who saw him questioned his being alone with the claimant. ... In such circumstances, in my judgment, it is fair and just to hold the defendants to be vicariously liable for his acts.”
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
14 de agosto de 2015 · pp.15929-16000 · p. 15937 lines 35-47; p. 15966 lines 6-17; p. 15967 lines 19-47 to p. 15968 line 13; p. 15971 line 43 to p. 15972 line 10; p. 15988 lines 24-33 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“Q. And do you see yourselves as Jehovah God's spokespeople on earth? A. That I think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using.”
9 de noviembre de 2015 · pp.1-141 · pars. 5.17-5.18, 9.12-9.19, 9.210-9.216, 9.355-9.359 · Counsel for Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd and the elder witnesses · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Commonwealth of Australia)
“Jehovah's Witnesses consider that the requirement for two witnesses is not a matter for debate as it is based on Scriptural requirements found in the Mosaic Law and reiterated by Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Even when the requisite Scriptural evidence is lacking, elders nevertheless take precautionary measures.”
1 de agosto de 2016 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia (on behalf of the Governing Body's direction) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“That is a letter to All Bodies of Elders dated 1 August 2016. It is on the letterhead of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia.”
Report of Case Study 29: ‘We do not believe that children are adequately protected’
Findings: no evidence of any of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators having been reported by the organisation; a general practice of not reporting unless required by law; the two-witness rule’s application to child sexual abuse ‘is wrong’; men-only decision-making ‘a fundamental flaw’. Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, octubre de 2016
Abrir las pruebas Report of Case Study 29: ‘We do not believe that children are adequately protected’
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
10 de marzo de 2017 · pp.26486-26574 · pp. 26491-26493, 26500, 26505, 26513, 26524-26525, 26530, 26543 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“THE CHAIR: Yes. But if there are not two witnesses, you don't accept it, do you? MR O'BRIEN: Because scripturally we're not able to.”
“As our report makes clear, the victims of abuse were badly let down by the charity. The trustees should have made the victims' welfare their first priority.”
Royal Commission Final Report: recommendations to abandon the two-witness rule for child sexual abuse, involve women, and stop shunning survivors who leave
Abrir las pruebas Royal Commission Final Report: recommendations to abandon the two-witness rule for child sexual abuse, involve women, and stop shunning survivors who leave
15 de diciembre de 2017 · Recommendations 16.27, 16.28, 16.29 · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse · Commonwealth of Australia
“abandon its application of the two witness rule in cases involving complaints of child sexual abuse”
The Watchtower: two witnesses are not required before an allegation can be reported
‘This requirement does not apply to whether elders or others report allegations of a crime.’ ‘The absence of a second witness does not mean that the one making the accusation is untruthful.’ Source: The Watchtower (study edition), mayo de 2019
Abrir las pruebas The Watchtower: two witnesses are not required before an allegation can be reported
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
mayo de 2019 · pp.8-13 · pars. 13-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Does this mean that before an allegation of abuse can be reported to the authorities, two witnesses are required? No. This requirement does not apply to whether elders or others report allegations of a crime.”
Montana Supreme Court reverses a $35 million verdict
The 2018 Nunez verdict is reversed because Montana’s reporting law exempts clergy whose doctrine requires confidentiality; the reversal is not a finding that the abuse was handled properly. Source: Montana Supreme Court, 8 de enero de 2020
Abrir las pruebas Montana Supreme Court reverses a $35 million verdict
8 de enero de 2020 · paras 25, 33 · Montana Supreme Court (opinion text via FindLaw)
“A member of the clergy or a priest is not required to make a report under this section if the communication is required to be confidential by canon law, church doctrine, or established church practice.”
23 de enero de 2020 · Section 4 'De beslissing', 4.1-4.2 · mr. R.A. Steenbergen (voorzieningenrechter) · Raad voor de Rechtspraak (open data)
“Juridisch gezien ligt de drempel voor een publicatieverbod hoog. Het belang dat met het rapport gediend wordt, weegt zwaarder dan de bezwaren van de Jehovah's Getuigen, ook omdat die bezwaren voor een belangrijk deel onjuist zijn.”
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
septiembre de 2025 · pp.1-2 · pars. 3-5, 11-15 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (jw.org)
“Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.”
1 de diciembre de 2021 · pp.1-10 · pars. 1, 5, 6, 8 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (World Headquarters Legal Department); produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) (doc ID JHV0000013)
“If the victim or another minor is still in danger of abuse, the elders should report the matter to the secular authorities even if there is not a legal obligation to do so.”
El volumen del Informe Final de la Comisión Real que contiene las Recomendaciones 16.27 a 16.29 no pudo descargarse del sitio web de la Comisión durante la investigación, por lo que la redacción de las recomendaciones se etiqueta como «respaldada» y no como verificada; las transcripciones oficiales y la declaración escrita de un miembro del Cuerpo Gobernante se leyeron en copias completas y se contrastaron con las propias citas del informe. Las cartas a los ancianos de 1997, 2012 y 2016 se citan únicamente a través de registros de investigaciones y de tribunales, nunca a partir de copias filtradas. No se utilizan los términos del acuerdo de Delaware de los que se ha informado, las reclamaciones belgas y españolas, las conclusiones del estudio de caso neozelandés ni los nombres de los demandados de Pensilvania.
Servicios de apoyo por país
Si es usted un niño o un joven al que están haciendo daño, o un adulto preocupado por un menor, estos servicios son confidenciales e independientes de cualquier organización religiosa. Comprobados el 19 de septiembre de 2026; cuando el sitio web de una organización bloquea las comprobaciones automáticas, el número se confirmó en directorios oficiales.
1 de noviembre de 1995 · pp.25-29 · section 'Repressed Memories', par. beginning 'If the accusation is denied' · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“If the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way. And the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person. The Bible says that there must be two or three witnesses before judicial action can be taken. (2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19)”
1 de enero de 1997 · pp.26-29 · pars. on p. 29 (child molesters) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“For the protection of our children, a man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position in the congregation. Moreover, he cannot be a pioneer or serve in any other special, full-time service.”
2010 · pp.131-132 · pars. 18-19 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Child abuse is a crime. Never suggest to anyone that they should not report an allegation of child abuse to the police or other authorities. If you are asked, make it clear that whether to report the matter to the authorities or not is a personal decision for each individual to make and that there are no congregation sanctions for either decision.”
“The Commission's concerns have been amplified by recent criminal cases concerning historic incidents of abuse involving individuals who appear to have been connected to Jehovah's Witnesses congregations.”
13 de abril de 2015 · Holdings and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)
“The elders of the Fremont Congregation had no duty to depart from Watchtower's policy of confidentiality and warn the members of the Congregation that Kendrick had molested a child.”
19 de junio de 2015 · paras 25, 90, 91 ff., final paragraph · Mr Justice Globe · Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (approved judgment)
“he was ostensibly performing his duties as a Jehovah's Witness ministerial servant. I am satisfied that the progressive acts of intimacy were only possible because he had the actual or ostensible status of a ministerial servant that meant no one who saw him questioned his being alone with the claimant. ... In such circumstances, in my judgment, it is fair and just to hold the defendants to be vicariously liable for his acts.”
14 de agosto de 2015 · pp.15929-16000 · p. 15937 lines 35-47; p. 15966 lines 6-17; p. 15967 lines 19-47 to p. 15968 line 13; p. 15971 line 43 to p. 15972 line 10; p. 15988 lines 24-33 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“Q. And do you see yourselves as Jehovah God's spokespeople on earth? A. That I think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using.”
9 de noviembre de 2015 · pp.1-141 · pars. 5.17-5.18, 9.12-9.19, 9.210-9.216, 9.355-9.359 · Counsel for Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd and the elder witnesses · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Commonwealth of Australia)
“Jehovah's Witnesses consider that the requirement for two witnesses is not a matter for debate as it is based on Scriptural requirements found in the Mosaic Law and reiterated by Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Even when the requisite Scriptural evidence is lacking, elders nevertheless take precautionary measures.”
1 de agosto de 2016 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia (on behalf of the Governing Body's direction) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“That is a letter to All Bodies of Elders dated 1 August 2016. It is on the letterhead of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia.”
octubre de 2016 · pp.1-110 (ISBN 978-1-925289-89-3) · pp. 10-12, 14, 24-25, 58-70, 75-78 · The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM (Chair); Professor Helen Milroy (Commissioner) · Commonwealth of Australia
“Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah's Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”
10 de marzo de 2017 · pp.26486-26574 · pp. 26491-26493, 26500, 26505, 26513, 26524-26525, 26530, 26543 · Transcript produced by DTI · Commonwealth of Australia
“THE CHAIR: Yes. But if there are not two witnesses, you don't accept it, do you? MR O'BRIEN: Because scripturally we're not able to.”
“As our report makes clear, the victims of abuse were badly let down by the charity. The trustees should have made the victims' welfare their first priority.”
9 de noviembre de 2017 · Holding and disposition · California Courts (opinion text via FindLaw)
“$2,000 per day for every day Watchtower did not produce responsive documents and $2,000 per day for every day Watchtower did not search for responsive documents”
15 de diciembre de 2017 · Recommendations 16.27, 16.28, 16.29 · Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse · Commonwealth of Australia
“abandon its application of the two witness rule in cases involving complaints of child sexual abuse”
mayo de 2019 · pp.8-13 · pars. 13-18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Does this mean that before an allegation of abuse can be reported to the authorities, two witnesses are required? No. This requirement does not apply to whether elders or others report allegations of a crime.”
8 de enero de 2020 · paras 25, 33 · Montana Supreme Court (opinion text via FindLaw)
“A member of the clergy or a priest is not required to make a report under this section if the communication is required to be confidential by canon law, church doctrine, or established church practice.”
23 de enero de 2020 · Section 4 'De beslissing', 4.1-4.2 · mr. R.A. Steenbergen (voorzieningenrechter) · Raad voor de Rechtspraak (open data)
“Juridisch gezien ligt de drempel voor een publicatieverbod hoog. Het belang dat met het rapport gediend wordt, weegt zwaarder dan de bezwaren van de Jehovah's Getuigen, ook omdat die bezwaren voor een belangrijk deel onjuist zijn.”
diciembre de 2020 · pp.1-3 · pars. 3-5, 9-12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; produced to the NZ Royal Commission by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) (doc ID JHV0000010)
“When elders learn of an accusation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses to ensure compliance with child abuse reporting laws. (Romans 13:1) Even if the elders have no legal duty to report an accusation to the authorities, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if a minor is still in danger of abuse or there is some other valid reason.”
abril de 2021 · ch. 12 par. 40(2); ch. 14 pars. 4, 6, 7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) in response to NZ Royal Commission Notice to Produce 1 (doc ID JHV0000012)
“Eyewitnesses: There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just people repeating hearsay; no action can be taken if there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15-17; John 8:17; 1 Tim. 5:19, 24, 25) If there are two or three witnesses to the same kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, the elders can consider their testimony.”
2 de septiembre de 2021 · pp.Part B para 15.4 (p. 15); Part D paras 19-21 (pp. 42-43); Part E paras 6.3-7 (pp. 65-66); Part F para 17 (pp. 91-92); Part H para 25 (p. 113) · Part H.1 para 25 · Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Panel · Crown copyright (HC 705)
“The rule is not intended to be a safeguarding measure. Nevertheless, it has no place in any response to child sexual abuse and fails to reflect the reality that by its very nature child sexual abuse is most often perpetrated in the absence of witnesses. ... As it presently operates, the Jehovah's Witnesses internal disciplinary process for disfellowshipping members bears no relationship to how sexual crime happens. The continuing use of this rule shows a disregard of the seriousness of the crimes involved and their impact on individuals. It also lacks compassion for the victim, and serves to protect the perpetrator.”
1 de diciembre de 2021 · pp.1-10 · pars. 1, 5, 6, 8 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (World Headquarters Legal Department); produced by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) (doc ID JHV0000013)
“If the victim or another minor is still in danger of abuse, the elders should report the matter to the secular authorities even if there is not a legal obligation to do so.”
abril de 2022 · ch. 14 par. 6 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Child abuse is a crime. In some jurisdictions, individuals who learn of an allegation of child abuse may be obligated by law to report the allegation to the secular authorities.”
septiembre de 2025 · pp.1-2 · pars. 3-5, 11-15 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (jw.org)
“Elders comply with child abuse reporting laws. When elders learn of an allegation of child abuse, they immediately consult with the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses for legal advice on proper reporting procedure and for the protection of children. (Romans 13:1) Even in jurisdictions with no reporting requirements, the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if the victim or another minor is in danger of abuse.”