The elders' handbook still provides that, absent a confession, 'there must be two or three eyewitnesses... no action can be taken if there is only one witness', although witnesses to separate incidents of the same kind of wrongdoing may be combined.
Claim ID claim-safeguarding-two-witness-rule-current-textConcerns April 2021Explicit statement
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation states the rule governs only internal judicial action, not whether abuse is reported to authorities, and that 'the absence of a second witness does not mean that the one making the accusation is untruthful' ( pars. 15-16).
April 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'.
Provenance and verification note 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
Confidence note. 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.
Scan provenance. 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').
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-ks-2021-0400-shepherd-flock-ch12-ch14
May 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.
Provenance and verification note for "Shepherd the Flock of God" (ks10-E), elders' handbook, 2010 edition, Chapter 12 (Handling Certain Judicial Matters), 'Child Abuse', pars. 18-21
Confidence note. Downloaded the NZ-hosted scan (143 pages) and text-extracted chapter 12; quotation verbatim.
Scan provenance. 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.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-ks-2010-0000-shepherd-flock-ch12
A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-safeguarding-two-witness-rule-current-text/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.