To think the government needs to crack down on religious groups over CSA?

[Mlhactive]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58420270

Religions have been getting away with this since time immemorial. I saw on the news that the Jehova’s Witnesses don’t allow a member to report abuse unless there were two witnesses. How is this allowed? If a non-religious organisation had that policy it would be banned. But no matter how often stories like this come out it keeps happening. Something has to be done. Sanctions on groups who have been found to turn a blind eye maybe. Teaching children that sexual purity is more important than anything and that outsiders can’t be trusted should be considered child abuse.

The point with this is that when there are things that are closed to outsiders or secretive. Awful things can and do flourish.

In closed communities in general who the fuck knows what is going on.

The comment earlier about abusers joining things where they have opportunity is of course true.

And they looked at a lot of religious groups and I'm not at all familiar with most of them.

What I do know is that in my area there are two totally closed religious sects. The one I know better. You can't join. Leaving or being expelled is rare. Years ago I read can mean suicide due to well. Everything.

No one knows what's going on in there.

The authorities in the one I know less well. Still have some state funding for schools. Known issues over the years. There's a massive desire not to get involved.

The group I know better stopped using state schools about maybe. 30 years ago.

And in environments like that. My concern and this is my personal view. Is that it seems not unusual for widespread sexual abuse of women and girls to become the norm.

Loads of closed communities in USA this has happened.
Pitcairn Islands

I'm sure there's more.

So that's my angle on this.

In situations where there is power and trust then it's a massive risk.
In situations where there's a cut off from mainstream society. I mean it's just a different ball game.

I would say though that here there's been

70s people in entertainment
Anglican priests
RC priests
People running homes for children in care
People running schools for children in care
Sports coaches
Boy scouts leaders etc
Probably more

And then things like
Large number of police being reported every year for sexual exploitation of vulnerable members of the public
Sexual assault and rape widespread and little action in schools
Men who have been reported / charged/ convicted of multiple sex offences being out and about and killing
Probably more

In the end.

Do I need to namalt. Probably.

There are commonalities obviously.

Perpetrators so much majority male that it's nonsensical and probably dangerous to treat it as not that heavily skewed.

Institutional blind eye/ minimising/ automatic defence of the 'good man' / well you know what girls are like / these crimes are trivial etc. Institutional I mean religious, schools, police, charities etc etc

So in the end like with all of this for YEARS AND YEARS.

it's great there's a report. Seriously. That they've done that really gone into these orgs and found out. I'm a bit amazed tbh.

It's great that it's in the papers.

But. In the end with ANY of this stuff. The massive range and prevalence of sex offences anywhere there is trust/ secrecy etc.

Will anything be done?

I'm sorry I'm cynical. I doubt it.

And is it is. Why this over all the other stuff? That in itself would be questionable tbh.

It is absolutely pointless trying to go down the road of telling religious to alter their religious procedures

I don't think anyone's suggested this; what they've mentioned instead is their civil obligations, and one of them's to report CSA to the civil authorities instead of trying to hide it !deal with it internally

Unfortunately too many feel their own beliefs stand above the law, which IMO is what needs cracking down on

@Mlhactive

Have you ever heard of a comma?

@flirtygirl

The Two witness thing is no it a rule within jws.

Also just like with COE and catholics, abusers abuse. An abuser will find an umbrella organisation whether its the coe, Catholics, jws, your local school or a care home. Abusers will seek out these places.

This is not about religion at all.

Are you saying the victims are lying?