Watchtowerdocuments.org provides fascinating coverage of Spanish activist group “AbusosTJ.”

A very interesting post has gone up on Watchtowerdocuments.org, website of longtime activist and campaigner Barbara Anderson, who has dedicated herself to tackling the issue of Watchtower’s child abuse problem and was one of the very first people to sound the alarm on the issue.

Readers of JW Survey will already be familiar with Spanish language media coverage of Watchtower’s discredited child abuse polices, and appears that events in Spain may now be stepping up a notch.

Anderson has compiled and analysed Spanish media coverage on the activities of a group called “AbusosTJ” (JW Abuses), an activist group dedicated to tackling Watchtower’s discredited and dangerous child abuse practices, and their policy of compiling documented evidence of serious sexual assaults but of then refusing to pass those documents to the authorities for proper action to be taken. To quote Anderson, AbusosTJ;

…plans to file a legal complaint against the Watchtower offices in Spain for refusing to release internal documents, files and other evidence involving dozens of child abuse cases within the Jehovah’s Witness religion.

Anderson’s web page on the subject has a number of translations of different Spanish media reports, a youtube video of AbusosTJ in what appears to be the Spanish Bethel attempting to get the issue address, but being turned away, and further links giving background to the efforts to AbusosTJ. The group, who are comprised of former JW Child abuse survivors, are also requesting to be given any documents that Watchtower has relating to their own abuse.

It appears that AbusosTJ might be making serious headway in their efforts; they have met with members of Spain’s Congress who are obliged to reply to them within thirty days of the meeting with a response to group’s concerns, and have also engaged the police in the matter.

I highly recommend heading over to Watchtowerdocuments.org and checking out the links and the story, and if you’ve not already got Barbara Anderson’s website bookmarked for regular check-ups you would be well advised to do so.

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14 thoughts on “Watchtowerdocuments.org provides fascinating coverage of Spanish activist group “AbusosTJ.”

  • January 25, 2017 at 6:54 am
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    The mills of the Gods grind slowly but they grind
    exceedingly fine. I can sense the mill starting up and the
    corn being crushed. And you can bet the wt can too.

    • January 28, 2017 at 3:01 am
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      Your saying reminds me of one I heard in a movie that depicted Martin Luther King….. in it he said something like this,” the arch of history is bent toward JUSTICE.”
      Best wishes!

  • January 25, 2017 at 8:24 am
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    The Australians are checking on any post Royal Commission progress in March. The Charity Commission is plodding away in the UK and Trey Bundy has not given up either. The queues of the abused filing cases globally continue to lengthen, expansion of membership has stalled and maybe is about to decline.

    HQs and Kingdom Halls are being sold off, Bethel staff are being redunded and pleas for cash donations and selling of marketing tat are increasing.

    So many of us ex JWs, and nearly 70% of JWs become exes, are spreading the word about the awfulness of the cult.

    Do the WT bosses genuinely imagine that a prompt Armageddon will provide a quick fix to their never ending stream of problems? That hardly squares with their retreat to the idyllic, albeit ‘worldly’ surroundings of Warwick.

  • January 25, 2017 at 8:30 am
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    I’d be afraid to hand over private documents, too, especially if the investigation could lead to expansion of charges and indictment of persons based on what persons came to know, when persons came to knew, and how persons handled the knowledge.

    But, going back in time, most governments and legal authorities had no avenue of pursuing child abuse cases until about 1970’s. The UN and other global efforts were mobilized around this time period to begin countering child sexual exploitation with penalties. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that secular agencies modified coping with rape victims so that they were not victimized again.

    It would have been nice to see an organization that boasted of its publishing prowess and inventions also spearheading advancements for social and human issues. But, often individual efforts were squashed by the ego of local leaders or middle leaders, or persons felt constrained from cooperating with local social and community activities for fear of mingling with “Babylon” or other “demonic front-agents”. And, chief excuse used was “well the fix will be done after 1975 (shortly)” so why waste time by getting involved in “worldly” issues?

    So, where to go from here? There’s still much to be done–the issue remains of how to balance redemption and forgiveness with protection and legal needs. How to provide coping skills, if not healing, for the thousands of victims in Watchtower and outside of its influence. The line from some churches is “Jesus will fix it” just like Watchtower has line of “New system will fix it”; or, even the standard, “pray it away”. Prayer is a start for some, but many individuals need a roadmap for “going through hell”–how to cope when anxiety, phobias and compulsions stemming from abuses are consuming their daily existence. The challenge is in calling the professionals; working with the professionals. Often professionals will point out the source of anxieties as being the consuming religious focus, but usually the goal is to provide some “balance” for those individuals. For some, religion is the addiction so they choose to avoid “organized religion” and incorporate an unstructured spiritual existence into their lives, especially when the source of their issues has been within “organized religion” or a local church.

  • January 25, 2017 at 8:38 am
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    I read one JW leader excuse himself from the abuses with the line, “I wasn’t leading, or a member of GB, at that time [when child abuse procedures were formed]”. O–kay, but same person was a middle leader–an enforcer of policies. Did he raise a concern? Did he suggest another way? or, was he ‘only following orders’?

    The point is: he’s a leader, now, and we expect leaders to take us through the wilderness–show the way out of the storm, even walk on water, if necessary. If the leader alone can not find the solution, we expect leaders to reach out to find those who can assist with resolving issues. We expect a leader to rise to the challenge. No?

    • January 25, 2017 at 1:35 pm
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      Unfortunately, the Governing Bozos of Jehovah’s Witlesses are way too PROUD to ask for help/advice/counsel, especially from the “dirty”, “evil”, “Devil-controlled”, “ignorant”, “worldly” leaders/professionals/authorities, whom they consider to be inferior anyway. After all, aren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses the ONLY ones in the world with “RIGHTEOUS HEARTS” – hey, isn’t that why they were “CHOSEN”?

      • January 25, 2017 at 2:10 pm
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        …..and that’s why they’re in this bind. They can’t see it though,…..it’s full deluded steam ahead!……the sycophantic writing dept. shoveling that coal in flat sticks and six deluded Bozo’s all pulling that throttle wide open, feet up on the boiler for maximum pulling power. Choochoochoochoochoo!…….straight for that cliff. Where’s Indiana Jones? Or do they imagine it will be like ‘Back to the Future’ and they’ll crash through Armageddon at the last second and into the 1st century, straight into a roaring jubilant crowd and the arms of the invisible Jesus. Are they exhibiting a ‘it’s now or never’ mentality.

    • January 25, 2017 at 4:44 pm
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      JBob, there is no real process in the Watchtower arrangement for underlings to suggest anything. Most brothers know that their suggestions won’t be appreciated and will probably get them into trouble. There is a very strong Yes Man syndrome in the congregations and bethels, you can’t get ahead unless you’re a brown-noser. In fact, the most important quality we learn in this organization is submission.

      Those in higher positions are very sensitive to any perceived criticism, and suggestions are perceived as being criticism. Anybody who is able to think outside the box quickly learns to either shut up or get out. Thus, we are left with a leadership who are zombies, leading a group of zombies.

      What hope is there for change when you have a leadership unwilling to listen, supported by followers who have been beaten into submission and are unwilling to suggest or criticize?

      • January 25, 2017 at 9:28 pm
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        Interesting, Ricardo. I liken your description to a farmer with his herd of cows; if one particular cow gets the smarts and keeps finding a way out of the paddock to greener pastures, that cow is a trouble maker and not worth the effort and it’s off to the works with it.

        No smart cows allowed. Keep that herd dumb. Easier to manage.

        • January 25, 2017 at 9:51 pm
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          Exactly, outandabout. So can you see the trouble that higher education can create? People with reasoning skills and who value the question: Why?

          I get into constant trouble by asking why. It is the question elders hate the most. Especially Japanese elders. They are being sent all over Asia at the moment to help out, and they have what I call the Hirohito complex: their instructions must be obeyed unquestionably. They are creating havoc in the Asian congregations, wherever they are sent the meeting attendance goes down. One of my heretical friends was removed as an MS because he asked that dreaded question too much. Why?

          The last thing the GB wants is reasoning skills in brothers. So the MS’s progress without any personal thinking, just following orders. By the time they become elders they have lost all reasoning skills and just follow blindly what the GB says. They have been taught to be zombies and it has worked out well for them. And in the congregations they will stamp out any who refuse to fit into the zombie character.

  • January 26, 2017 at 10:53 am
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    I am still feeling the impact of volunteering to work at Warwick and the comment that a brother from the Operations committee said when asked, “will the project be a ‘green’ or environmentally friendly project?” The Brother responded and laughed smugly, “Ohhh no haha! We don’t have time or resources for that. We’ll LEAVE IT IN JEHOVAH’S HANDS” as he smiled and others clapped for that ignorant comment.

    I remember leaving that day sick and coming home to my parents and just crying. It was shocking to me and even my parents. It was that comment however that woke us all up and I’m happy to say my parents, my 2 sisters and myself are out of the cult.

    Still, I get chills when I recall that day. Typical WT moves. Sickening.

    • January 28, 2017 at 11:49 pm
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      Sickening. Their blatant ugliness is opening the exit door for many. Sorry you had to go through this experience, but glad it happened sooner than later. Thanks for sharing this eye- witness account.

    • January 29, 2017 at 8:30 am
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      Yet a famous WT scripture heralding doom for those who do not do their part in taking care of the earth:

      Revelation 11:18 (NIV):

      “The time has come for…….destroying those who destroy the earth.”

      What hypocrisy!

  • January 28, 2017 at 8:48 pm
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    With exjws abuse victims starting to get mobilised in countries around the world it would be great to see them combine their resources/successes/ideas/etc in one place. We might then not have to reinvent the wheel as each group can see what others have done or are doing that works.

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