Child Sexual Abuse

Jehovah’s Witnesses abhor child abuse. They view it as a crime and a sin.

As a religion, Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize they are not immune to the evil of child sexual abuse. They have endeavored to address this evil at its root by providing elders, congregants, and parents with practical and Scripturally based guidance and ongoing education on the subject of child sexual abuse. Since the early 1980’s, Jehovah’s Witnesses have provided congregants with clear, timely, practical, and Scripturally based guidance and education in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines1 and in religious books and videos2 on practical steps to protect children from the crime of sexual abuse. Those publications have been distributed in millions of copies and in hundreds of languages.

Child protection experts confirm that Jehovah’s Witnesses are a “child safe” organization and that their child protection policy and practices “reflect a strong commitment to the protection of children.”3 That child protection policy states (for details, see Overview of the Child Protection Policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses):

• Elders (religious ministers) will report an allegation of child abuse to the authorities whenever it appears that any child might be in danger of abuse. They will do so based on the allegation of one person only and regardless of whether the allegation involves a parent, a guardian, or anyone else.
• Elders clearly inform the person making the allegation of their absolute right to also report the allegation to the authorities.
• Elders offer pastoral support to victims and their families.
• Elders warn parents of minor children of anyone associated with the congregation who in the past has sexually abused a child.

Unlike most other religions, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not provide services that separate children from their parents (they do not sponsor crèches, playgroups, Sunday Schools, youth groups or clubs, nor do they run schools, orphanages, or the like), and, accordingly, child protection experts have confirmed that the risk of child sexual abuse in the congregational life of Jehovah’s Witnesses is “very low.”4

Jehovah’s Witnesses ensure that all congregants, not just elders, are aware of their child protection policy. For example:

• In the summer of 2017, all congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan (and worldwide) attended a three-day convention that included the talk “Safeguard Your Children From ‘What is Evil,’” which reminded parents of the importance of taking steps to protect their children from potential dangers, including sexual abuse. It included a three-minute video on steps parents are taking to protect their children from abuse.5
• In July 2019, all congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan (and worldwide) devoted three one-hour religious services to discussing the child protection policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses as summarized in the May 2019 issue of The Watchtower.6
• In 20207 and 20218, key parts of the May 2019 issue of The Watchtower were featured in dozens of daily text discussions in the booklet Examining the Scriptures Daily, a booklet used by Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide for personal and family worship.
• This is not a new development. For more than 40 years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have published dozens of articles and videos, in hundreds of languages, providing parents and their children with clear, practical, and age-appropriate advice on how to protect children from abuse9

Child protection experts have also commended Jehovah’s Witnesses for the clarity and frankness of the material they have published on this important subject, noting that the publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses “demonstrate a strong commitment to education about the problem of child sexual abuse, both to adults in their congregations and to the children themselves … [Jehovah’s Witnesses] do more to educate all their members about child sexual abuse than most mainline [religious] denominations.”10

The child protection policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses requires that whenever elders learn that a child might be at risk of child sexual abuse, they are directed to immediately report the allegations to the police or Child Guidance Center.11 That policy is applied in practice, as confirmed by the following examples.

• 2010, Aichi Prefecture: Elders learned of an allegation of child sexual abuse by a person attending religious services. The elders promptly reported the allegations to the Child Guidance Center.
• 2014, Osaka Prefecture: A person attending the religious meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses informed the elders that that person’s child had been sexually abused by the child’s grandfather. The elders promptly reported the allegations to the Child Guidance Center.
• 2019, Chiba Prefecture: Elders were informed by a parent that the parent’s spouse (not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses) had sexually abused their minor child. The elders promptly reported the allegations to the Child Guidance Center.
• 2023, Shizuoka Prefecture: Elders were informed by a parent that the parent’s spouse had sexually abused their minor child. The elders promptly reported the allegations to the Child Guidance Center.

In summary, the child protection policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses meets or exceeds all legal requirements and is applied in Japan to protect children from harm.