ICSA TODAY 12
Report From Finland
Joni Valkila
Calls to probe Jehovah’s
Witnesses and other religious
groups in Finland
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been
discussed extensively on various news
reports in Finland. Some of these
reports are available online in English.1
In recent years, approximately forty
former members have appeared in
various newspaper articles and on
TV to tell their stories about losing
family members as a result of the
shunning mandated by Jehovah’s
Witnesses. In 2018, a current-affairs TV
program, A-Studio, reported on how
the Jehovah’s Witness internal judicial
system sometimes investigates sins
that are also crimes, such as sexual
violence. Former members, including
a former Jehovah’s Witness elder who
participated in investigating such
sins, have recounted how victims
sometimes were considered sinners
because it was concluded that they
were at least partly responsible for
being raped. According to the former
Jehovah’s Witness elder, the elders
who investigated never considered
reporting such events to the police.
This simply did not even occur to
them as something they might need
to do.
The child ombudsman in Finland,
Tuomas Kurttila, suggested in 2017
that the authorities should do more
to make sure that children do not
face abusive treatment in religious
groups. He suggested more dialogue
between the authorities and religious
groups. For example, there could be
meetings on regular intervals with
leaders of religious groups about
issues such as child sexual abuse. The
authorities could provide guidance
on creating policies that would
prevent such abuse. Groups would
be required to report publicly what
policies they have implemented to
prevent violence. So far, this excellent
suggestion has been greeted with
silence by Finnish society and the
authorities who are responsible.
Representatives of the Ministry of
Education and Culture did meet
leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses in
Finland, and the representatives
commented to the media that they
are satisfied with the guidelines
Jehovah’s Witnesses have about
reporting cases of child sexual abuse
to the police. However, organizations
such as UUT (Uskontojen uhrien tuki)
are keeping the pressure on the
authorities to act.
Correspondents
,
Reports
Report From Finland
Joni Valkila
Calls to probe Jehovah’s
Witnesses and other religious
groups in Finland
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been
discussed extensively on various news
reports in Finland. Some of these
reports are available online in English.1
In recent years, approximately forty
former members have appeared in
various newspaper articles and on
TV to tell their stories about losing
family members as a result of the
shunning mandated by Jehovah’s
Witnesses. In 2018, a current-affairs TV
program, A-Studio, reported on how
the Jehovah’s Witness internal judicial
system sometimes investigates sins
that are also crimes, such as sexual
violence. Former members, including
a former Jehovah’s Witness elder who
participated in investigating such
sins, have recounted how victims
sometimes were considered sinners
because it was concluded that they
were at least partly responsible for
being raped. According to the former
Jehovah’s Witness elder, the elders
who investigated never considered
reporting such events to the police.
This simply did not even occur to
them as something they might need
to do.
The child ombudsman in Finland,
Tuomas Kurttila, suggested in 2017
that the authorities should do more
to make sure that children do not
face abusive treatment in religious
groups. He suggested more dialogue
between the authorities and religious
groups. For example, there could be
meetings on regular intervals with
leaders of religious groups about
issues such as child sexual abuse. The
authorities could provide guidance
on creating policies that would
prevent such abuse. Groups would
be required to report publicly what
policies they have implemented to
prevent violence. So far, this excellent
suggestion has been greeted with
silence by Finnish society and the
authorities who are responsible.
Representatives of the Ministry of
Education and Culture did meet
leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses in
Finland, and the representatives
commented to the media that they
are satisfied with the guidelines
Jehovah’s Witnesses have about
reporting cases of child sexual abuse
to the police. However, organizations
such as UUT (Uskontojen uhrien tuki)
are keeping the pressure on the
authorities to act.
Correspondents
,
Reports
