Jehovah’s Witnesses expelled a member for criticising child sex abuse policy

The Jehovah’s Witnesses expelled one of their members from the church community because he criticized how the community deals with the sexual abuse of children, Trouw reports. The member involved is Bart van Gasteren from Oss, who tried to improve the position of sexual abuse victims from inside the Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to the newspaper.

Van Gasteren himself told Trouw that his persistent criticism of the sexual abuse policy was the direct reason for his expulsion. Underlying documentation shows that Van Gasteren criticized the business policy internally for years. Another church member confirmed this to Trouw.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses acknowledged that Van Gasteren was no longer a member but denied that it had anything to do with his criticism. The religious organization did not tell Trouw why it expelled Van Gasteren.

The religious organization has always claimed that it encourages sexual abuse victims to file a police report. But, according to critical members, there is a culture within the Jehovah’s Witnesses to distrust the “secular authorities,” and abuse cases are almost always handled internally. Utrecht University concluded in a study in 2020 that how the Jehovah’s Witnesses handle sexual abuse is very traumatic for the victims.

Reclaimed Voices, an organization that represents sexual abuse victims within the Jehovah’s Witnesses, called Van Gasteren’s expulsion a new low. “If every form of criticism is dismissed as undermining Jehovah, as in Bart’s case, nothing can ever change,” spokesperson Raymond HIntjes told the newspaper.