Former Jehovah's Witnesses elder who alleges his daughter was molested at his congregation says he was so 'indoctrinated' he didn't report it

• A former Jehovah’s Witnesses elder instructed the AP he was “indoctrinated” by the faith.
• Martin Haugh mentioned his daughter was molested at his congregation, however he was instructed to not report it. 
• He mentioned church elders requested him: “Do you actually wish to convey reproach on Jehovah’s title?” 

A former Jehovah’s Witnesses elder told the AP he was “indoctrinated” by the faith, and it stopped him from talking out when he mentioned his daughter was molested by a fellow church member. 

Martin Haugh’s feedback come as a Pennsylvania Grand Jury accepted a complete probe into little one intercourse abuse inside the Jehovah’s Witnesses motion. 

Haugh instructed the AP that his daughter was molested at his congregation in 2005 by a recognized little one abuser, however he was “inspired” to not report it to authorities.

He mentioned that when he mentioned it with elders, they mentioned: “Do you actually wish to convey reproach on Jehovah’s title?” 

When he later turned an elder, Haugh found that there have been 4 different circumstances of kid intercourse abuse inside his congregation that have been swept beneath the rug, he instructed the AP. 

—The Related Press (@AP) April 22, 2023

Haugh, who comes from a number of generations of Jehovah’s Witnesses, ultimately left the church in 2016

“I simply want I’d have performed extra again then,” he mentioned in a video interview. 

Pennsylvania Lawyer Basic Michelle Henry introduced presentments in February towards 5 Jehovah’s Witnesses suspected of sexual abuse towards kids.

Henry mentioned that “a few of these defendants even used their religion communities to prey upon the victims, and others needed to look no additional than their very own households.” 

Robert Ostrander, 57, a kind of accused within the investigation, denied all the fees towards him, protection lawyer Dan Kiss mentioned.

Kiss mentioned it gave the impression to be an assault on the accused events’ faith.

“You may have all these Jehovah’s Witnesses getting charged with some kind of inappropriate habits. I am hoping that this isn’t the lawyer common’s workplace piling on as a consequence of their non secular beliefs,” he mentioned.

Brett Hambright, a spokesperson for the state lawyer common’s workplace, responded to Kiss’ feedback by saying the charging paperwork “articulate incidents the place defendants used their positions of authority inside Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations to construct belief with kids who they later abused,” the AP reported.