Jehovah’s Witnesses have sued the Dutch state for discrimination. They believe that only their dealings with sexual abuse have been investigated by the government, while other religious groups have not been examined.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses find the focus placed on them unfounded and therefore discriminatory, the national board reports to the newspaper. Fidelity. The research surrounding this lawsuit was published in 2020 and was prompted by publications Fidelity. The articles in that newspaper showed that the handling of abuse cases within the Jehovah’s Witnesses left much to be desired.
Former Minister of Legal Protection Sander Dekker subsequently ordered the research, which was carried out by Utrecht University. This showed that 60 percent of abuse victims gave the (mostly internal) handling of their complaint within Jehovah’s Witnesses a grade of 1. The handling within the organization, which has approximately 30,000 members in the Netherlands, is traumatic for victims, the investigation concluded.
The fact that a religious organization is suing the state is ‘fairly unique’, says Paul van Sasse van IJsselt, professor of law and religion. From an international perspective, it is no surprise, says Van Sasse. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, litigate a lot in Europe against government interference, he said Fidelityand have often been proven right at the European Court.
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