TOKYO - A group of children of Jehovah's Witnesses followers in Japan has called on the Japanese government to conduct an investigation into alleged sexual abuse by the religious organization.
The group held a news conference on Tuesday and released the results of its survey that asked 159 second-generation members through social media about their ill-treatment.
Some respondents said they were told from a young age to read books and brochures at gatherings, which included sexual content.
Others said they felt uncomfortable about being instilled with knowledge unsuitable for their ages.
The survey also found that a number of children were forced to share their sexual experiences with senior members of the organization. Some of them said they sought consultation but were rejected or even punished for doing so.
The head of the group, Watawa Takashi, says he wants the government to consider ways to ensure that followers' children who have suffered ill-treatment without being able to ask for help will be compensated.
Jehovah's Witnesses told NHK that it never tolerates child abuse in any form and that its members consider child sexual abuse extremely evil.
The organization denied that its publications cause sexual abuse. It added that although it has not examined all the survey results, they apparently contain incorrect information.
Source: FNNプライムオンライン
