Child abuse in Jehovah's Witnesses Aust

EXTENT OF CHILD SEX ABUSE IN JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN AUSTRALIA

OFFENDERS AND REPORTING TO POLICE:

* 1006 alleged perpetrators (since 1950; as of August 2015)

* Not a single one reported to police by Jehovah's Witnesses, royal commission found

* 514 reported by royal commission

* Remaining cases either had insufficient evidence in case file or had already been brought to police attention

* 15 of 17 allegations Jehovah's Witnesses have received since July-August 2015 public hearing have been reported to police

* In two of those cases, adult survivor of historical abuse elected not to report and Jehovah's Witnesses abided by that decision

* Jehovah's Witnesses say they comply with mandatory reporting laws and dispute commission's finding that their general practice is not to report child abuse

JEHOVAH'S CASE FILES SHOW:

* At least 1800 alleged victims

* 579 organisation members confessed

* 401 alleged perpetrators expelled from congregation (230 later reinstated; 78 disfellowshipped on more than one occasion as result of child sex abuse allegation)

* But 383 dealt with by police/authorities, Jehovah's Witnesses said

* 161 offenders convicted

THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN AUSTRALIA

* Organisation active in Australia since 1896

* 821 congregations in Australia with more than 68,000 active members.

Source: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with information from Jehovah's Witnesses case files.