QUICK FACTS ON THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS CHURCH

* The Jehovah's Witness Church was founded at the end of 19th century in Pennsylvania by a small group of bible students led by Charles Taze Russell.

* The church now has 8.2 million active members in 239 countries.

* The religion has been active in Australia since 1896 with a branch office set up in Sydney in 1904. There are currently 817 congregations in Australia with over 68,000 active members.

* In Jehovah's Witness families the father is head with authority over his wife and children.

* Jehovah's Witness parents are encouraged to teach their own children sex education because a secular education is more likely to result in immorality.

* They believe the only way to end child abuse is to "Embrace God's Kingdom under Christ".

* Jehovah Witnesses do not report child sexual abuse to police but deal with it internally.

* Since 1950 in Australia, of 401 "disfellowships" for alleged child sexual abuse, 230 were later re-instated.

* The Australian branch of the church has received 1006 allegations of child sexual abuse since the 1950s.

* Two or more witnesses are needed before a complaint of sexual abuse would be upheld and elders consider the spirituality and the seductiveness of the complainant is considered.