Jehovah’s Witnesses have claimed they were told not to report allegations of child abuse, as the organisation was accused of sheltering abusers.

Several victims have come forward to accuse the organisation of a systemic cover up, with some revealing they were assaulted as children.

The victims - many of whom want to remain anonymous - claimed that the religion’s guidelines have shielded their abusers, as well as deterring victims from contacting the authorities.

In a statement, the organisation on Monday described the allegations as “absolutely false”, adding that victims and their parents had an “absolute right” to report abuse to the police.

But leading solicitor Kathleen Hallisey, who brought a landmark case against the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2015, claimed the scale of child abuse was similar to that exposed in the Catholic Church.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph last night, Ms Hallisey said: “Frankly I would equate this to a scandal and a cover up akin to the Catholic Church. Knowing about paedophile priests and moving them from parish to parish. The two are identical.

“Most of the cases I deal with are in relation to abuse by people in positions of trust within the organisation.”

She said that the internal teachings of the organisation meant that the true scale of the scandal has been suppressed.