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Rochford and Bharata Shrestha das's articles were excellent
first steps in understanding the complicated issues in describing
the history and determinants of child abuse in ISKCON and the movement's
efforts at child protection. While such analyses and accounts can
be refined and considered more deeply, this piece focuses on developments
in the area during the past several months.
Bharata Shrestha das's article brings us to the point of the Mayapur
meetings of the Governing Body Commission (GBC) in early 1998, when
resolutions were enacted that created and funded the ISKCON Child
Protection Office (CPO). Functions of this office are outlined in
the Child Protection Task Force Report. The ISKCON Child Protection
Task Force, consisting of ISKCON leaders, members of the second
generation, as well as devotee professionals including a lawyer
and a social worker, was established by the GBC in 1997. This Task
Force suggested many proposals for protecting children in ISKCON
and dealing with past events, and all of its proposals were accepted
as ISKCON policy by the GBC at the 1998 Mayapur meetings.
Central to implementing the proposals of the Task Force is the
CPO, which began operations on 1, April 1998. The Task Force asked
me to serve as Director of the CPO, and I agreed. My experience
in the area consists of eight years working in Pennsylvania and
Florida in mental health and social service fields such as crisis-intervention,
foster care, and medical social work. I hold a B.Sc. in Psychology
from Pennsylvania State University, an MSW from Florida State University,
and I am currently working toward obtaining a Ph.D. in Social Work
at Florida State University. Also, for approximately the past five
years I have provided counselling and social services, including
child abuse investigations, for the Vaisnava community in Alachua
County, Florida, USA.
There are three primary functions of the CPO, two
of which involve ongoing investigations of past events, and the
third deals with arranging systems to prevent recurrence of the
same mistakes. The first function is to care for those who suffered
mistreatment while they were children in the movement. Second, the
CPO is mandated to resolve past and present cases of child abuse.
The third function entails helping ISKCON schools, temples and projects
to screen volunteers and employees, as well as to implement educational
programs on child protection for children, parents, teachers, managers
and other members of ISKCON.
Care for Abuse Victims
The CPO, in recognition of ISKCON's moral responsibility to
its second generation members provides support for survivors of
child abuse in the movement. Support is offered by discussing with
an individual how they would like to participate in the society,
and arranging a service that they might find fulfilling, such as
becoming a teacher or participating in other ISKCON projects. A
major form of support is funding for educational and vocational
endeavours, as well as for therapy. All those who suffered maltreatment
in ISKCON while they were children are eligible for grants from
the CPO. From talking to those who suffered abuse and their parents,
it is clear that this grant program is successful in helping young
adults who grew up in ISKCON advance economically and psychologically.
The programme is also successful in fostering an appreciation among
gurukula veterans, their friends and their parents for the sincerity
of ISKCON in acknowledging errors of the past and taking moral responsibility
for it. For example, one young member of our society who was helped
by the CPO, and is now training to become a doctor, has expressed
his appreciation by pledging that he would like to generously support
ISKCON monetarily when he becomes a doctor.
After six months of working with the CPO, it is evident
that while the programme to care for victims of child abuse has
made some progress (with some very inspiring results), much more
still needs to be done. Although we are continually making efforts
to reach them through active programmes many victims have not yet
been reached. It is hoped that ISKCON will continue to realise its
moral obligation to these persons, and that this realisation will
continue to manifest in the form of monetary support.
Responding to and resolving cases of abuse
ISKCON has developed a policy of zero tolerance to child abuse
in the community, and each allegation is thoroughly investigated
by trained members of ISKCON in co-operation with the State authorities.
In its concern for the children who experienced abuse, ISKCON has
created a system for responding to and resolving child abuse cases.
Through this system, the victim's experiences are acknowledged and
this acknowledgement plays a large part in the healing process for
victims. When the CPO receives allegations of child abuse, the process
of investigation begins. Results of the investigation are given
to an adjudicative panel. On this panel are child protection judges
who are veteran members of ISKCON and have received training in
the basic principles of recognising child abuse.
This training consists of an intensive four-day seminar
that includes material on types of abuse, typologies of abusers,
investigative procedures, confidentiality, and dealing with personal
biases. In July 1998, a child protection judges training was held
in North America, with ten devotees participating in the training.
This seminar was conducted by two professional social workers, and
included lecture and discussion sessions by an expert in forensic
psychology, a paediatrician who specialises in child abuse issues,
and a nationally renowned psychologist in the field of counselling
for victims of child abuse. We are building upon these efforts by
holding training seminars in Europe and India in the near future.
After receiving an investigative case packet, the
panel of three judges determines whether there is validity to any
of the allegations (in accord with the Task Force Report, the CPO
recognises physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect as forms of
child maltreatment). If it is decided that at least one of the allegations
is true, then the panel meets with the Director of the CPO and the
Case Manager for the investigation to ascertain a rectification
plan and sentence for the perpetrator The first and foremost consideration
of this plan is the safety of the children. This plan also considers
the following factors such as personal and institutional moral obligations,
the message we want to send out about child protection, punishment
and, considering the degree of the offence the possible reform of
the perpetrator. Restrictions are in proportion to the offence,
and can go as far as complete excommunication from the Society.
It should be noted that the investigative and adjudicative procedures
of the CPO are not a replacement for the functions of State authorities.
The CPO merely determines the relationship of an alleged perpetrator
with ISKCON. All temples, schools and projects are directed and
assisted by the CPO to learn the laws of their locality regarding
child abuse and mandated reporting of child abuse, and to scrupulously
follow those laws. In addition to the action of the local government
agency, the CPO will determine the future degree of association
and role a confirmed child abuser can have in ISKCON, if any. ISKCON
law requires that temples and schools immediately contact the appropriate
police and government social services agencies when there is a suspicion
of child abuse.
Das (1998), in footnote fourteen, mentions several
aspects of the case resolution process, as described in the Task
Force Report, that some devotees feel are inadequately addressed.
These issues, as well as other elements of the Task Force Report,
are being addressed, and some adjustments to the Report have already
been made. The Report, similar to the body of working policy for
a State Department, is constantly under review based on practical
consideration that arise as the office confronts new situations.
Analysis of policies under consideration is beyond the scope of
this paper, whose primary purpose is to provide a general overview
of the functions and activities of the office.
Systems for Prevention
The CPO works with ISKCON educational authorities and regional
and local management bodies to organise child protection screening
and education programs throughout ISKCON. Letters have been sent
to schools and temples throughout the world that explain basic principles
for screening volunteers and employees, and plans for worldwide
implementation of these principles are being developed. The education
ministry is working on a team and criteria for on-site inspections
and certification, or possibly de-certifications of ISKCON schools.
Included in the items for inspection and certification will be standards
for on-going abuse prevention training for students and a functioning
and trained Child Protection Team.
An additional function of the CPO is to assist temples
and schools to organise Child Protection Teams. These teams provide
information on child protection issues, and hear concerns, in accord
with principles of confidentiality, from community members, including
children, about child abuse matters. Further, Child Protection Teams
serve as a liaison between the devotee community and governmental
law enforcement and social service authorities. Early in 1998, in
an ISKCON community in North America, a child abuse case surfaced.
After notifying State departments of law and social services, the
local ISKCON Child Protection Team assisted State workers with the
investigation.
Law officers and Child Protective Investigators commended
the devotees for helping with elements of the investigation that
otherwise could not have been thoroughly explored. Specifically,
State workers acknowledged that intimate knowledge of the devotee
community and the religious culture of the alleged perpetrator and
victims enabled devotees on the Child Protection Team to access
information that would not otherwise be possible to obtain.
Even if systems for child protection, education and screening are
developed, it is likely that monitoring and evaluation of these
programs will be problematic. ISKCON temples, schools and projects
exist in all corners of the globe. The CPO is based in Alachua,
Florida, and is staffed by a director and one secretary. Ultimately,
as outlined in the Task Force Report, regional offices will need
to be set up for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of local
programs. Already many devotees around the world are helping with
the various functions of the CPO.
A list of ISKCON members and friends with experience
in mental health and social service fields has been compiled by
the CPO as a reference for temples and schools; this will be useful
for reference when dealing with victims of abuse and also in assisting
investigations. More generally, the CPO serves as a resource, guidance
and information centre on child protection issues for devotees around
the world. ISKCON members, from both temples as well as those living
outside temples, call for advice on handling a particular situation,
or request literature for their information. Another function of
the CPO is to compile and distribute, as appropriate concerning
legal and ethical considerations, a list of abusers and alleged
abusers to all ISKCON communities to ensure that repeat abuse does
not occur.
Conclusion
As an institution, we now have a much better understanding of
the depth of the problem and must make every effort to protect our
children. I have spoken with many people in diverse life situations
including therapists of child abusers, child psychologists, second
generation members of ISKCON, parents of victims, sannyasis (the
renounced order) and priests from other religious traditions, and
all are impressed that ISKCON has set up an office specifically
dealing with child protection. Child abuse is an ongoing issue in
every modern institution and we, as a Society must never think we
are immune from it. We must constantly review our efforts to ensure
that our social institutions continue to adapt in ways that will
increase our children's safety. For a substantial resolution of
the problem, this direction needs to become a fixture in ISKCON's
institutional policy.
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