AP ABUSE STORY OUT

[Guest guest]

June 9, 1999

 

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

The long awaited Associated Press (AP) article about past child abuse of

ISKCON children will be appearing within a few days. I have information that

the article will be officially released internationally by AP on Sunday June

13. It is possible that it will be printed before then, but unlikely.

 

The article itself was sent to media sources one or two days ago, but they

are obliged to hold it until the release date. This means that that some of

our temples may be contacted BEFORE or just after the story to get a "local

angle" on the article. In other words, your temple(s) may be contacted by

reporters who want to know if there was abuse in your local area, what has

been done about it, etc.

 

It is imperative that someone in a leadership/communications position is

prepared to respond to media inquiries and that all devotees know who to

refer such calls to. Also, it is essential that devotees are up to date with

ISKCON's response to past abuse and our efforts to assist the young people

that were abused.

 

Therefore, at the end of this message I again post the official response and

background information that was compiled and forwarded to you from Mukunda

Goswami and myself several months ago. I am not sending an updated Media

Release as it is not needed at this time. However, local spokespersons

should be familiar with the essential elements of an appropriate response if

the media contacts you. I advise therefore a review of the documents below

as a refresher.

 

I assume by now that your temple communities have been appropriately

informed of sad history of past abuse, as well as the ongoing efforts to

protect our children and address the past, both locally and internationally.

Thus, this upcoming media coverage should not be a shock to your

congregation or temple residents. Nonetheless, depending on the degree of

coverage in your area, you may want to again consider a public explanation

of ISKCON's efforts to help victims, protect our children, etc.

 

My information is that the article is quite negative. Although the work of

the Child Protection Office, Children of Krishna, and similar efforts are

mentioned, the overall tone of the article and the sad stories and graphic

details of abuse present a highly critical picture. This is not unsurprising

considering the unfortunate number of young devotee victims that suffered.

 

As sad as this history is, the fact is we can't change it. But, we can and

must rededicate ourselves to the efforts already well underway to guarentee

the protection of our children today, and to assist and support the young

adults who may have suffered in the past.

 

For example, just last week Dhira Govinda Prabhu, Director of the Office of

Child Protection completed training in Italy of a large number of judges to

expand to process of investigation allegations of past abuse and

adjudicating those cases. The CPO newsletter will have more details of that

in its next issue. Children of Krishna will be increasing the grants it

offers to devotee youths by over 25% in 1999. Both these efforts require

ongoing support and funding.

 

Equally important as these efforts, is the work that each and every one of

us can do, individually and collectively, to assure that every child in our

own communities is safe and well cared for. Secondly, to do everything we

can to reach out and support the 2nd generation devotees that live in and

around our communities. Many young people still feel some degree of

alienation or are troubled by past difficulties in their lives, or the

ongoing stress of living in modern times.

 

Vaishnava are to be known by their compassion. If we aspire to be real

Vaishnavas we must increase the amount of support, compassion, love and

friendship we offer to our fellow young devotees---and our children of all

ages.

 

Please forward this letter to devotees in your respective areas as

appropriate. I have sent this only to those you see listed at the top of

this email. See below for more information.

 

Your servant, Anuttama dasa, ISKCON Communications

 

 

 

Older documents for background information are contained below. These are

documents that you were sent last October following the media coverage

resulting from the ICJ articles. THEY ARE NOT for public distribution as is

because they are dated, but the information they contain is relevant.

 

*************************************************************

 

 

 

NOTE: This is for distribution to ISKCON temple presidents.

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BEGINNING OF INTERNAL DOCUMENT______________________

 

NOTE: This document is for internal use only, except for the news release at

the end, which may be used for public information.

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO ISKCON TEMPLE PRESIDENTS, especially in the USA:

You should be aware that there could be potential legal ramifications to

what you say. Regarding this, please adhere closely to the advice given in

the following documents. If you have any questions to ask about information

that goes beyond the scope of these writings, please consult Anuttama dasa.

However, it IS important that these issues be discussed among at least

committed devotees in istagosthi-styled settings. It is important that

devotees be able to answer questions from the congregation and other people

correctly. One person should be prepared to talk to the media, especially in

areas where there are schools. Please insure that your temples and school,

if you have one, are vigilantly applying current policies about child

protection. It is your decision—that is, it is up to you—as to how public

you want to go with this issue. If you see that it is a concern in your

community, I would suggest a brief announcement, at a Sunday Feast. You can

then request anyone who has further questions to approach you personally

after the announcement. But please do NOT take any questions publicly.

****************************************************************************

*

 

HISTORY (Internal document)

 

 

Washington, D.C.

ISKCON Potomac Temple

October 17, 1998

 

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

I am writing on behalf of the Global Communications Office in Washington,

D.C. As most of you are aware, this week there was a large amount of

international media coverage about past child abuse in Hare Krishna schools

during the 1970's and 1980's. The story first broke in Religion News Service

and then appeared on the front page of the New York Times on Friday, October

9. From there it was picked up by Associated Press and then went around the

world, including BBC radio, National Public Radio (US), Newsweek (on-line

only so far), International Herald Tribune, major India papers, and perhaps

hundreds of other newspapers.

 

This coverage brought attention to some very, very sad and disturbing

events, portraying details of experiences that some Krishna children are

said to have endured in some of our gurukulas in the 1970's and 1980's.

 

Despite this, the media coverage had a redeeming feature: The media

commended ISKCON for openly and honestly bringing the issue to light in our

own publication, the ISKCON Communications Journal. In the June issue of the

Journal, two scholars, Burke Rochford and Bharata Shrestha Das, wrote

separate articles investigating allegations of abuse, and chronicling

ISKCON's response. (There will be future articles, including one by Dhira

Govinda Dasa, explaining the ongoing efforts of the Child Protection

Office.)

 

The New York Times piece, "Hare Krishna Movement Details Past Abuse at Its

Boarding Schools," in the first paragraph described ISKCON's publishing the

studies as "unusually candid." The Associated Press said it was "an

extraordinary display of candor." The Times article specifically contrasted

ISKCON with the Catholic Church which has been sharply criticized for the

way it handled child abuse charges.

 

India Abroad, the largest ethnic Indian newspaper in the US, reported in its

story that "Public revelations of sexual abuse by clergymen have plagued

religious groups from the Roman Catholic Church to the United Methodist

Church in the last decade, but it is rare for a religious group to disclose

[problems]....in its official publication."

 

This fact is well known. Child abuse is a global phenomenon. All religious

institutions, all nations, all educational systems have been plagued by it.

It is sad that ISKCON is not an exception. But, the fact that ISKCON at this

point is trying to be very open and investigate past abuse accusations and

help any victims with programs like the Child Protection Office and Children

of

Krishna, is being appreciated by large numbers of people (Please see details

about these two organizations under the WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE and the

QUESTIONS section of this message).

 

 

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? (Internal document)

 

It is important that we continue the process of open acknowledgment of the

problems of the past and that we inform our devotees, friends, and

congregations of the facts of the situation and our serious efforts for many

years to protect our children, to help victims of abuse, and to bring

abusers to justice.

 

We must not assume that our congregations don't care about highly publicized

revelations of abuse, or that they may not know, or that this situation will

just go away if we ignore it.

 

Without a proactive effort by our local temple leaders, rumors and false

information may circulate that will undermine people's faith in your temple.

On the other hand, as we have seen in the press, if we openly recognize the

problems of the past and inform people of the steps that were taken in

response to abuse, as well as our ongoing efforts to protect our children,

then people will be more likely to respect us.

 

I suggest that you carefully read the following materials and follow these

guidelines as they apply in your local area. This material has been reviewed

by devotee attorneys Amarendra Dasa and Radha Dasi.

 

At the end of this message you will find a copy of a news release sent to

the media. In it, ISKCON's basic position and response to allegations of

child abuse are laid out. We suggest that you discuss this release -- if

abuse stories appeared in your local media and it has become a topic of

conversation in your congregation-- with your local communities, including:

 

1) The temple devotees

2) Leaders of your congregation who are aware of the problem or likely to

become aware of it.

3) Important opinion leaders who you have a relationship with, who may be

aware of the media reports

4) Neighbors and friends who may be aware of the reports

5) Your congregation if you feel they are aware of the reports

 

If you decide that the issue is being significantly discussed in local

community we suggest that during your Sunday Feast announcements, the temple

president makes an announcement:

 

1) Informing the community about the media story ("You may have seen the

report in the local paper on Friday")

2) Explaining that:

a. these reports are about problems that existed in the 1970's and

1980's. As reported in the New York Times, many schools had NO incidents of

abuse.

b. Child abuse of any form is a gross violation of Vaishnava

principles. The sastra clearly states that innocent members of society, like

children, must be protected.

c. Policies have been put into place to protect children since 1990.

d. Other efforts like the Child Protection Office and Children of Krishna

are investigating allegations of past abuse and helping our young people

with grants for education and counseling.

e. It is our policy that in countries where there are laws governing child

abuse that whenever there is even suspicion of wrongdoing that temples are

directed to immediately contact appropriate authorities.

3) Reading the press release below.

4) Telling the people that if they have questions, they can speak with you

(or several top leaders) privately AFTER the announcements. Please do not

take public questions.

 

You can also consider printing an article in your local newsletter

explaining the same.

 

Again, the reasons we advise you to consider discussing these matters are:

1) People may well have heard about this from the media, or their friends,

fellow office workers, etc.

2) Everyone should be aware of our "no tolerance" policy on child abuse

3) We must set the record straight about ISKCON's proactive response

4) We must provide our members with information so that they can continue to

have faith in ISKCON and your temple

 

(NOTE: If you are confident that there has been no media coverage of this

issue in your area, and that most of your congregation will have heard of

this, and that there are no allegations of abuse in your area, then I

recommend that you use your discretion whether or not to discuss this with

the larger community. However, you should definitely talk with your temple

devotees and leaders, as we must continue to educate our members about the

need for protecting our children and assuring an abuse-free environment. But

beware that bad news travels with lightening speed and there is every

likelihood that however isolated your temple may be, members

may learn of these media reports over the phone or over the Internet—even

from very distant places. And in such cases, not discussing this matter with

the congregation, or at least its leaders, will make them think we are

covering something up.

 

*******************

QUESTIONS PEOPLE MIGHT ASK AND RECOMMENDED ANSWERS (Internal document)

 

1) What steps has ISKCON taken to protect children from abuse?

 

Many such steps, including:

---In 1990, the GBC passed a series of resolutions prescribing how abuse

allegations should be investigated, how children can be protected, and

mandated that Child Protection Teams be established at every temple.

---The ISKCON Board of Education has established screening procedures for

all adults who work with children.

---Krishna students are trained in standard and approved classes on

inappropriate touching, how to report suspicious characters, etc.

—In 1996, Children of Krishna was formed to provide funding for youth

projects and educational grants

---The Child Protection Office (CPO) was established in spring 1998 with

professional staff and funding.

The CPO has three primary functions:

a. To provide a system of investigating and responding to

allegations of child abuse, especially in cases where local legal systems

are ineffective.

b. To provide support for survivors of child abuse through financial

aid, counseling, etc.

c. To work with ISKCON management and educational bodies to help

provide screening and other programs to help protect children

 

2) Why were the articles published in the Journal?

 

It was important to bring this issue into the open (through the publication

of the Journal) because

a. Child abuse is the kind of social disease that thrives on secrecy.

b. We wanted to openly address the problems of the past.

c. We must do what we can to prevent the deviant behavior of individuals

from hurting our children.

d. We must do our best to assure the protection of our children.

 

3) If these events happened so long ago in the past, why is it an issue now?

 

Only over the last few years, has ISKCON become aware of the depth of the

past problems. During the 1996 North American GBC/TP meetings, ten Krishna

youth made a presentation documenting their personal stories of abuse.

Previous to that time, leaders and most members did not understand the

extent of the problem. After that meeting, Children of Krishna and the CPO

were established.

 

4) How many schools are there now?

 

There are approximately 50 Krishna schools in the world today. All but three

of those are day schools. Only Vrindavana, Mayapur, and a small (separately

incorporated) high school in Alachua, Florida are boarding schools. The rest

are day schools where children live with their parents.

 

***************

 

OTHER POINTS (Internal document)

 

If your area never had a school, or never had a boarding school, or (if

you're positive) never had any abuse allegations, tell people that.

 

It is very possible that after your announcement, some former students (or

their parents) may come forward to express anger or pain, about their own

experiences. If so, it is essential that you demonstrate compassion for

these young devotees. In addition to the love and support you can/must offer

them from your local community, please help them to get involved with the

following support groups:

 

Children of Krishna Phone: (904) 462-1081

Jahnavi Dasi Email: afn56839 (AT) afn (DOT) org

PO Box 2458

Alachua, Florida 32616 USA

 

Child Protection Office Phone: (904) 418-0882

Dhira Govinda Dasa Email: dgovinda (AT) aol (DOT) com

PO Box 1438

Alachua, Florida 32616

USA

 

If people want copies of the Journal article, they can write to:

 

ICJ

Rasika-sekhara Das

63 Divinity Road

Oxford, OX4 lLH

United Kingdom

 

Subscriptions are 12 English pounds, or $25 (US) per year including

shipping.

 

your servant,

Mukunda Goswami

ISKCON Communications Global

 

 

END OF INTERNAL DOCUMENT________________________________

 

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BEGINNING OF PUBLIC DOCUMENT___________________________

 

Here is the release (Public document):

 

 

MEDIA RELEASE

 

HARE KRISHNAS INVESTIGATE PAST ABUSE AT BOARDING SCHOOLS

 

Date: October 13, 1998

Contact: Anuttama Dasa

Phone: (301) 299-9707

 

The academic journal of the International Society for Krishna

Consciousness (ISKCON), in its most recent volume examines allegations of

child abuse in Hare Krishna boarding schools in the United States and India

during the 1970's and 1980's.

 

Two scholars, one a Krishna devotee, Bharata Shrestha Das, and the

other, Burke Rochford, a sociology professor in Vermont, each contributed an

article to the ISKCON Communications Journal. These individuals presented

their research analyzing alleged abuse in ISKCON parochial schools during

the society's earliest years. The abuses they outlined were physical,

emotional and sexual.

 

The New York Times called the report "an unusually candid expose."

The Times noted ISKCON's openness, in contrast with other religious

organizations including the Roman Catholic Church, which has been criticized

for its handling of child abuse.

 

"This type of problem thrives on secrecy," said Anuttama Dasa,

ISKCON National Director of Communications. "We chose to print the articles

and bring the allegations out into the open as part of a multi-pronged

response to address past problems as well as to help prevent future abuse of

our children."

 

In 1990, the ISKCON Governing Body Commission established policies

to protect children from child abuse, as well as guidelines on how to

respond

to allegations of abuse. It wasn't until 1996, when a panel of 10 young

adults testified about their experiences before North American Krishna

leaders, that the depth of the problem was fully known.

 

ISKCON responded by establishing a Child Protection Office staffed

with professional social workers. This office has three functions: 1) To

investigate and respond to allegations of child abuse, especially in cases

where local legal systems are ineffective; 2) To provide support for victims

of child abuse through financial aid and counseling; and 3) To work with

ISKCON management and educational bodies to help provide screening and other

programs to protect children.

 

Also, a support organization called Children of Krishna was

established to provide financial assistance for Krishna youth for their

educational needs and counseling.

 

All but three Krishna schools are now day schools (not boarding

schools), where students live with their parents, and parents have more

daily input into their child's education.

 

ISKCON, also known as the Hare Krishna movement, was brought to the

west from India in 1965 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, an elderly monk and

scholar. From their it spread across the world and today includes over 325

temples world-wide, including 45 in the United States. ISKCON is part of the

Vaishnava religious tradition, a monotheistic branch of the Hindu tradition.

 

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END OF PUBLIC DOCUMENT_________________________________