URGENT GBC DECISION/MEDIA UPDATE

[Guest guest]

April 29, 1999

Nrisimha Caturdasi

 

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

 

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

 

All glories to the auspicious Appearance Day of Lord Nrisimhadeva.

 

Today I was notified by the GBC Chairman, Bir Krishna Goswami, that the GBC

has voted in favor of a resolution pledging $250,000 per year for three (3)

years to fund additional child protection and child abuse response efforts.

This brings the total of funds designated to child abuse response to over

one million dollars.

 

This most recent $750,000 will come from projected donations from the NA BBT

to international projects, beginning next year, 2000. This represents 80% of

expected NA BBT proceeds.

 

Below is a media release that is currently being distributed to media

outlets in the United States. To our knowledge the expected Associated Press

story has not been issued yet, although it may still appear any day. This

press release may stimulate some media coverage, so please be prepared to

respond in your local areas. Please refer to earlier position statements and

media response materials that were emailed to you previously.

 

As pointed out in the release, we can not change the history that some of

our children suffered abuse in the past. Today's decision demonstrates that

our society is determined to increase our efforts and do whatever we can to

aid those who suffered, and to continue to assure the safety of our

children.

 

It is also important that we educate our devotees and congregations of this

pro-active step. Individual regional and temple leaders and communications

personnel should discuss what is the best way to do that in your local

areas. Although it is painful to talk about the past abuse, it is important

that we educate people as to our efforts to help victims and address the

past, as well as the programs that are in place to protect our children

today. (Again, see previous materials for details.)

 

We may still have to endure negative media coverage from the past abuse.

However, it is important that we do inform concerned parties about our

proactive steps, which are substantial.

 

Most importantly, we are trying to do as much as we can, and committing very

significant resources, to help the youth who have suffered. Inquiries for

help, or for more specific information on programs in place to help the

youth, should be directed to Dhira Govinda, OCP Director. He is on com, or

can be reached at (904) 418-0882.

 

Your servant,

 

Anuttama Dasa

ISKCON Communications

 

**********RELEASE BELOW

 

 

MEDIA RELEASE

 

KRISHNAS PLEDGE ONE MILLION DOLLARS TO CHILD PROTECTION

 

Date: April 29, 1999 Phone: (301) 299-9707

Contact: Anuttama Dasa

 

Washington, D.C. —The Governing Body Commission (GBC) of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known as the Hare

Krishna movement, today announced it has pledged an additional $750,000 for

ISKCON's Office of Child Protection (OCP). This pledge brings the total the

Krishnas plan to spend in response to past abuse to over one million

dollars.

By a majority vote made public today, the GBC voluntarily pledged to

provide $250,000 per year for the next three years for child protection, to

be administered by the religious group's professionally staffed OPC. A

minimum of $500,000 will be used to directly assist victims of abuse. The

balance of the $750,000 will be used for education and training to protect

children and to support the OCP's work in investigating and adjudicating

alleged past abuse. Another quarter million dollars was allocated previously

to the OCP.

The Governing Body Commission pledged the money from donations of

the North American division of the Krishna's independent publishing house,

the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT). The GBC pledged these funds recognizing

that the individual North American temple communities do not have sufficient

resources to financially support the desired increases in the child

protection programs.

"The funds pledged today represent the bulk of the proceeds from our

tradition's most sacred activity—the publishing of our religious texts,"

said Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON

spokesperson. "Historically, these funds have been donated to build temples

and facilities for pilgrims at holy sites in India. Today's decision

confirms that our leadership wants to do whatever is possible to help our

families, and heal our young people."

The Krishnas attracted international media attention when ISKCON's

own academic journal published two lengthy articles by scholars

investigating past abuse of Krishna children in the group's boarding schools

in the 1970's and 1980's. The New York Times called the publishing of the

articles "an unusually candid expose" by a religious group.

Independent child abuse experts have acknowledged the Krishna's

Office of Child Protection's pro-active efforts. In addition to providing

assistance to abuse victims, and education to prevent abuse, the OCP

actively investigates allegations of past abuse. The OCP oversees an

independent judicial system that determines restrictions and punishments for

alleged past abusers who may have escaped prosecution from local and state

law enforcement agencies. Actions against past abusers can include mandatory

payment of reparations to victims, mandatory professional counseling, and

banishment for life from Krishna temples.

In a related announcement, the Mayapur Foundation, a new independent

ISKCON-affiliated Trust that raises funds for charitable and religious

purposes in India, today announced a new grant writing initiative dedicated

to raising funds in North America for Krishna youth who were victims of

abuse.

"The protection of children is an essential tenet of the Hare

Krishna, or Vaishnava Hindu tradition," said Anuttama. "Many children in

modern society have suffered from abuse. It has infected churches, schools,

governments, and families. Unfortunately, ISKCON has not been free from that

plague. We can't change the history of suffering that some of our children

underwent. But, we must continue to do everything we can to help the healing

process," he said. # # #