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Footnotes and references
for
ISKCON's Response to Child
Abuse: 1990-1998
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Footnotes
- See Burke Rochford's article Child
Abuse in the Hare Krishna Movement: 1971-1986 in this issue
of the journal.
- Back to Godhead, the official magazine
of the Hare Krishna Movement, was forced to suspend publication
for financial reasons in 1989-91 as members withdrew their support
to the institution.
- The Guru reform movement was led by members
within the movement towards improving the effectiveness of the
management structure of ISKCON. It was, furthermore, a reassessment
of the perception of spiritual authority and who was qualified
to initiate disciples in the movement. This took place between
1986-87.
- A third aspect was often cited as a criticism,
this was the lack of speed to address the problem by victims and
parents. However, to the victim and his or her family, no response
will be fast enough, we can only try and put this into perspective
by comparing ISKCON's response to other religious organisations.
- Madhusudani Radha devi dasi (Maria Ekstrand, PhD.). 'Child Abuse:
Has ISKCON Done the Needful?' http://www.chakra.org, 1997.
- It is possible to see this response as a defiance
of authority. There are also very real practical factors, among
which is a breakdown of communications brought about by the disruption
of regional authority during the Guru Reform Movement.
- Vaninatha Vasu dasa, Personal interview, 11,
March 1998.
- See GBC Resolution 119(7).
- Gurukula is the name given to the system
of educating children of primary and high school age.
- I was personally present at these meetings
to witness these testimonies.
- 'DDS.' Children of Krishna, Internal document,
1997.
- VOICE. http://www.voice.com
- 'Minutes', Mayapur, India, GBC Publication,
19-26, February 1998.
- Resolutions 98-305 are not without critics.
Some devotee professionals in the field note issues that are not
addressed or are incompletely addressed:
1. Loop holes that can be used by abusers who have 'friends in
high places.'
2. Programme administrators are already overworked
3. Investigators and judges are non-professionals.
4. The Appeal Procedure puts final decisions in the hands of people
who may or may not be qualified to pass final judgement.
5. Centralised authority for Child Protection Office lacks assurances
that regional offices will be capable of compliance.
6. Local devotee investigators very likely will know parties involved,
creating conflict of interest.
7. Psychological evaluations are far less reliable than the creators
of 98-305 indicate.
8. Screening programme is inadequate.
9. Some procedures may violate ethical and legal codes in some
areas. (Source: gleaned from private correspondence/discussion
with several professional colleagues.) Resolutions 98-305 as a
new initiative undoubtedly will need modification. However, early
indications are that the CPO has the full cooperation of devotees
who have exemplary moral and spiritual practice as well as professional
competency in the areas of child protection and family counselling
and education. Therefore, it seems likely that the CPO and the
GBC will address these criticisms responsibly.
- Dharmaraj dasa, private correspondence, 24,
March 1998.
- Unfortunately, there are no reliable statistics
on this yet. The newly formed Office of Child Protection is gathering
such data, therefore at the time of this publication we are talking
about impression, not assertion.
- For more details of how family life has been
valued in ISKCON, see E. Burke Rochford, Jr. 'Family
Formation, Culture and Change in the Hare Krishna Movement',
ISKCON Communications Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2 (1997), pp.61-82.
- Elliott, Michele, 'Child Sexual Abuse Prevention:
What Offenders Tell Us.' Child abuse & Neglect, 19
(1995), pp. 579-94.
- According to US government statistics, 77% of perpetrators of child
maltreatment were parents, and an additional 11% were other relatives
of the victim. It is estimated that over 80% of all perpetrators
were under age 40 and that 65% were females. An estimated 75%
of neglect and medical neglect cases were associated with female
perpetrators, while 73% of sexual abuse cases were associated
with male perpetrators. US Department of Health and Human Services.
'Child Maltreatment 1996: Reports from the States to the National
Child Abuse and Neglect Data System', Washington, DC: US Government
Printing Office, 1998.
- The Boy Scouts of America is a particularly
useful comparison for several reasons. Among them is the belief
in 'moral straightness,' faith in God, separation of sexes, voluntary
austerity, system of etiquette, etc. In addition, they involve
amateur and unpaid adults in intimate, overnight situations with
boys aged 11-14, a situation not unlike that of an ISKCON ashram.
- Boyle, Patrick, Scout's honor: sexual abuse
in America's most trusted institution, Rocklin, CA : Prima
Pub., 1994.
- Note that this is the same year as ISKCON first
tried to address the problem.
- Or they both are drawing on common sources.
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