Carta do Conselho de Educação da ISKCON a Bhaktividya Purna Swami e Naresvara das sobre o relatório da investigação de Mayapur

ISKCON B O AR D O F E D U C A T IO N
                             International Society for Krishna Consciousness
              Founder-A ch ar ya Hi s Di vin e Gr ac e A.C. Bhaktiv ed anta Sw ami Pr ab bu pa da
                               3764 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034
                               Phone: (213) 837-9713 Fax: (213) 837-9703



                                                                    Nps Ay              ales



His Holiness Bhaktividya Purna Swami &
His    Grace Naresvara           das
P.O.    Box 16146 Park Circus Station
Calcutta      700017
India

Dear Bhaktividya Purna Swami and Naresvara Prabhu,

   Please acce pt my  hu  mb le  obeis an ce s.   All gl or  ies  to  Sr  ila
Prabhupad a. Th an k yo u  ve ry  mu ch fo r  yo ur rec en t  me mo ran dum   an d
the report on th e Mayapu r child m ole sta tion inve st ig at io n, wh ich
I   received a       few days        ago.

   While I am de     ep   ly  gr iev  ed  to   he  ar   th at   th es  e   in  cid en  ts  to  ok
place in Sri    Dh am    Ma  ya pu r,  I  am   re  lie ve  d   th at   th  e   ab us e  ha s   com   e
to the su rfa ce   an  d   an  att em  pt   ha s   be en   ma  de  to    de   al  wi th   it .
It's a po  sit ive   sig   n  th at   se ve ra l   bo ys   wh o   we  re   mo   les ted   fe  lt
they could repo     rt   th e  in  cid en ts   th  at   pro mp  ted    th  is    in ve st ig at  io n.
The Board of    Ed uc  ati  on   is   es pe  cia  lly   gr at efu   l  to    tho  se   de vo tee   s
who had the    un en  via  ble   ta sk   of  in  ve  sti ga  tin g.      It  's   als o   go od    to
hear abou t  th e  ste  ps    yo u  pla n   to   tak  e   to  pr  ev  en t   fu  rth er   oc cu   r-
rences. The progra       ms    of   ed  ucati on     an d  co  un  se  llin g    w ill  ce  rta   in ly
be welcome.

    While the report implies the investigation is basic                           ally com-
plete and the sit     ua  tio n   un de r   co  nt ro l,  it' s    lik el y  th at  th e  GB C
and/or the Board       of   Ed uc ati on    w  ill  wa nt   to  loo  k   fu rth er  int o   th is
matter becau   se   of  the   ma  ny  se  rio us    iss  ues   ra  ise d.    As   the  me mo -
randum acc  om  pa ny ing   the   re po rt   sta   tes,   Ma  yap  ur   is  an  int er na -
tiona l pr oje ct,   di re  ct ly  un de  r  the    GB C  bo  dy .    A  nu mb er  of  GB C  me n
I ha ve dis cu sse d   the   re po rt  wi   th   co ns  ide r  the  se   inc ide nt s  an d
their ramifications to be extremely grave.
   The report     see ms   tho rou gh  and   cons cie nti ou s.   Ho we ver ,  it   als o
raises as  ma  ny  qu  est ion s as   it an  sw ers .  I  am  for wa rdi ng   co pie s
of yo ur co ve r  let te r,  the   rep ort ,  and  th is  let ter  to: al l   Boa rd:  of
Fducation members, as well as the Chairman of the GBC.
      I've spent several days reading and re-reading the report,
trying to fully understand it's implications.                                   However, not hav-—
ing been the re and not bei ng fam ilia r wit h how thi ng s are done in
Mayapur, I'm not able to come to firm conclusions.                 e,                    Therefor
I'm presenting a number of questions which seem to need answer-
ing, alo ng wit h som e po int s for fur the r dis cu ssi on . Would you
please be kind enough to provide answers to the questions and
comment on the various points I've raised?

      Questions:

                                                in t er n a t ion  a l  s tan  d -
      1) Since Mayapur is a school of special                  u s  p  e rp e tr a-
                                to kno w wh ere th e   va ri o
ing, many devotees will want                                    h  o f   tho se
tors and victims were from .   Plea se let  us  kn o w  w h  ic
                             s and  stud ent s, a n d  w h ic h   w e re  fo r -
involved were local devotee
elgners.

      2) Who sanctioned an d to ok pa rt in th e beat in g an d slapp in g of
perpetrators and victims during the investigation?

      3) As outlined in the Board of Educations publica tion
"Preventing Child Abuse in ISKCON," children wh       e abused often
                                                      o ar
become ab us ers themselv es . Th is ce rta in ly seems to ha ve be en the
case in Mayapur, as at least four generations of abuse         are
referred to in the report. For example, BMJ (agaid                 nst whom
some of the mo st se rious acc us ation s we re ma de) wa s ab use   wh en
he was a student in the Mayapur gurukula. He went on to abuse
other boys, who in turn abused those younger than them. Seven of
the eleven “serious perpetrators" were abused when they were
younger:                  i ee eee eee ee
and                   .   ISKCON is also concerned about persistent
rumors that this kind of abuse has been going on in Mayapur for.
many years. The facts outlined in the report would seem Bonn da
cate that these rumors are substantially true. The Board of Edu-
Cation,     therefore,    most emphatically requests you to ascertain
and name individuals who abused those named above.                 This is of
utmost    importance.      Please spare no effort.

      4) We've previously been told by the Mayapur gurukula adminis-
tration that no unreported child abuse has occurred in the
school.      in the report it says that cee TeICSGS was previously
warned and did not stop.           Since he was under suspicion, why was
he allowed to continue in a position where he could threaten,
intimidate, and abuse younger boys?

   5) What is the current management structure for Mayapur and
the school?  Many different levels of management are referred to
in the cover letter, memorandum, and report.

   6) Have there been any management changes Since the investiga-
tion? Are any changes planned? (It's important that ISKCON lead-
ers know that there has not been a single ashram teacher in the
Mayapur gurukula for a long time.)

   7) Who will be organizing and doing the counselling you plan
to implement?   Is there any solid idea yet what kind of coun-
selling is going to be done?   The report mentions that some boys
have begun counselling already.   What kind of counselling are
they receiving?   Have the counsellors received any training?  The
fact that some victims were beaten seems to indicate a lack of
good judgement in understanding how to deal with victims of
abuse.

   8)    In your memorandum,      you mention assistance from outside
sources is needed in implementing steps to prevent further occu-
rances.  What kind of help is needed?  Do you have any ideas yet
where you intend to get help?

      9)    Paragraph 2                   of   the GBC         Policy on Child Abuse                           states:

            "Suspected             or      confirmed           cases         of       child    abuse must             be
      reported             to    local         government              authorities            for    investiga-
      tion          and/or       prosecution.                 In       India,         the    ISKCON       Board       of
      Education             may    authorize              a   waiver         of       this    requirement             if
      the       perpetrator               is    willing        to       sign      a    statement          authoriz-
      ing       the    Board       of      Education           to publicize                  the    incident          to
   all          ISKCON          related         educational              projects,            temples,          and
   other             concerned            parties."

      As    you       know,       these         actions         are      required            in    order       to   guarantee
that       the       Board       of       Education           will      be    able      to    notify       all      ISKCON
institutions of the previous activities of child abusers.  What
has been done to comply with this resolution?  Did you obtain the
written waivers from the perpetrators expelled from the Mayapur
community before they left?


      10)       Paragraph             2   of    Appendix           B    of    the      report       states:

            "The       staff
                           of the                    school        cooperated with                 the     investi-
  gation.                  However,            the    general          attitude         of    the        staff
   toward             the       investigation             was       disturbing.               Many        seemed      to
  be down-playing it's importance.  Many have, as yet,
  failed to accept that they were neglectful in not pre-
  venting the occurrences.  Many have failed to demonstrate
   that             they    have      honest          feelings          of    sympathy            for    the     abused
   small             children."


      Please          ask       the       investigative                team    to      specifically             name       those
individuals                referred            to    in   the above paragraph.




      Points          for Discussion:

      11)       Paragraph             1   of    Appendix           B    explains        why        the    investigation
was conducted in a summary fashion.  However, it seems that it's
Speed engendered certain abuses, i.e. beatings.  In retrospect,
could there have been a better way to conduct the invest
                                                         igation--
Something which would not have continued the cycle
                                                   of violence,
intimidation, and threats?

      12)       I    must       admit      I    was sickened hearing                        about        the    beatings.
While       I
        admit to not                           understanding the way                     things are done in
India, these methods may have done                                        damage        to the individuals,                   as
well as to our Society.


   The credibility of confessions obtained through
                                                   beating and
Slapping will certainly be questioned.  Also, while the report
mentions it is not meant for public consumption, it is
                                                       unlikely
that the details of the investigation will remain unknown.
                                                            This
could be a great embarrassment for ISKCON.

   And what                about      the victims?

     7 aged 10.   Abused repeatedly by an older boy.
  Lied vestigators out of fear of other boys.  Finally
  admitted after considerable slapping."

   It's normal that   ch  ildre n    who   ha ve    be en    ab  us ed  ew ild be   ra Lr ar d
and unwilling to sp  ea k  ab ou t   it.     Af   ter   al  l,   the   ab us er  's  mo  du s
                         at e  hi  s  vi ct im   s   in to   si le nc e.     It 's   ha rd    to
operandi is to intimid                ea  tin g    th e   tr ut h"   ou t  of   vi ct im  s,
understand the ratio  na  le  of   "b                                                d  of
then expelling th em  fro  m  th e   sc ho  ol .     Th  is   is  wh y  th e  Bo  ar
                        th at  in  ve st ig  at  io ns    be   do ne   by  tr ai ne  d  pe  r-
Education recommends
 sonnel.

                             id  en  tif ie s  th e  fo llo w in g  as   fa  ct or s  co  n-
    13) Your cover letter                      lo w  cl as s  ba ck gr ou nd  s,   a  la  ck
tributing to the prob le m :  bo  ys    fro m                                           -
                             su  ff ic ie nt   pr  ac tic al  ab so rb in g   en ga  ge
of qualified staffing, in                 e   prog ra m s  fo r  ge ne  ra l  pr ev  en-
ments, and a lack of  co m   pr eh en siv
tion of child ab us e. Ho we ve r,  th e re al   ca  use  is  th e       community's
                           to le ra nc e to wa rd as  th es e ac  tivi ti es .                           As
and school's attitude of
 stated in the report:

        "The Chairman    of  th e  M ay ap ur  Ad  m  in is tr at iv e  Co  un ci l,
    Satadhanya  da s,  op en  ly  sp ok e,  on   at  le as  t   tw o   oc ca sio ns
    during the investig     at io n,  th at   he  th ou gh   t  th at   to o  m uc h
    was being ma  de  of  th e   inve st ig at io n  an d    th at   th es e  ac  tiv -
    ities were normal in a boy's school."
                                     ol   ha s  re ce iv ed   in nu  m  er ab le  w ar  ni ng  s
      Over the years, the scho               de vo te es   ar ou nd    th e  w  or ld .    Fo  r
 and expressions of concern          fro m                                                 me  m-
                                 m  on th s,   se ve ra l  Bo  ar d  of   Ed  uc at io  n
 example, in the last six              tio n   of  th e   ac cu sa  tio ns   ma  de   by   te  n-
 bers and GBC raised the       qu  es                                               at    th es  e
 year-old RS laors.ough                Si x  we ek s  ag  o,  I   wa s   to ld   th
                                         ly  in ve st ig at  ed   an d   ev id en ce    co  uld
 accusations had been th
 no t  be fo un d to subs ta nt ia te   the  m.    It   wa s  su  gg  es te d that [ei
                                     ts   to   co nv in ce   h is   fa th er   to   re  m ov
sree seaht ee up the incidenur a  Go vinda Sw am i wa s told                that mz -
mim from th e sc ho ol . Ga
WENN    was “involveind a        theft case and therefore allowed to
                                                         ve d an d sent
leave the school." No w, af te r th e boy wa s disb elie
away, it turns out his accu sations were true.
                          ok en to who ha ve he ar d ab ou t the in ves-
   Most devotees I have spe, "Everyone's known these things have
tigation make comments lik As you know, the Board of Education
been going on for years."
                       sc ho ol ab ou t th e lik e lih o ocontamina-
                                                           d of
repeatedly warned th e
tion amongst the older boys.
                                    w ho w ou ld ag re e w it h  yo ur
     I think there are few devotees  th   e  e n   ti re   te a administra-
                                                                ch  in g   s ta ff  an d
statement, "58 boysare         and                                    W   h ile  no   ev id  en  ce    m  ay
ti ve  s ta  ff  w er e  cl e    d   o  f   in vo   lv em  en  t. "                                it     se  x-
       tu  rn ed  up    th a t th e  sc   ho o  l   st  a ff  w as    in  vo lve d  in   il  li c
ha ve                       e  in v e s ti g a to   rs   w e re   c le  a rly   co n ce rn e  d   a b o u t
ual activ     it ie s,   th                                     se  em  s  th e re  w as ,    an  d   co  n -
th e  a ttitu  de   o f  th e  sc h o o l   s ta  ff  .    It                             il it y   fo  r
                                         ck    o  f   a  se
tinues to be, an abject la under their care. Considering the ns e   o f   re sp  o n si b
abuse inflicted ond co    children                         o ve  r  th  e   ye  a rs  ,   th e    ad  m in -
ample warnings lvan           ncerns ex        p re ss ed                    ty   o f   n e g  li g en ce .
istrato rs  in v o   e d  a  re ,   at   th  e  v e ry  le a s t,   g  u  il
                                                   d   na tu re    o f
                              e wide-sprea went on for so long while the th e   co  rr  u p ti o  n   in
    14) Consideringhath   rd    to   b e  li ev e   it
           l,  it 's
the schoo ff remained completely oblivious. Candrasekhara, as a
school sta          n t  o f  th  e   st u d  en ts ,  sh o u ld   ha  ve    kn o w n   a  la   rg  e  p e r-
trusted con   fid e                                                th  e   re p  o rt .    A  cc  o rd in g
                     ircumstances described in
centage opf othrte, hce warned students to stay away from a.
to the reh 3 of the GBC regulations says:
Paragrap

            "All      suspected          or    confirmed          incidents             of    child           abuse
      must      be    reported       immediately             to    the       local        GBC      secretary,
      and within            thirty       days,       to   the     ISKCON Board                of    Educa-
      Erfon:”                                                                                            ;

      It    would      seem       that    Bhaktividya             Purna        Maharaja,            through              his    |
close       connection with               Candrasekhara,                would          have       ample           opportunity
to    ascertain            the    truth       when    confronted              with       allegations.                    Fur-
thermore, the investigative committee's statement,  "Some boys”
stated that when they reported incidents to the school authori-
ties they were punished along with the perpetrators of tho
                                                           se
incidents," indicates unreported Suspected abuse.
                                                   -This is par-
ticularly serious in light of Paragraph 8 of the GBC
                                                      regulations
which states, in part:


           "Should          the    GBC   body       find     a    GBC   man        or    other       ISKCON
     manager          responsible         for       Suppressing              or    covering         up        com-
     plaints of child abuse, or Supportin
                                          g                                       intimidation                of
     those who might complain, the GBC man                                        shall      be    open           to
      censure         or   probation,          and     the       ISKCON       manager         shall           be
     open       to    appropriate         disciplinary             action."

      I    recognize         that    the       implications             of,       and    the      repercussions
from,       the      above points may be quite serious.
                                                                                           However,               the GBC
and       Temple      Presidents of ISKCON have m
                                                  ade it                                 clear       they          want a
“zero-tolerance               policy"          in    regard       to    child       abuse.          I        hope       open
and honest            discussion          will       lead    to    a    thorough           "clearing
air"                                                                                                               of    the
           and prevention            of       such    Occurrences             in    the      future.               It's    nec-
essary         that    these       points       continue          to    be    discussed            until           our    Soci-




   I sincerely hope you wil
                            l not view the Board of
myself as "enemies" beca                             Education                                                            or
                         use these points are pre
                                                  ssed.
eral times mentioned to
                         Bhaktividya Purna Mahar
port
                                                 aja that
          of    the    Society       will      be     luke-warm         until          concerns
are    eliminated.                                                                                           in
                                  Clearing       up   these       issues          is    an    absolute
Sity      for    the       continued welfare of                  the Mayapur gurukula.

   I look forward to yo
                        ur answers and comm
points.                                     ents                                             on    the       above
         The Board of Education
                                 and the GBC


     Hope      this    meets       you    in    good health             and       Krishna          Consciousness.



                                                                             Your       Sila v.clites,



                                                                             Sia! —————
                                                                             ape.
                                                                             Chairman