ISKCON Child Protection Policy Manual

May 16, 2013 (VNN) From the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

(Editor’s note: This the 315 of the 2013 GBC resolutions. You can find the Minutes Of The 2013 Annual General Meeting in our archives section or directly here)

(passed by correspondence vote in June 2102)

Whereas in 1998 the GBC Body adopted resolution 305, which accepted in total the recommendations of the Child Protection Task Force “outlining a justice system, central office, and various guidelines for GBC Members, Regional Secretaries and Temple Presidents to assure enforcement and implementation”;

Whereas with now twelve years of experience of the functioning of the Child Protection Office, there is a need to update the existing processes based upon the experiences gained. Specifically, there is a need to expand upon, and clearly detail, among others:

(a) the processes involved in dealing with a complaint of child abuse
(b) the duties and responsibilities of the various role-players in the processes
(c) the categories of abuse, offenders, and manner in dealing with them
(d) the scope of jurisdiction of the Child Protection Office

Whereas there is a need to provide guidelines for the prevention of abuse and the various processes involved in investigating and adjudicating complaints of abuse;

And whereas a committee of Champakalata Devi Dasi (Child protection Office Executive Director), Tamohara Das (GBC and former CPO Director) and Anuttama Das (GBC and original CPO Task Force member) have revised and edited a new version of the CPO Manual and obtained legal review of the document:

RESOLVED:

That the current revised version of the “CPO Policy and Procedure Manual” shall be adopted by GBC Body and become official ISKCON policy.