When you’ve seen someone treating a child in a harmful way did you wonder what to do? Have you heard that a child was abused and wondered what you should do? Did you think that it was someone else’s responsibility to address it? Did you think it was an isolated incident so decided to do nothing?
Children depend on adults, adults who know how to identify harmful behavior and what to do to protect them. As adults, we are individually and collectively responsible for ensuring the safety of children.
There are laws requiring adults to report concerns of child maltreatment to secular authorities as well as policies within businesses and organizations. In an excerpt from the 2018 ISKCON Child Protection Policy, Obligation to Report Abuse to Secular Authorities section, it is stated, “All ISKCON personnel who know, or have reasonable cause to suspect, that a child has been a victim of child maltreatment or abuse, shall immediately make any report required by law directly to the local law enforcement authorities or other civil authority, such as the local child protective services agency, as may be appropriate or mandated in their local jurisdiction.
“Immediately thereafter, once a report is made to the local authorities, a report shall also be made to the local child protection team (CPT), temple president or director, GBC zonal secretary and CPO.”
The Policy goes on to state that, “ISKCON recognizes that there are few offenses more serious than abuse or other misconduct with a minor, especially by a member of the ISKCON clergy or other personnel. Accordingly, it is the policy of ISKCON to use every reasonable means to prevent the occurrence of abuse, to treat with utmost seriousness any allegation of abuse or misconduct and to alleviate, as far as possible, the suffering of all persons affected by abuse if an incident should occur.”
GBC resolutions dating back to 1990 state,”Suspected or confirmed cases of child abuse must be reported to local government authorities for investigation and/or prosecution.” And “All ISKCON educational projects must have preventative programs which train children how to avoid and report child abuse incidents.”
For more information on ISKCON child protection policies see http://www.safetemple.org/2012/01/04/guidelines/
Find out what your local laws are – what constitutes abuse, how to report concerns, who are mandated reporters. What is the policy at your work, school, place of worship? What you do or don’t do can have long term impacts for a child. Err on the side of caution, report any concern of child abuse that you become aware of.
A report is a request for an inquiry by a qualified agency. It is not a confirmation that abuse has occurred. The trained person receiving your report can determine if abuse occurred or not. It is their job to investigate, not yours. And when they are constrained to act, internal policy becomes essential in handling a concern of child maltreatment.
To report a concern of child abuse or neglect in the United States or Canada call 1-800-4-A-CHILD. The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors. A trained individual will assess the information that you have and connect you with the appropriate authorities. There are translators available in 170 languages. This hotline also offers crisis intervention, information and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service and support resources.
To report within ISKCON you can email the Child Protection Office or speak with your local Child Protection Team members.