Leadership Misconduct

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Leadership Misconduct

Overview

ISKCON's Governing Body Commission recognizes that relationships in spiritual life are crucial for advancing the devotional path. Devotee association and service to guru and Sri Krishna give us spiritual strength and inspiration. These must be carefully managed, however, particularly for those in leadership positions. Servant leadership is the mood by which ISKCON Leaders must execute their duties. Any devotee with responsibility must meet high ethical and moral standards. In their relationships, these Leaders must be caring and compassionate and inspire devotees in their spiritual quest. Simultaneously, they must maintain a formal, respectful, and appropriate emotional and physical distance and exercise their guidance with objectivity. In all services, leaders must maintain high professional standards and be compliant with all laws, standards, and ethics both within and without ISKCON.

Who is a Leader?

An ISKCON Leader is defined as anyone with power and control over, or who inspires faith and trust in, other ISKCON devotees and participants. To be sure, anyone who has been given a role in ISKCON management and/or administration (including managing funds or resources) where professional and ethical conduct is required is considered a leader. Leadership is a broad term, however, and includes, but is not limited to, pujaris, those leading kirtan or giving classes, Sunday school teachers, bhakta leaders, ashram leaders, and treasury staff.

What is leadership misconduct?

Leadership Misconduct does not cover every type of misbehavior that occurs while a devotee is in a leadership position. Rather, it encompasses only those acts potentially involving misuse of one’s institutional power in a leader-follower context. Such abuse of one’s leadership position can occur both within and without ISKCON and can take several forms:

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse occurs when a person in a leadership role engages in sexual contact with a disciple, resident devotee, congregant, employee, student, staff member, co-worker, or volunteer. The contact can range from sexual harassment to sexual assault. Sexual contact DOES NOT have to be coerced or forced to constitute leadership sexual misconduct because the power differential between leaders and their followers is such that the follower is presumed to be unable to give consent. Sexual misconduct within ministerial, service, and work relationships within ISKCON is a betrayal of the sacred trust. Sexual misconduct encompasses a broad range of acts, including:

Harassment: staring in a suggestive manner, unwelcome flirting, intentionally standing uncomfortably close to another person, obscene gestures, sexual jokes, indecent exposure, jeering or whistling, sexualized verbal comments/pictures/videos, touching or rubbing one’s private parts in the presence of another person, use of sexually suggestive or explicit materials including pornography, making sexual comments about one’s own or another person’s body;
Assault: unwelcome touching, stalking, intercourse, rape.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is any deliberate act of force against another person that results in harm, injury, or trauma to that person’s body. This includes slapping, punching, kicking, pushing, etc. It is often used as a tactic for one person to gain control over another. Such abuse may not only seriously affect the victim’s bodily well-being but can also bring about psychological complications.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse involves the use of words and actions to control, manipulate, and intimidate another person. Emotional abuse can be just as harmful as physical abuse, and it can have a devastating impact on a person's mental and emotional health. The individual's reality may become distorted as they internalize the abuse and start to believe that what they are being told is true. Emotional abuse can include manipulation, isolation, and demeaning and threatening behaviors. Specific symptoms may include excessive controlling and monitoring of a person’s behavior, threatening the person's safety or that of their loved ones; isolating the person from friends and family; demeaning, shaming, or humiliating the person; excessively criticizing/ridiculing or unreasonably limiting a person’s choices; thwarting a person’s professional or spiritual beliefs, goals or services; instilling feelings of self-doubt and/or worthlessness; and making a person question their competence or basic perceptual experiences (gas lighting). Emotional abuse covers what is otherwise more generally termed spiritual or pastoral abuse.

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse involves controlling, exploiting, or manipulating another person’s or ISKCON’s financial assets for personal gain. It thus involves taking advantage of a person's or ISKCON’s trust and can include coercion, threats, deception, or pressure to force someone to take specific financial actions. Theft and fraud are common forms of financial abuse that involve stealing money, property, or personal information. Other examples include forging checks, misusing credit cards, misrepresenting financial statements or reports, or accessing bank accounts without authorization. Financial abuse also can include manipulating a person into signing over property, coercing them into making financial decisions against their best interests or using their funds for one’s personal expenses in the name of ISKCON.

Contact Us:

Complaints of Leadership Misconduct in North America:
North American Leadership Misconduct Office (NALMO): iskconlaw@gmail.com

For elsewhere in the world contact Leadership Conduct Office International:
Website: www.lcoi.info
Leadership Conduct Office, International: leadership.justice@gmail.com

Where do I report misconduct?

For allegations of any kind of misconduct that occurred within North America:

North American Leadership Misconduct Office (NALMO)

Navīna-Śyāma dāsa, Director

iskconlaw@gmail.com

For allegations of sexual misconduct that occurred outside North America:

Leadership Conduct Office, International

Mahavisnupriya Devi Dasi, Director

leadership.justice@gmail.com

ABOUT US

The ISKCON Ministry of Justice promotes fairness, accountability, and harmony within the ISKCON community. It ensures ethical governance and supports conflict resolution in alignment with Vedic principles and ISKCON’s spiritual values.

CONTACT US

+27(0)632 776 281

info@iskconjusticeministry.org