Our Purpose

The CPO strives to protect, nurture, and guide children in ISKCON through the following measures, in alignment with Indian child protection standards and ISKCON child safeguarding policies: 

• Preventive Safety Measures: Implement safety protocols in temples, Naamhattas, Gurukulas, schools, and other ISKCON centers to protect children from abuse or exploitation, promoting child safeguarding in religious institutions.

• Spiritual Activities: Conduct weekly Prahlāda School sessions, summer camps, and annual programs to support children’s devotional growth and holistic child development within ISKCON.

• Awareness Programs: Educate management, devotees, volunteers, parents, and children about child protection, child rights, and Indian child protection laws, fostering awareness and prevention.

• Legal and Parenting Guidance: Organize workshops on Indian laws related to children, Garbhādāna-saṁskāra, Garbha-saṁskāra, and parenting skills to strengthen child welfare and responsible parenting practices.

• Best Practices Sharing: Identify effective child protection programs across ISKCON and replicate them in other temples, supporting standardised child safety frameworks across ISKCON India.

• Newsletter Publication: Publish an annual newsletter summarizing child protection initiatives, safety measures, and devotional activities for children across ISKCON communities.

• Research and Studies: Conduct studies on spiritual exposure from childhood and the effects of Garbhādāna and Garbha-saṁskāra prior to and during pregnancy, contributing to research on child well-being and spiritual upbringing.

The CPO’s work supports ISKCON’s mission to:

• Propagate spiritual knowledge to society and educate people in the techniques of spiritual life to foster unity and peace, supporting ethical values and child-friendly communities in India.

• Spread awareness of Kṛṣṇa as revealed in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam within ISKCON’s spiritual education framework.

• Bring society’s members closer to each other and nearer to Kṛṣṇa, recognising every soul as part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and fostering inclusive, child-safe spiritual environments.

• Teach and encourage the sankirtan movement and congregational chanting of the holy name of God in safe and nurturing devotional spaces for children.

• Establish holy places dedicated to the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with a strong emphasis on child protection and welfare.

• Promote a simple and natural way of life for members, encouraging healthy, value-based upbringing for children.

• Publish and distribute periodicals, books, and other writings to spread spiritual knowledge, including awareness of child rights, safety and protection within ISKCON.