Another Feather In The Cap of Sikhs

Canadian Sikh priest fined $415,000 for sexually abusing niece.

Monday, June 30th, 2008
News Source: in.news.yahoo.com

VANCOUVER: A court here has ordered a Sikh priest and his wife to pay $415,000 in damages to their niece for sexually abusing her for over a decade.
Karamjeet Kaur, who is 50 now and known as Vicky Waters after her marriage to a white man, was sexually abused by the 'granthi' who along with his wife adopted her following her mother's death in an accident.
In its judgment Thursday, the provincial British Columbia Supreme Court said Joginder Singh Bains, now 77, began sexually abusing Kaur when she was just eight on their farm at Fraser Valley near Vancouver.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-news/22235-another-feather-in-the-cap-sikhs.html
Judge Nancy Morrison said the adopted girl was subjected to oral and anal sex, and also beatings. To prevent pregnancy when she reached puberty, the couple had an IUD inserted in her.
The assaults took place over a period of 10 years and began when Waters was eight years old.
Waters, 50, told the court how she had pleaded for help from her aunt, Darshan, and a grandmother after Bains began sexually assaulting her, but her pleas went unanswered.
Darshan and her grandmother colluded to have a doctor insert an IUD device to prevent pregnancy at the onset of puberty.
Morrison said the inference was that Darshan knew what was happening and wanted to ensure "there would be no pregnancy or discovery of on-going abuse."
"Both defendants played a significant part in her losses. The young plaintiff was present in their home, slept in their bedroom and at times, in their bed with them, when sexual assaults took place," the insertion of the IUD into an unknowing 12- or 13-year-old is, as I have stated before, appalling," said Judge Morrison. "She was denied aid by her aunt, her father's younger sister to whom she turned to for help on two occasions. This child was vulnerable as she had recently lost her mother in a tragic accident," said Morrison in her written reasons.
Waters testified that the sexual assaults - also committed by a second uncle who knew she was being sexually abused - had caused severe psychological problems during her life.
"The plaintiff's inability to control her emotions, her loss of enjoyment of life, the interference in the development of interpersonal and sexual relationships and her ongoing mood swings and depression are amply proven by the evidence," said Morrison.
The judge dismissed the defence's argument that damages totalling $70,000 be assessed as the Bains's had lost face in the community, nor did she accept that they were of modest means.
"There is evidence the defendants have operated a dairy farm for many years. There is property jointly owned that is assessed in excess of $1 million," said Morrison.
Waters' counsel had argued Joginder Bains deserved a substantial penalty since at the time the assaults began he was 35 years old, was married and portrayed himself as an educated man, esteemed by his community and within his religion. He had the status of a "Giani" - a position of privilege within the Sikh faith and had denied the assaults and had shown no remorse.
Morrison agreed and said Bains continued "what can only be regarded as arrogant and callous conduct towards the plaintiff."
Bains, one of seven children, arrived from India in 1961 with a religious degree in the Punjabi language, which earned him the respected East Indian title of giani. He worked two successful dairy farms and bought multiple properties over the years.
Waters said once she launched the public lawsuit her prominent relatives disowned her and made her an outcast. But Morrison praised her courage. "It is clear she not only wants to obtain justice in her own case but also to serve as an example to others who may not be as willing to go through the trauma and uncertainty," Morrison wrote.
"She also seeks an end to the anxiety, shame and humiliation that she has experienced and believes it is important for her own healing to be able to speak freely. It is important for her to speak out for the benefit of others who may be experiencing the same trauma."
Damages were assessed at $325,000 for general and aggravated damages, $80,000 in punitive damages and $10,000 for future care. The years of abuse have left Karamjeet with low self-esteem, depression and nightmares, the judge said. Morrison added: "The plaintiff's problems are many. First and foremost, she has suffered a loss of innocence and the loss of a normal childhood. The insertion of the IUD into an unknowing 12 or 13 year old is appalling."
The judge rejected the Sikh couple's argument for waiving the compensation amount because of their "modest means".
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=22235
Now a mother of two, Karamjeet left the Bains' dairy farm after finishing her high school.
The disgraced couple are bound to face the wrath of the Indo-Canadian community and become the theme of radio and TV talk shows in the coming days

 
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Informatory news on extreme level of hypocrisy; many disguise as holy persons to satisfied their frustrating lust all over the world. Thanks for posting it.. I wonder why many SPN viewers ignored it to comment.

Mainly because it is shameful. The family collusion with the abuse stunned me to a level I've never felt before. You are right we need to make a lot more noise about this stuff.

I think the Canadian community in general and Vancouver in particular are having major problems that are being swept under the rug. I mean the rate of fatal Sikh on Sikh violence there is unbelievable. Even more so when we find the perpetrators are very often from successful and "respectable" backgrounds.....

I did a post graduate course in Psychology a few years ago and one unit I studied (Atypical Development) covered child sexual abuse briefly. This was so people, like teachers, could identify the signs indicating this was taking place. What the course basically taught me was that evidence points at such people being prevalent in all communities and that they often seek positions of power and responsibility which allows them to do paedophilia without suspicion. Hence large numbers do go into priesthood or its equivalent. The Roman Catholic clergy has similar problems and we should learn from it.

The biggest weapon such people have is the denial and failure/reluctance to face up to these things that takes place in the wider community in which they hide.

I was heavily influenced by the Singh Sabha movement growing up and one of the key attractions for me was its theoretical stance on equality. SIkhs should have no priestly class. Gianis are essentially people who have learnt the language and philosophy behind scripture. This in itself does not guarantee that they actually follow it.

What I find even more shocking is that the person here has been fined and not imprisoned. He should spend the rest of his days in prison for this and prison sentences should also be given to those who colluded in this matter.

Dalsingh ji
Absolutely you are right, they should have spent life behind bars with such a horrible crime.
I wonder why only financial settlement !
There is another thing also, the disguise of holiness makes innocent more vulnerable and activities of such criminals are over looked. Many cannot complain as they feel no body will believe them as compared to those so called holy men.

Thanks for commenting.

In my idealistic dreams I've always seen Sikhism as a radical attempt to flatten hierarchies. I'm sure our Gurus meant this. Especially with institutes such as langar and the amrit ceremony.

That pindu folk still need a living "demigod" or something similar to idolise and follow shows we have a long way to go before people truly understand the principle of egalitarism or equality. WE WILL GET THERE!!!

I'm seeing lots of red lines in my typed text folks. I think this is mainly because I am following British English spelling where "s" is used instead of the Americanized "z"

For the record: If they were in British prisons they would have to be segregated from the average prisoners who despite their own shortcomings, seriously object to sexual offenders (called nonces) and generally attack them given half an opportunity.

Jios,

I read the article -- with great sadness. One reason why people may not have responded is that the resulting feeling when reaching the end of the article is a kind of spiritual fatigue. As once more we read something horrific -- what can one say?

What can one do? Really the campaign has to be against the community silence that persists everywhere. People knew something was weird -- they had to. The signs are always there but we ignore them. It is overwhelming to face the truth. Teachers are taught today to recognize the signs of abuse and to report their suspicions to administrators. It is actually a crime in the US not to report suspicions.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=22235

Communities that are tightly woven by culture, ethnicity and religion often circle their wagons and keep secrets. In the US about 2 or 3 years ago there was an expose of crimes of incest in an Amish Community in Ohio. The forcible rape of young girls by male relatives came to light years later. It is the same thing -- the community chose silence rather than public exposure. No one identified with the victims. The young women were expected to bear up under their misfortunes rather than expose the sexual crimes because that would shame the entire community. A kind of guilt trip is imposed on girls and women -- as victims they are blamed for the crime and shamed if they speak out.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=22235

So it took a lot of courage for that woman to speak out after so many years.

As for why only a fine: the article says nothing about the trial itself or the strength of the evidence presented. Usually when this type of offense, sexual abuse, is reported many years later, the evidence is personal testimony. We don't know if the defendants pleaded guilty in exchange for a lower sentence. A lot facts are missing from the article. We also don't know how the law in Canada governs this kind of case. And in the end, more facts would not change the horror of the crime itself.

Dalsing ji -- do not worry about your spelling. We can figure it out.