News Archives » 2011 » June
Sharif Jamil, Bangladeshi Environmentalist: Video Interview June 30th, 2011
“Saving the Indigenous people’s environment in Bangladesh” is a story which highlights the collaborative work of the Missionary Oblates in Bangladesh with one of the country’s environmental leaders in responding to the efforts of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh to preserve their traditional lifestyle and culture.
Sharif Jamil is a Bangladeshi environmental activist who works closely with the Oblate JPIC Coordinator in Bangladesh, Fr. Joseph Gomes, OMI. Sharif is National Coordinator of APRA (Adibasi Poribesh Roskhya Andolon or Save Indigenous Environment Movement), Joint Secretary of BAPA (Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon or Bangladesh Environment Movement), and the Buriganga Riverkeeper. BAPA is the largest national environmental movement in Bangladesh.
Sharif, Fr. Joseph and others have been working with the Garo and Khasi communities to prevent illegal logging in their forests, on which they depend for their survival.
Faith-Based Investors Press Companies to Take Action on Human Trafficking June 30th, 2011
The Missionary Oblates joined members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) in an investor statement on Human Trafficking, an issue the group has been working on for many years.
The statement called on companies to develop human rights policies addressing the issues of human trafficking and modern day slavery and integrate these into corporate business plans. The group clearly articulated the business case for adopting such policies.
The statement also called for companies to report publicly on these measures and to work in collaboration with other stakeholders to eradicate these egregious human rights abuses.
Human Right to Water and Sanitation materials available from the UN June 30th, 2011
Popular information materials on the human right to water and sanitation are now available from the UN Water Decade website.
The materials were developed on the occasion of activities jointly organized by the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC), UN-Habitat, the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) at Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (20-22 June 2011). Click on the following links to access the documents:
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Us State Department Trafficking in Persons Report of 2011 Released June 30th, 2011
The US State Department has issued their 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report. Although significant progress has been made in raising awareness and in freeing many who have been enslaved, there are still an estimated 27 million men, women, and children exploited by human trafficking schemes around the world.
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton released the new report, which she explained ranks 184 countries, including the United States. The report does not mince words, and has been credited with significantly increasing the attention given to a long-standing problem.
Learn more about human trafficking on our website…
