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Vatican Seminar on Human Trafficking November 15th, 2013
The following is taken, with our thanks, from the Stop Trafficking!, the newsletter opposed to human slavery supported by a broad coalition of organizations of Catholic Sisters.
Following a wish expressed by Pope Francis, the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and of Social Sciences (PASS) and the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC), organized a seminar entitled, “Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery. Destitute Peoples and the Message of Jesus Christ”.
The November 2-3, 2013 seminar, held in Vatican City, brought together some seventy delegates from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Guatemala, Ireland, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA. The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo from Nigeria, was among the twenty-two speakers.
The sixty observers in attendance were asked to contribute concrete proposals through which the global Church could better respond to the plight of millions of enslaved peoples.
Pope Francis was directly involved in combating modern day slavery in Buenos Aires, where he actively supported the work of the Fundacion Alameda, an Argentinian organization headed by Gustavo Vera, another of the speakers. The Pope’s first trip after his election was to Lampedusa to pay tribute to the hundreds who had recently died at sea, trying to reach this island half-way between Sicily and Tunisia where many victims of human trafficking end up.
Read more about this conference and efforts to stop human trafficking in the November issue of Stop Trafficking!
Nov 15th: America Recycles Day! November 15th, 2013
Thanks to the US EPA for this notice:
Learn how reducing, reusing, and recycling can help you, your community, and the environment by saving money, energy, and natural resources. Recycling programs are managed at the state and local level—find information on recycling in your community and quick tips for What You Can Do with our online toolkit.
Interested in receiving information about practical ways to protect the environment? Subscribe to the EPA Highlights eNewsletter. Click here….
Launch of Fast4Families: A Call for Immigration Reform and Citizenship November 12th, 2013
On Tuesday, November 12, faith, labor leaders and immigrant right organization launched Fast4Families to put pressure on the leadership in the House of Representatives to bring to the floor for a vote on bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill this year.
In Washington, DC the fast will run from November 12 to December 12 at the “fasting tent” on the National Mall. The fast will be in conjunction with dozens of local and solidarity fasts, events, and actions already underway in key congressional districts across the country.
If you can’t make it to DC, you are invited to stand in solidarity to fast and pray for comprehensive immigration reform. Let us know what day (November 12 to December 12) you will be fasting for comprehensive immigration reform.
More information on fast prayer samples, declaration and Fast4Families events within your state visit: http://fast4families.org/
Action Alert: Keep Human Rights Tied to US Military Aid November 5th, 2013
Thanks to the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) for the information in this Action Alert.
Tell Congress you don’t want your tax dollars used to violate human rights!
Some members of Congress who oversee foreign aid want to eliminate human rights conditions tied to military and police assistance for Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala. These conditions are an important means to try to ensure the United States does not do business with human rights violators.
Unfortunately, rape, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, torture, and other grave human rights violations continue to be committed by members of the armed forces of Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.
- Colombia: Of the over 3,000 extrajudicial executions allegedly committed by members of the security forces, the vast majority remains unpunished.
- Honduras: 149 civilians have been killed by the police in the past two years alone. As violence has soared, so has impunity. Crimes committed by both police and military personnel have not been investigated.
- Mexico: Since 2006, when former President Calderón deployed tens of thousands of soldiers across Mexico to take on public security matters in an effort to combat organized crime, Mexico has seen a significant increase in the number of reports of human rights violations committed by Mexican armed forces. Between 2003 and 2006, Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) received 691 complaints of human rights violations committed by the armed forces. This figure surged to 4,803 reports of human rights violations between 2010 and 2012.
- Guatemala: The military is increasingly used for law enforcement, leading to abuses. In October 2012 soldiers fired on and killed 6 indigenous protestors and wounded 34. The military continues to fail to fully cooperate with investigations into human rights violations committed by members of the armed forces during the civil war.
Send a message to Congress: Support human rights, not abusive militaries!
United Nations Opportunities November 4th, 2013
Through the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the VIVAT International NGO Office, persons in our network are able to participate in major UN meetings in New York City. There is no fee to attend these sessions, but participants are responsible for their own transportation and room and board. If you are interested in attending a major UN meeting in New York in 2014, contact Daniel LeBlanc OMI as soon as possible at dlkomijpic@yahoo.com
February 11 – 21, 2014: 52nd Commission on Social Development (CSocD 52)
March 10 – 21, 2014: 58th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 58)
May 12 – 23, 2014: 13th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII 13)
Helpful Resource: Action Through Words
Action through Words is an online study course that helps users deepen their knowledge of the history and workings of the United Nations while expanding their knowledge of the English language and communication skills. This program is designed for anyone wanting to explore the work of the UN, especially those working where access to formal language training is limited. Go to: www.unepd.info/index.html
