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2022 Assembly

 

Category: Latest News

Posted on March 1st, 2019 By

Meet the street nun helping people make a living from New York’s cans.

 

There are somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000 people in the city who support themselves by picking up cans and bottles.

On a Saturday afternoon in early November, about 30 people are watching a documentary inside a shack in the heart of Bushwick, a post-industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn. They are all canners – people who make a living redeeming empty cans and bottles, five cents a piece. Although they all got up before the sun and have worked in the cold for hours, no one looks like they’re about to fall asleep. All eyes on the screen. The short film, streamed from YouTube and projected on a white sheet, is about a workers cooperative in Argentina.

The screening was organized by Ana Martinez de Luco, a Catholic nun who says she prefers to work “under the sun, not the Vatican”, and calls herself a street nun. Click here to read more.

https://www.theguardian.com/

 

Posted on March 1st, 2019 By

Statement from Anna Rurka, President of the Conference of INGOS Council of Europe Celebrates the World NGO Day. Strasbourg, 27 February 2019.

 

Today, the Conference of INGOs celebrated World NGO Day for the first time at the Council of Europe with a debate on “Why do we need NGOs? – (I)NGO contribution to the work and to the mandate of the Council of Europe”.

The event gathered a variety of stakeholders, including representatives of Civil Society, Permanent representations of Council of Europe Members States, prominent Human Rights activists, students and members of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe. We were particularly delighted to welcome Marcis Liors Skadmanis, founder of the international calendar day for Non-governmental organizations, ‘World NGO Day’.

INGOs enjoying participatory status with the Council of Europe are partners of the Council of Europe bodies and institutions with regard to standard setting, monitoring and implementation of activities. However, most of them agree that there is room for improvement to make this contribution less sectorial and more visible.

In certain national contexts, some NGOs and their leaders bear a heavy toll, often endangering their lives and their freedom, in order to defend human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Council must defend them and defend the space in which they operate. This is a culmination for the  implementation of the standards promoted by the Council of Europe.

The Conference of INGOs, as a collective body, serves as a protective space for NGOs, guardian of the democratic role that NGOs play in the Member states and the Council of Europe. This democratic role and participation of NGOs in the Council of Europe should not be taken for granted. NGOs must be appreciated and valued as an incubator of the democratic innovation, adaptable to internal and external conditions and challenges.

An invitation to build a common vision, with some recommendations to enhance civic space at the Council of Europe and in Member States, will be addressed to the Committee of Minister shortly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 1st, 2019 By

The Future of Work, Labour after Laudato Si.

 

In light of the complexities of human trafficking and how criminals continue to develop new and manipulative ways to prey on the vulnerable, as international movements, Conferences of Religious, Social Centres, Third level educational institutions and businesses have the capacity to contribute jointly to the promotion and implementation of Laudato Si in areas related to work and labour.

‘’Challenges facing the world of work today are numerous at the global level. Let us just name a few : 1.5 billion workers are involved in precarious forms of work, with wages insufficient to raise a family, short terms contracts if not no contracts at all, not to mention the victims of trafficking, a big part of them being women, and children involved into child labour. 800 million workers are still living in poverty, under the threshold of 2 dollars a day. The globalisation that we have witnessed over the last forty years has paralleled a trend leading to greater inequalities, both between countries and within countries. Finally, it seems that we are entering what some would a call a fourth industrial revolution: the impact of robotisation, new technologies is probably the continuation and also an amplification of the previous phases of industrialisation and automation. The development, yet still uneven, of artificial intelligence in different sectors of the economy, from public to private services, in domains ranging from health to the automobile industry, may have drastic consequences on the way we shall understand human autonomy, initiative, and responsibilities in a world where interconnectivity and relations could become more intensive and invasive. Is this the future we want? Are these changes inevitable or is there a discernment to be conducted.’’ Fr. Pierre Martinot-Lagarde SJ.

Full article at : http://jesc.eu/the-future-of-work-labour-after-laudato-si/

Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

Posted on March 1st, 2019 By

Talitha Kum Webinar with Gabriella Bottani, 6 March as part of the ongoing celebratory events to mark the 10th Anniversary of Talitha Kum.

 

2019 sees Talitha Kum celebrate its 10th anniversary, a very significant year for Talitha Kum and for all Religious working to combat and end Human Trafficking and Exploitation. As part of that celebration, Sr. Gabriella Bottani, International Coordinator of Talitha Kum since 2014, kindly invites us to connect online, on March 6th, at 2pm in Italian language (Rome time) or at 3pm in English language (Rome time).This is a lovely opportunity to listen to Gabriella’s testimony of how Talitha Kum will continue to respond to the challenge of trafficking in persons, and what each of us can do. You can pose questions live to Sister Gabriella or text them via WhatsApp at +39 3499358744.

Below are the links to access the online meeting:
Italiano: https://zoom.us/j/618428542
English: https://zoom.us/j/241351805

We hope that you may be able to connect on Wednesday next. Looking forward to an interesting and engaging webinar.

Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

Posted on March 1st, 2019 By
Posted on March 1st, 2019 By

A report on ACRATH, Australia following their Annual Meeting.

 

In solidarity with our sisters and brothers at ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) in Australia working to end human trafficking and exploitation, we share news of their annual conference held this past week,

‘’Human Face, Human Impact, Human Stories’’ was the theme of the conference, with ACRATH members from across Australia gathering in a spirit of hope and enthusiasm, to review the work of the past year, plan for the future and acknowledge the progress made thus far.

To read more about the conference:

https://acrath.org.au/human-face-human-impact-human-stories/

Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

Posted on March 1st, 2019 By
Posted on February 22nd, 2019 By

Stop Trafficking!

 

Stop Trafficking, The February 2019 issue is available at the following link: http://www.stopenslavement.org/ To access and download, click on the ‘photo’ of the first page or click the ‘current issue’ link.

This edition extends the 3 Ps paradigm (Prevention, Protection, Prosecution) with a fourth dimension ‘’Partnerships.’’

The 8 pages are rich with ideas and information on all aspects and forms of partnerships, each of which strengthen and progress the work to combat human trafficking.

Ranging from ‘’Traits of anti-Trafficking Partnerships,’’ ‘’Regional Partnerships,’’ ‘’Public/Private Partnerships,’’ ‘’Faith-based Partnerships to Combat Human Trafficking,’’ ‘’Partnership through Talitha Kum,’’ through to partnership examples of best practice in legislation.

It is an inspiring read as we spring into the work of the year ahead!

Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

Posted on February 22nd, 2019 By

UISG’s Leadership Development Programme: Skills Development for Today’s Leaders.

 

As part of its ongoing commitment to Leadership development, the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) offer a four-day skills development programme in March, as follows:

Module 1: 11-12 March 2019, 14:00 – 15:30 ‘’Understadning and Managing Conflict.’’

Module 2: 13-14 March, 2019 – 14:00 – 17:30 ‘’Being Emotionally Intelligent Leaders.’’

Sessions are interactive, with opportunities to review case studies and address current realities participants experience.

To Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-tpo–DTOOw7Ndoir8ObLkTILVKHrVJ-5VpNi10zcwMhdiQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

Posted on February 22nd, 2019 By

’Together against Human Trafficking’’- Cardinal calls on governments to keep their promises to victims of human trafficking.(Buenos Aires, February 2019).

 

The Santa Marta group met earlier this month in Buenos Aires as the Latin American Meeting on New Slavery and Human Trafficking with the slogan “Together Against Human Trafficking.” Representatives from across the region – the Catholic Church, other religious communities, civil society and law enforcement – gathered with Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, England, President of the Santa Marta Group – the organisation instituted by Pope Francis in 2014 to fight human trafficking and modern slavery.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols called on all governments to act upon their commitments to assist victims of human trafficking at the conclusion of the Santa Marta Group conference for Latin America, held in Buenos Aires.

Over 100 countries signed the United Nations Palermo Protocol which calls on governments to catch and prosecute criminals and also to help trafficking victims with jobs, education and rehabilitation. Despite this commitment, Cardinal Nichols told delegates that this was not being carried out.

The Santa Marta Group Conference in Buenos Aires agreed to a series of measures in the ongoing fight against human trafficking. The conference was attended by Church representatives from across Latin America who work in the assistance of victims of human trafficking as well as the Argentinian federal police force, for whom this is a priority.

For more:
http://santamartagroup.com/cardinal-calls-on-governments-to-keep-their-promises-to-victims-of-human-trafficking/

Adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.

 

 

Stop Human Trafficking | Pray for Trafficked Persons