Edmund Rice International

As protests and rioting erupted across the United States in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Christian Brother Provincial Br Kevin Griffith addressed a letter to members of the Edmund Rice Network.

Less than a year ago Br Griffith wrote a similar letter calling for the promotion of healing and reconciliation rather than hatred and division and calling for the rights and dignity of every person to be respected.

The most recent letter acknowledges that little has changed in American society since then with violence against people of color continuing across the nation. It goes on to state that a point has been reached where it is necessary to stand up and be heard on this issue.

Recalling the essential elements of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother Education Br Griffith writes ‘Today, I am calling on all Edmund Rice Christian Brother schools in the United States to intensify efforts at promoting racial justice, at condemning racial injustice and at advocating for a just society that respects the innate dignity of all God’s children, especially people of color.’

He has also requested Province Advocacy Co-ordinator Sean D’Alfonsoto collaborate with the Office of Educational Services to develop a series of educational lessons for use in schools that will encourage students in their role in creating a more just society

The current Corona virus crisis has shifted the focus of activity within the Edmund Rice Network around the globe.

In India Br Steve Rocha and Anisha George report that Pratyek is reaching out to vulnerable families. By the end of March 350 families  in New Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, UP, West Bengal, and Assam had been provided with soap, detergent and rations for up to 10 days. Families with disabilities are being especially targetted. The aim is to raise funds to reach 4000 groups or families through the national children’s parliaments.

Regular counselling sessions, remedial classes and advocacy sessions are continuing online for young leaders.

In South Africa, ERI Advocacy Co-ordinator Jessica Dewhurst reports that on the 26th March, South Africa went into a 21 day lockdown.

Pre-lockdown the Justice Desk coordinated the delivery of vital medication, face masks and food parcels to marginalised families in townships.

Two staff are now in full quarantine, having possibly come into contact with people with COVID-19. Some remaining staff are working from home during the lockdown. Management is coordinating the packing and delivering of 9000 food packages each week to children and vulnerable families during the lockdown.

All other Justice Desk trainings and education  sessions have been moved online with trainings now delivered via Zoom. Community empowerment workshops for the next 3 months have been pre-filmed and are being sent via WhatsApp to community members each week. Two staff are identifying women and children kept with their abusers during lockdown and working alongside partner organisations to have them rescued and taken to safe-centres.

From New York, ERI Advocacy co-ordinator Sean D’Alfonso reports that whilst schools are closed students, families and alumni from various schools have been involved in collecting, donating and creating supplies to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak. An alumnus from a school in Michigan is creating supplies himself. Many of these supplies have been delivered to local hospitals struggling to keep up.

Many schools are working on putting together donation drives to support families who have lost jobs during the crisis, as well as collection drives to support food banks and shelters that have struggled with supplies.    Senior students from Iona Prep have been presenting their advocacy projects and websites through video conferences. An example of one of the projects on statelessness in Dominica can be viewed here.

In Kenya, ERI Advocacy Co-ordinator Johnstone Shisanya reports that the work of the Edmund Rice Advocacy Network (ERAN) is on hold as its projects with communities and schools all rely on bringing people together for capacity building. However what ERAN has  done since the first case was reported was to work a partner organisation Radio Domus FM which covers a 25 km range, to explain the nature of the Corona virus and the safety measures to take. During the program people called in with questions and information was provided especially for those who could not access updates via TV or Smart phone,  including sharing the Government toll free number if someone feels unwell.

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“Parliament Speakers and MLA’s should learn from these children how to run the parliament”: Ms. Meira Kumar (Ex Lok Sabha Speaker)

75 children from 29 states and Union Territories from the age of 11 and above, speaking more than 23 different languages, came under one roof to be a part of the annual National Inclusive Children’s Parliament to be sworn in as ‘Ministers’ of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through their formula of commitment administered by Ms Meira Kumar the former Speaker of India’s Lower House, these child parliamentarians committed themselves to create an inclusive India ‘with the last child as their first priority’.

The nine-day training workshop opened with a panel discussion entitled, ‘Children in the Republic’. Child-rights expert addressed issues related to budget, laws, schemes linked to the pillars of child rights and to ‘earth-rights’. Ms Rosy Taba, a member of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child promised to take the idea of children’s parliaments across to all the states of India.

These young advocates collated a report to be submitted to the Niti Aayog and UN as part of India’s Second Voluntary National Review (VNR) in relation to India’s ‘Leave no one behind’ report on the 17 Global Goals. Children also prepared a report on the status of the rights of the chid to be submitted to the Commission on the Rights of the Child. Children from different states shared their stories, challenges and recommendations to their government.

Samarpita (name changed) from Rajasthan shared how she was forced to get married at the age of 12. She insisted that the government immediately declares her marriage and all child marriages as null and void. As a child who worked really hard to get away from this culture, she taught her parents and society the consequences of child marriage. The child advocates also pressed for ending all forms of child labour. While Swaman and Smita (children with visual and developmental disabilities respectively) from Assam raised their stories to end all forms of discrimination and making society more inclusive and barrier free.

Ms. Meira Kumar the former speaker of India’s Lower House, as the chief guest of the event shared that she was really moved by the stories of these young citizens. “I am spellbound by the work of these children. I am happy to be a part of this children’s parliament, as it runs so smoothly”, Ms Kumar concluded. She insisted that the child parliamentarians invite the current Speaker of the lower house and MP’s to come and see how smoothly a parliament is meant to function.

‘The share of B_F_C (Budget For Children) in the Union Budget 2020-21 is at an all-time low of 3.16%, a drop of 1.6 since the 2012-13 budget’, said Mr Shailabh Kumar from Haq-Centre for Child Rights.

‘I, as a young girl, want to ask Nirmala Di, my Finance Minister, how she will ensure my safety and security with just 6 paisa from every Rs100 that was available to her. My own mum puts my education, health and safety as a top priority and is willing to sell her wedding necklace to save my life and my future.’ (Manisha, Age 16). Concluding the event, the children emotionally gestured the national anthem in sign language as a symbol of their commitment to amplifying the voice of the unheard child of India.

Once again, despite negotiations lasting 16 days at the UN’s recently concluded COP25 climate summit in Madrid, and despite urging from the United Nations and civil society groups to address the climate emergency with “ambition,” government representatives could only come up with a weak call on parties to be more ambitious in their 2020 climate commitments, which under the Paris accord must be submitted before next year’s COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The conference failed to find common ground on international carbon trading rules, the key issue to be addressed at the Conference.

The landmark 2015 Paris Agreement calls on countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that global temperatures do not rise by more than 2°C by the end of this century while attempting to contain warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. During COP25, the World Meteorological Organization announced that the global average temperature reached 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels in 2019, concluding a decade of exceptional global heat.

The conference ended with a declaration on the “urgent need” to close the gap between existing emissions pledges and the temperature goals of the Paris agreement, but once again progress towards meaningful action was blocked led by countries such as the US, Brazil and China as well as major fossil fuel exporters Australia and Saudi Arabia. Current policies are predicted to result in a temperature rise of 2.8 – 3.2 C by the end of the century.

Speaking following the conclusion of the conference UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his frustration. “I am disappointed with the results of COP25” he said, “the international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis”. He went on to say “But we must not give up, and I will not give up. I am more determined than ever to work for 2020 to be the year in which all countries commit to do what science tells us is necessary to reach carbon neutrality in 2050 and a no more than 1.5 degree temperature rise.”

In the 30 years since its adoption, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has considerably inspired governments and other actors to set legal policies and investments to give access to children to rights, such as the right to health care, the right to food and water and the right to education. Stronger safeguards have been put in place to protect children from violence and exploitation. This framework has enhanced participation and has also enabled children to engage in decision-making processes and policymaking.

As part of the series of events in Geneva marking the 30th anniversary of the CRC and recognising the increasingly crucial importance of education for the future of our world, the Holy See organised a side-event on “The Right to Education – Towards a renewed Commitment on Education”. A range of panelists spoke at the event including Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and Mr. Benyam Dawit Mezmur, a Member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The important role in promoting the right to education played by the Catholic church was highlighted, through its network of more than 215,000 schools attended by over 60 million students, and 1750 Universities educating 5.5 million students worldwide.

Whilst States claim that primary education is free and compulsory it was noted that hidden costs meant that often primary education was not genuinely free, and serious concerns about the quality of education offered were also expressed.

In focussing on the important concerns of access to education, quality of education and drop-out rates (article 28 of the CRC) it was pointed out that often the important issues raised in Article 29 of the Convention were overlooked. These included the:

‘development of the child’s personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential’,
the development of ‘respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations’,
‘respect for the child’s parents, for his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own’, and one with particular resonance at the present time
‘respect for the natural environment’.

The event also noted the initiative of Pope Francis in launching a Global Compact on Education, to be issued in May 2020, which is intended to “renew our passion for a more open and inclusive education” and educate young people to learn to overcome divisions and conflicts, promote hospitality, justice and peace”.

– article reproduced from the ERI December monthly newsletter

“When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist.”

– Helder Camara, former Archbishop of Recife, Brazil

Recently I was offered an opportunity to attend a training on Human Rights and International Advocacy with Edmund Rice International in Geneva. Of course I was thrilled by the opportunity, the fact that I was going to learn about what I am very passionate about, advocacy and building international networks, which I hope might aid my work with children and families I work with in the west of Melbourne. However, what I didn’t foresee was that, I was walking into a life changing experience. I did not know that my perspective about the world would change and consequently would affect how I do my work, in a positive way.

On 27th October, nine participants including myself made it to Geneva, after 3 participants were refused a visa to Switzerland. Participants included two from India, two from Africa, two from South America, one from Timor-Leste, one from the Philippines and myself from Australia. Br Brian Bond and his team, Br. Tino and Br. Bernard warmly welcomed us to their residence for a meal and opening ritual. We were later taken to a nearby hotel which became our home for two weeks.

The training officially started on the 28th October and was successfully concluded on the afternoon of the 8th November. We began the training by being introduced to the passionate ERI team and their amazing work and we also shared our own work and experiences. We were also introduced to the beautiful Geneva and its rich history.

As the core of the training, we over consumed information, I hope, on history of UN, Human Rights, Sustainable Development Goals, UN Treaties and Treaty Bodies, UN Mechanisms, International Advocacy, ERI work in depth, Climate Change with special attention to Laudato Si, early advocacy including work of Jesus and the difference between a charity approach and justice approach.

To put training in to practice, we attended various UN-in-action sessions, including the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bolivia and a Treaty Body session on Bosnia Herzegovinia. The sessions were eye opening. The detailed discussion and the way governments were trying to defend themselves from being international shamed on their handling of things at their respective countries, was incredible.
Various representatives presented to us including a representative from the Australia Permanent Mission, UN Special Procedures, the UN High Commission for Refugees, International NGOs based in Geneva and many more.
In the end, we were asked to make a plan of action to be implemented back home, which we did successfully.

What shocked me was the among of vital information we or the entire world are unaware of, but which affect our daily lives. But importantly, the energy and passion of ERI team on the delivery and planning of the training is unmatched.
I could go on reflecting for infinity but all I want to say is a heartfelt thank you to OLT, ERMO and formation team for offering me this opportunity. Thanks too to ERCRS team and Board for filling in for me when I was away. And a Big thank you to ERI Geneva Team (Brs. Brian, Tino, Bernard and Kevin) for the hospitality, generosity and wisdom.

I look forward to sharing my learnings with everyone I can reach. God bless.

– Biong Biong

The 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council concluded on Sep 27th with the adoption of 37 resolutions and a presidential statement on the climate emergency.

The resolutions included the extension of the mandates of a series of Special Rapporteur and Independent Experts in relation to countries of concern such as the Central African Republic, Cambodia, Somalia and Sudan, and renewal of a range of thematic mandates such as those on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, the rights of indigenous peoples and arbitrary detention among others.

The Council adopted two resolutions in regard to the human rights situation in Venezuela and the situations in Yemen, Burundi, Syria the plight of Rohingya muslims in Myanmar were also the subject of resolutions.

The rights of indigenous peoples and the world program for Human Rights Education were among the other issues to be given prominence at the Council, and reprisals against human rights defenders were again condemned.

The issue of the right to social security was addressed for the first time in the Council with the decision to devote a full day panel discussion to the topic in the next 12 months.

For a more comprehensive report on the session visit the OHCHR website
Despite these positive outcomes, civil society expressed disappointment at the failure of the Council to adequately address human rights concerns in China, Kashmir and Egypt.
A civil society repot the Council session can be found here.

ERI participated in the students strike for climate event in Geneva on Friday 27th September.

More than 3000 scientists from over 120 countries (the International Panel on Climate Change or IPCC) spend 7 years analysing the most recent data gathered from peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals (peer-review involves another group of scientists who are expert in the field examining the accuracy of the data presented and assessing the validity of the research methodology and procedures before giving approval for publication).

The IPCC has now published five full reports and several special reports, each one progressively more certain that climate change is happening now and is a result of human activity. They also warn that inaction will have catastrophic consequences for life on our planet.

The latest report has been endorsed by hundreds of international and national scientific bodies such as the World Meteorological Association, National Academy of Sciences (USA), CSIRO (Aus), Royal Society of the UK, the World Health Organisation to name a few, see http://opr.ca.gov/fac…/list-of-scientific-organizations.html for a fuller list.

The number of such bodies who have rejected the report is zero, zilch!

Some individual scientists have questioned some aspects of the report but they are in a small minority. Some want to quibble over the claim that 97% of scientists support the findings of the IPCC report – but how much does it matter whether the figure is 95%, 99% or 90%.? The fact is the scientists are telling us we face an unprecedented crisis requiring rapid, far- reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.

Yet despite the overwhelming evidence that we can even see with our own eyes, governments are in denial and slow to act, and when a sixteen-year-old girl attracts world-wide attention in calling for action based on the science, she is abused and ridiculed.

Millions mobilised around the world in the past week demanding action but it is unlikely to be enough, more voices are needed.

ERI made several statements at the recent session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

A Statement was delivered relating to indigenous issues in Peru which highlighted the impacts of the degradation of the traditional territories of Peru’s indigenous peoples through deforestation and illegal mining.

Two statements were delivered on indigenous issues in Australia. One statement related to the incarceration of indigenous children and a second statement called for a greater effort to preserve indigenous languages.

A statement was also made during the formal adoption of the report of the UPR of Dominica which took place in May. (scroll down to item 15 to view the webcast of the statement)