Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam, a great friend and human rights defender

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

CHARITY CORNER

Although there has been little easing of the pandemic we nonetheless turn our attention to other burning needs. We still encourage you to support Doctors without Borders who are fighting the virus in the places with the greatest need of support.

This week we call fpr aid to Help the Helpless, a charity active in India and Ecuador.The mission of Help the Helpless is to raise funds and support the works of St. Mary’s School and Orphanage for the handicapped, deaf, poor and abandoned children in southern India and for the missionary work of the Home of the Mother Catholic Order in Ecuador. The children and families are provided with clothing, food, education, shelter and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Offering love, motivation and educational opportunities, we seek to help children thrive and become self-sufficient young adults, and support the elderly with dignity and needed assistance.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

I ndigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming.

Get involved

You can help prevent genocide, put an end to logging and mining on tribal lands, and stop government violence and oppression.

A major calamity for indigenous people is the lack of respect for their basic human rights.Our vision is a world where tribal peoples are respected as contemporary societies and their human rights protected. We fight for tribal peoples’ survival. We stop loggers, miners, and oil companies from destroying tribal lands, lives and livelihoods across the globe. We lobby governments to recognize indigenous land rights. We document and expose the atrocities committed against tribal people and take direct action to stop them. Our vision is a world where tribal peoples are respected as contemporary societies and their human rights protected.

This week we ask you to help the Guarani tribe of Brazil.

Brazil’s Guarani suffer at the hands of violent ranchers

For the Guarani, land is the origin of all life. But violent invasions by ranchers have devastated their territory and nearly all of their land has been stolen.

Guarani children starve and their leaders have been assassinated. Hundreds of Guarani men, women and children have committed suicide.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY

We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers’ supply chains cannot be overemphasized.

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Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United        and raise your voice to call for an end to force labor of Ugyhurs in China..

Jordan: New government crackdown on teachers’ rights

Education International (EI) calls on workers and unionists to urge the Jordanian authorities to immediately cease to harass the leaders of the Jordanian Teacher Association and threaten its very existence.

On 31 December, the Amman Magistrate’s Court authorized the dissolution of the association and the detention of all thirteen teacher association board members for a year.
The dissolution is illegal and proceeds from an improper interpretation of the legal provisions. The sentence against the board members is also unfair because they were prevented from presenting evidence against the charges.
The detained union leaders have been released on bail until the JTA Board appeals of the judicial decision.

Sign a message to request the full exercise of fundamental rights of teachers and education workers in Jordan.