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| Human Trafficking |
Just weeks before the Olympic Games, the Canadian Conference of Catholic
Bishops has published a pastoral letter on human trafficking. Click here to read the letter. |
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| February Stop Trafficking newsletter |
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| From the Office of the UN Representative |
| March Action Alert |
| Following the December Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said the fact that Copenhagen did not deliver the full agreement the world needs to address climate change “just makes the task more urgent.” Click here for more. |
Take personal action this month, during Lent, by reflecting on your own carbon footprint. Click here for details! |
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| February Action Alert |
| Financing for Development Committee |
The Financing for Development (FfD) Committee is always in search of monies for development in the least developed countries. Housing, water, sanitation, roads, electricity, education, and technical assistance for agriculture are among the most basic needs of many countries. Recent discussions in the G-20 have surfaced the following proposals: 1) to curb tax haven abuse and 2) to establish more uniform monitoring and disclosure regulations for corporations with penalties for false disclosures. Additionally, some are speaking of a financial transaction tax which would place a tax on all financial transactions of a designated amount. Such a proposal is not very popular in Canada and the U.S.
Take Action in Canada
Take Action in the U.S. |
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| Climate Change Affects Us All |
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“Climate change affects us all, but it does not affect us all equally. The poorest and most vulnerable-those who have done the least to contribute to global warming-are bearing the brunt of the impact today” – Ban Ki-Moon
Click here (or on the photo) for a list of climate change resources. |
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| NGO News from the Sisters of Charity Federation (September 2009) |
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| An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen) |
Joy Smith, MP is asking for your help. "The trafficking of children is not a partisan issue. However, since it is private members’ bill, I am not guaranteed the support of the government or any other party. Thus, it is critical that Canadians voice their support of Bill C-268."
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| More information: |
| Newsrelease (issued Jan. 29) |
| Bill C-268 |
| How you can help |
| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on C-268 |
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| Corporate Stance on Human Trafficking |
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We Sisters of Charity (Halifax), called to be prophetic women in a world wounded by violence and stripped of hope, are committed to make the love of God visible in our world by serving persons who are poor, especially those who through shame conceal their necessities.
We stand together in a time when we hear the silent cries of victims of human trafficking, especially those women and children taken for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. We commit ourselves to work to eradicate this global human rights violation and to affirm the dignity of all human beings.
(adopted June 30, 2008) |
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| Corporate Stance on Water |
| Water is an essential element of all life on Earth. At this moment in history, the availability of water for life is threatened, even though our Creator God has provided enough for all if we knew how to share it well. Affirming our choices, in solidarity with those of many others, will determine the outcome of this moment, we resolve to adopt a corporate stance on the issue of water. |
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| We, Sisters of Charity, resolve to pray, study and act to assure the just sharing of water for life on earth. This threefold commitment will include both individual and corporate dimensions so that our resolve forms an integral whole: the change of heart in each sister is mirrored in acting for solidarity as a Congregation. |
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| Corporate Stance on
Debt |
The Sisters of Charity, Halifax, uniting with the Federation of Sisters of Charity, Pope John Paul II, numerous Canadian and U.S. Catholic Bishops, and the Religious Working Group of the World Bank and IMP, call on the international financial community, in particular the IMP and World Bank, to cancel the debts of the "heavily indebted poor nations" (HIPC). The payment of these debts is inflicting intolerable suffering upon the poorest and most helpless in these countries. In the name of women, children, the unemployed and the homeless, all innocent victims of economic policies in which they have had no voice, we must speak.
We support:
- cancellation of international debts of nations which are unable to meet the basic needs of their people or to reach a level of development that ensures a decent quality of life.
- debt relief that benefits ordinary people and enables their participation in the process of determining the conditions of relief, as well as the future development of their national and local economies.
- debt relief that does not include reforms which continue or reinforce poverty or environmental deterioration.
- international mechanisms that prevent recurring, destructive cycles of indebtedness.
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| Human Trafficking Bulletins from LifeWay Network |
| LifeWay Network collaborates
to combat human trafficking
through safe housing and education. Sisters, Associates,
Friends and Colleagues
working together. Click here to read LifeWay Network's bulletins. |
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| A Nuclear-Free World |
| On August 6, 2008, tens of thousands of people will gather to commemorate the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. There will be many voices and many stories but all will be united to work for lasting world peace and to celebrate their vision of a just and nuclear weapons free world. Click here to read an article submitted by S. Agnes Burrows: Many Cultures - One Vision: A Nuclear-Free World – a World of Peace and Non-Violence.
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
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| Letter Writing Campaign to Stop Trafficking during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, BC |
| We can all do our part to ensure Canada does not become a destination for victims of trafficking during the 2010 Olympics by letting our Government and Olympic Officials know of our concern. |
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| Sample Letter: Those Living in Canada |
| Sample Letter: Those Living outside of Canada |
| Email and mail addresses |
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| Click here to read the Future Group's article Faster, Higher, Stronger: Preventing Human Trafficking at the 2010 Olympics |
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| Ecological Footprint |
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Over the last few years, the Global Concerns Resource Team has embarked on a series of endeavors to educate and deepen our knowledge of the intrinsic connection we have to our Earth and to each other.
Click here to read Sister Margaret Coppenrath's Ecological Footprint article (Charity Alive, Feb. 2008). |
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| Millennium Development Goals |
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“In September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders agreed to a set of time-bound and measurable goals for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women. Placed at the heart of the global agenda, they are now called the Millennium Development Goals.” -- United Nations Department of Public Information, 2000.
In Charity Alive we will highlight each of the eight goals to be achieved by 2015, as agreed by the leaders of 189 countries. |
| Goals |
| Achieve Universal Primary Education |
| Promote Gender Equality and Promote Women |
| Reduce Child Morality |
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| Vincentian Family |
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Sisters Alice Mailman, Elaine Biollo and Katie Hamm attended the Vincentian Family Gathering in New Orleans in April. The theme for this years’ gathering was Solidarity in Action. Here are a few stories of hope from the gathering. (Charity Alive, June 2008) |
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| Each October a group of people gather as part of the Vincentian Family East to network and share what is happening in their organizations. Advocacy was the focus of this meeting. The article, submitted by S. Kati Hamm, provides highlights: A Member of the Vincentian Family. What Does it Mean? (PDF). |
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| Peace Quest |
| On August 6th, 2008 Peace Quest Cape Breton came together in a prayerful and reflective mood to commemorate the atomic bombings of Hiroshima. The talk given by Sean Howard, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, is now available: Confronting the Crime:
The Shadow of Hiroshima on the Path to Peace and Template for lowering nuclear weapons risk just needs to be applied. |
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