Month: July 2017

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Combating the scourge of human trafficking

Post author By Web administrator
Post date July 30, 2017

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

“…Human trafficking and slavery radically strips a person of … fundamental dignity, reducing them to the status of a commodity. It is an evil crying out to heaven. That there are over 20 million people callously held in modern slavery in our world today is a mark of deep shame on the face of our human family that no words alone can remove.” (Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, UK, June 29, 2017)

Today, July 30, is ‘World Day against Trafficking in Persons’. The UN states: “Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights… it exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes…The International Labour Organization estimates that 21 million people are victims of forced labour globally. This estimate also includes victims of human trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation. While it is not known how many of these victims were trafficked, the estimate implies that currently, there are millions of trafficking in persons victims in the world.

Tags human trafficking

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Create conditions to develop our people

Post author By Web administrator
Post date July 23, 2017

On July 4, the Daily Express reported that Attorney General, Faris Al-Rawi, expressed concern about the high levels of poverty still existing in Trinidad and Tobago. He said: “San Fernando West, for those of you who don’t know, has some areas of poverty that would shock the living soul out of your body. You cannot imagine how much poverty exists in our country.

“The AG said this poverty is driven mainly by the failure of social services delivery, which has been ‘centralised for far too long. So Self Help (Commission) or the Ministry of Social Development or food cards…we don’t actually hit the targets in as timely a way as they ought to, with a degree of equity as they ought to, because the centralised officer sitting in Abercromby Street or St Vincent Street in Port of Spain does not know where Theresa Street in Marabella is, or some other place in Trinidad is.’ He said local government reform and the devolution of functions through the local government entities would solve this equity gap.”

Tags human development

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Have we lost our educational compass?

Post author By Web administrator
Post date July 16, 2017

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ (http://rcsocialjusticett.org) & Director, CREDI

From a Catholic perspective, T&T is not promoting authentic integral human development of our children, that is, the development of the young person in all his/her dimensions and of every young person.

As a former Deputy Director of Education/Head of Quality Assurance in a London borough, my observation is that if we are committed to excellence in teaching and learning, then our education system needs to be restructured. Let’s ensure that it is inclusive and catering for diverse learning needs so that our children can realise their potential and function effectively in our knowledge-based society/world. Restructuring must include effective strategies to promote parental/community involvement.

Tags education

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Working to lift our people

Post author By Web administrator
Post date July 9, 2017

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI

Which one of you did not weep at the heart-rending cries of Veena Subar, the inconsolable mother of 13-year-old Videsh Subar, when she saw the dead body of her only child – his hands tied behind his back and his throat slit? She had conceived him after trying for 14 years.

Tags crime

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A sentinel goes to Grenada

Post author By Web administrator
Post date July 2, 2017

By Leela Ramdeen, chair, CCSJ (http://rcsocialjusticett.org) & Director, CREDI

“Just as the tabernacle lamp always remains lit in your majestic cathedrals or humble chapels, so your flock must always be able to see in your eyes the flame of the Risen Christ.” Pope Francis to Bishops, 2014

I share with you an extract from the message I sent to Msgr Clyde Harvey on June 23: “On behalf of members of CCSJ and on my own behalf, I congratulate you most sincerely on your appointment by the Holy Father as Bishop-elect for the Diocese of St George’s, Grenada.