Tag: violence

columns2015

Violence against women not God’s will

Post author By Web administrator
Post date November 22, 2015

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

“I…encourage you to continue your pastoral work, paying particular attention to the situation of women: promoting the role of women in society and fighting against abuse and violence toward women is also a way of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who chose to be born of a woman, the Virgin Mary.” (Pope Francis to Bishops in Mali, May 2015)

On Wednesday, November 25, the world will observe International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. “Everyone has a responsibility to prevent and end violence against women and girls, starting by challenging the culture of discrimination that allows it to continue.” (UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon)

Tags violence, women

columns2014

Confronting a culture of violence

Post author By Web administrator
Post date January 19, 2014

“Our society needs both more personal responsibility and broader social responsibility to overcome the plague of violence in our land and the lack of peace in our hearts.”(Confronting a Culture of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action – US Bishops, 1994).

Violence in our society continues unabated. Legislation on its own will never make people ‘moral’ or inculcate in them the values that will help us to build a just society. “A just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect for the transcendent dignity of the human person…since the order of things is to be subordinate to the order of persons, and not the other way around” (Gaudium et Spes).

Tags violence

Press Release

CCSJ calls on all citizens to stand up for the rights of the nation’s children

Post author By Web administrator
Post date November 30, 2013

November 29, 2013 – The Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ) calls on all citizens to stand up for the rights of the nation’s children. Pope Francis rightly calls on societies to reflect on our “throwaway culture”. He said in June: “We are living through a moment of crisis… the human person is in danger…We have distanced ourselves from God, we do not read His signs…Human life, the person are no longer felt to be primary values to be respected and protected.”

Tags child abuse, violence

columns2012

Children bring us God’s smile

Post author By Web administrator
Post date February 2, 2012

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ

Every child brings us God’s smile and invites us to recognise that life is His gift, a gift to be welcomed with love and preserved with care always and at every moment. (Pope Benedict XVI)

These words came to mind as I read about the pain that 6-year-old Josiah Governor must have gone through at the hands of his 25 year-old stepfather, now before the Court charged with his murder. On January 25, he reportedly told police that he used a piece of PVC pipe to beat Josiah because he was not paying attention during a maths lesson. It is also alleged that Josiah was thrown through a window after being beaten.

Tags child abuse, children, violence

columns2011

Eliminating violence against women

Post author By Web administrator
Post date November 25, 2011

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ

“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace” (Kofi Annan).

The mission of the Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago is to build a civilisation of love. Enshrined in T&T’s Constitution are certain fundamental human rights that were inserted there for a purpose; so that we would seek to live by the principles outlined therein. The challenge we face, as do many countries today, is translating such principles into practice.

Tags violence, women