Dominican Republic: IJM’s major milestone
25 Mar 2021
Praise God that the International Justice Mission (IJM) has signed its first collaborative agreement with the business sector in the Dominican Republic. IJM and Aerodom, the largest network of airports in the country, are joining forces to bring an end to sex trafficking. They are launching awareness campaigns in the air terminals, equipping their staff to recognise the signs of trafficking, and establish additional protocols to report these crimes to local authorities.
Indonesia has banned schools from forcing girls to wear Islamic hijab headscarves after the case of a Christian pupil pressured to cover up sparked outrage in the world’s most populous Muslim nation (90% of the population follows Islam). The move was applauded by rights activists, who say non-Muslim girls have been forced for years to wear a hijab in conservative parts of the country. State schools across the archipelago of nearly 270 million people will face sanctions if they fail to comply with the edict. Nadiem Makarim, the education minister, said that religious attire was an individual choice and schools cannot make it compulsory.
Predators groom children online
25 Mar 2021
A new Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) study indicates internet sex predators are manipulating children to record their own sexual abuse, and that of their friends and siblings. The new research reveals this ‘disturbing’ trend is eight times worse than experts had feared. The IWF is the UK-based charity responsible for finding and removing images and videos of children suffering sexual abuse from use of the internet. The rise in ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse imagery being created and shared online often occurs after a child has been groomed, bullied, or blackmailed by an adult. Between 28 September and 23 December, 511 self-generated child sexual abuse images and videos assessed in this period were also found to involve siblings. That’s eight images or videos each working day. IWF said the youngest children are the most vulnerable, and often disproportionately suffer the worst kinds of abuse. It often takes place in children’s own bedrooms, when parents think children are safe – playing with their siblings.
Home Office plans for asylum seekers
25 Mar 2021
Last year over 8,500 people crossed the Channel in small boats to the UK. The Home Office plans to make it much tougher for those who enter the UK illegally to claim asylum. They will no longer have the same entitlements as those who arrive legally. The Government wants to deter organised criminal networks who attempt to smuggle thousands of men, women, and children into Britain. Under the new plans, refugees who come to the UK through the government's official resettlement program will get indefinite leave to remain once they arrive. Those who arrive illegally, but still manage successfully to claim asylum, will receive a new ‘temporary protection status’ rather than an automatic right to settle. The Kent Refugee Action Network charity said that far from solving the problem the new ‘deliberately divisive policy’ will ‘make people think that there are good refugees, who do the right thing, and bad refugees, who don't do the right thing’.
Covid deaths below average
25 Mar 2021
Deaths in the UK have fallen below the five-year average for the first time since the summer. Experts say it means the winter wave of Covid deaths has ended, and lockdown and the vaccine rollout have saved lives. Prof Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London said, ‘The new data on deaths are encouraging in suggesting the second devastating wave of the pandemic is behind us. But calling epidemics 'waves' can be misleading in implying a phenomenon which has reached a natural end - that is not the case here. The rapid decline in deaths we have thankfully seen is entirely because of the lockdown and the rapid rollout of vaccines. So, while I'm optimistic that this means we will be able to return to something more like normal in the next few months, we need to remain vigilant and cautious - particularly given the threat still posed by new variants of the virus.’
Church leaders speak out about nuclear warheads
25 Mar 2021
Church leaders from seven denominations have argued that the Government's plan to increase the UK's nuclear warheads ‘takes us in a worrying and wholly wrong direction.’ The UK currently has 195 nuclear warheads and was expected to reduce that to 180 by the mid-2020s. The cap is now 260, due to the threat of state-sponsored terrorism and other states increasing their nuclear arsenals. The leaders said that the fundamental purpose of nuclear weapons is to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression. A minimum, credible, independent nuclear deterrent, assigned to the defence of NATO, remains essential to guarantee our security and that of our allies. They also said that Trident submarines already carry warheads with an explosive yield equivalent to hundreds of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima, and the Government is committing resources which could be spent on the common good of our society.
Christians in Parliament
25 Mar 2021
On 25 March Parliament rose for Easter recess. Please pray that all our politicians may continue to serve their constituents and make decisions for our country, and that they will be refreshed over the Easter break. Please be praying in particular that they, as well as others across our nation, will be encouraged by the hope of the Easter story, amidst all the challenges of the last year. In this vein, Christians in Parliament have gathered together a group of Christian MPs and peers from across the political parties to share a message of renewed hope this Easter, through a recording of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Pray that this video will be a great comfort and encouragement to all who view it. The National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast on 25 June has Rt Revd Prof Tom Wright speaking on ‘Life after Covid: a renewed hope’.
Bishop announces mental health support
25 Mar 2021
The Diocese of London has partnered with the mental health text support service Shout 85258 to assist those experiencing mental health challenges. The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, has formally launched 'Neighbour'. Now, if anyone within the Diocese of London texts the word 'neighbour’ to 85258 any time of the day or night, they will be connected to a trained Shout volunteer who will chat by text and listen to them. They aim to help people think more clearly, enabling them to know what steps could be taken next to feeling better. It is a confidential service which can be used free on most mobile phone networks. While Shout is for anyone, to date 65% of those who have texted Shout 85258 are aged under 25; 7% are aged 13 or under.