Workshop identifies human rights issues in central, eastern Europe

Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 20:19:17 +0300 (EET DST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Workshop identifies human rights issues in central, eastern Europe

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Felix Corley <[email protected]>

Workshop identifies human rights issues in central, eastern
Europe


LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Assistant Editor (English): Pauline Mumia
Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 798.86.16
E-mail: [email protected]
 
*       *       *
 
Workshop identifies sensitive human rights issues in central, eastern
Europe
 
Churches urged to speak up courageously against violations
 
SIBIU, Romania/GENEVA 16 June 1999 (lwi) - Participants in a human
rights training workshop in Romania said a lack of effective dialogue
in the relationships between the majority and ethnic, religious and
cultural minorities, is among the most sensitive human rights issues
in central and eastern Europe.
 
In a communiqu=E9 at the end of the 15 to 20 May 1999 workshop, they
said that this lack of dialogue leads to manifestations of
nationalism, conflict and violations of human rights, including
discrimination and obstacles to the freedom of expression.
 
The workshop was jointly organized by the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and hosted by the
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania and the
Ecumenical Association of Churches in Romania.
 
The 28 participants drawn from 21 churches of different confessions
and 12 countries in central and eastern Europe, met in
Sibiu/Hermannstadt in Transylvania under the theme "Justice for
national, ethnic and religious minorities."
 
Their discussions focussed on ways and means of implementing human
rights in their respective countries, as well as on the role and tasks
of their churches. Participants based their reflections on the
fundamental biblical understanding that "all human beings are created
in the image of God" and that in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ they are promised a life in dignity and under God's protection.
 
Other key human rights issues listed in the communiqu=E9 include
racist behavior, coming both from the state authorities and from the
wider community, against persons regarded as 'outsiders'. The workshop
participants noted that "in almost all of countries in the region, the
"Roma/Sinti people are especially victimized by these attitudes and
this behavior."
 
Violations of human rights in prisons and lack of recognition of the
special needs of and inadequate social assistance and medical care
provided for women, children, elderly people and handicapped people
were also underlined as issues of specific concern in central and
eastern Europe.
 
To this list, participants added the increasing violence against and
growing marginalization of women in all its forms, including poverty,
domestic violence, forced prostitution, trafficking and sexual abuse.
 
"One of the painful experiences which we have all shared is repression
under past totalitarian regimes, under which we as individuals,
communities and churches were mostly unable to express ourselves
freely and without fear. During this period, we would have wished for
more help from the international ecumenical community to open a space
for speaking frankly about the violation of human rights and on behalf
of the victims," the report of the meeting states.
 
The participants pointed out that in view of their common experience
of former repression, they felt particularly challenged as church
representatives to deal more effectively and concretely with human
rights issues, and to apply the tools provided during the workshop in
the form of the human rights principles, instruments and mechanisms to
help promote human dignity and freedom, justice and democracy in their
societies.
 
Being so close to the situation in Yugoslavia and Kosovo, they
observed that in the course of the workshop they became especially
aware of the urgent need to implement human rights all over Europe.
"It is clear to us that all parties to this conflict have violated
human rights and that there can be no permanent resolution of
conflicts by the use of arms. In this understanding we joined the
ecumenical movement in praying for the people in this region and for
lasting peace," the communiqu=E9 states.

The participants in the regional workshop resolved amongst other
things to raise awareness in their churches, as well as societies, of
human rights principles and of violations of human rights in their
countries. They would also develop appropriate strategies to counter
such violations together with other partners.
 
The church representatives called on their churches to speak up
courageously against human rights violations, to struggle against any
form of injustice and to use all possible means to support victims of
human rights violations. In addition, the churches were asked to
recognize the equal rights of all religious communities in the region
whether majority or minority, and to support the international
confessional and ecumenical organizations in their human rights work.
 
While expressing appreciation to the CEC and LWF for organizing the
workshop, the participants urged the international church
organizations to strengthen the promotion and implementation of human
rights as a priority on the ecumenical agenda.

-- 
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe

Submissions: [email protected]  
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected] 
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================