DOV Newsletter - December 2005
Editorial
Dear Reader:
In the spirit of "Building Communities of Peace for All", the theme for this year's DOV Annual Focus, churches in Asia are finding creative ways to address violence in their contexts. This issue of the Overcoming Violence newsletter will highlight just a few of the many stories we are hearing as we learn of their struggles for reconciliation and peace.
- The Asia Focus mural project was commissioned by the Christian Conference of Asia from Lei Garcia and Ugatlahi. It is a collective creation of young Filipino visual artists who are also community organizers. Dr Hope Antone, Lei Garcia and Ugatlahi conceptualized the mural.
Stories of communities addressing crime and punishment as well as violence in economics have been contributed by persons directly involved in this work. A recent inter-religious conference in the Philippines and an upcoming event on economic justice in Hong Kong are examples of initiatives by churches to engage civil and religious groups in dialogue and cooperative efforts. The Ecumenical Coalition for Tourism is passionately committed to raising the issue of violence in tourism. We have also included an insert based on a recent study of current trends in military spending.
The Decade is gaining momentum! In the midst of violence, churches in Asia are working diligently in search of peace for all members of society.
Kent Yoder, Assistant DOV Coordinator
Paper copies can be ordered from the DOV Coordination office.
MilitarismFrom its beginning, a central goal of the DOV has been to "challenge the growing militarization of our world, especially the proliferation of small arms and light weapons". The insert "World Military Expenditures" in this newsletter is the summary of a recent study by DOV intern Abigail Pound. This research demonstrates that government military spending is depriving many societies of funding for basic social services and development aid. As we look toward the second half of the Decade, it is critical that churches begin to play a greater role in challenging our governments and our neighbours on this issue. In a recent statement, the WCC Executive Committee called on churches to "exercise their unique potential" to address the growing reality of militarism in all levels of society. To view the WCC Executive Committee statement on the control of small arms and light weapons visit: http://www.oikoumene.org/Statement.1250.0.html To learn more about the work of WCC's International Affairs visit: http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/index-e.html |
Punishment and Forgiveness in East Timor
While visiting East Timor, the need for reconciliation between villagers who had earlier joined the militias and the people whom they had abused during their time in power was brought up often. Some foreign organizations working in the country had designed rather complex programmes to deal with this on a large scale. It was a Pakistani member of the UN police force who put it into perspective for us. He related that in one village three members of a militia returned to their old village after spending some time in exile in West Timor. Strong feelings immediately emerged because these three men had beaten some of their neighbours, and had burned down a number of homes including the village meeting hall. The village members all came together to hold a trial. The three men had no option but to admit to their crime since everyone in the village knew them and had witnessed their behaviour. After hearing their confessions, the elders spoke up, "A crime like this must be punished. There must be justice."
- Timorese families in Lisa Dila, East Timor. Photo by Peter Williams/WCC)
Fearing the worst, the three hung their heads in fear. Then the elders continued. "You have destroyed our homes and our meeting hall. We have already collected the materials to rebuild these buildings. You must each rebuild the homes you are responsible for burning, and then you must rebuild our meeting hall."
Quickly the three men set to work. They worked hard and the villagers watched them closely to see if they would do a good job or not. In due course all the buildings were rebuilt.
Once again the elders called a meeting. First they collected a small amount of money from each villager and with that money they bought a cow that was slaughtered and the meat prepared for a feast. When all was ready, all of the villagers gathered around the food. "You have paid for your crimes," the elders said. "Now let us share this meal together so that forgiveness can be complete."
The crime was paid for and forgiven. This, the Pakistani said, is the traditional way of solving problems here, and it is best for outsiders to stay away. The introduction of other models or ideas simply confuses the issue.
*By Max Ediger, staff of the JustPeace Centre of the Documentation for Action Groups in Asia (DAGA) based in Hong Kong.
DAGA website: http://www.daga.org/home.html
Hanmaeum Community: Life Giving Agriculture
When Reverend Nam Sang-do moved to the village of Jangseong-gun, South Korea in 1984 to become the minister of Baekum Presbyterian Church, he found his pastoral duties called him to work with local farmers on economic and ecological issues. As he settled into his new surroundings, he witnessed the local farming villages struggling with poor health - due to soil and water contamination from agricultural chemicals - and an unstable economy, as a result of insufficient revenues for their produce.
In 1989, Rev. Nam formed a group made up of local farmers and members of Baekum Presbyterian Church to reflect on these issues. This group stated that they were concerned about finding ways to improve the quality of life for the villagers. Together they began restructuring their local economies, sought alternative ways to market their produce, and developed new methods of farming which were more environmentally-friendly. In time, this group evolved into a collective farmers association, under the name Hanmaeum Community'.
- International participants on exposure visit to a farm near Wonju, South Korea during the 2005 Life Giving Agricultural Forum
Farmers began turning to organic methods of farming in an effort to reduce the use of agricultural chemicals. To address the challenges of harmful insects and weeds, they experimented with natural alternatives to chemical treatments. The farmers discovered that freshwater snails could be used to kill weeds in rice fields, and that ladybugs and dragonflies could repel insects causing crop damage. The Hanmaeum Community also established a direct trading network with urban markets by collecting produce from farmers and delivering it directly to consumers. This initiative has stabilized the local economy and ensured a fair payment for their produce.
In 2000, Hanmaeum Community created the Environmental and Farming Education Centre in an effort to promote the growth of environment-friendly farming. Here the centre has developed classes to teach organic farming methods to current and future farmers, and opened an education centre to help urban adult and adolescent consumers experience local farming culture and production.
* This story was shared at the 2005 Life Giving Agricultural Forum which took place in Wonju, Korea from April 8-14. The conference was organized by the Ecumenical Coalition for Alternatives to Globalization.
For full report visit: http://www.ccanz.net.nz/rural/korea2.html
International Day of Prayer for Peace, September 21, 2005Faith communities worldwide came together on September 21 to observe the joint WCC International Day of Prayer for Peace and UN International Day of Peace. To learn about initiatives and events which took place on this day visit the UN International Day of Peace Vigil website at: http://www.idpvigil.com/commitments/commitment2005.php |
DOV at the World Council of Churches 9th General Assembly!
DOV Plenary: Youth Overcoming Violence.
Ecumenical Conversations: "Churches responding to new threats to peace and human security".
Mutirão Workshops:
- Global Priorities: Military Spending vs. Human Needs
- DOV: Historic Peace Churches' Involvement and Alternatives to Violence
- Overcoming Violence in Families - Keys to a Constructive Way Forward
- The Seven Point Peace Plan of the Peace to the City Network
- DOV Quo Vadis?: Mid-term Reflection
- A Different Look at Violence: a Health Perspective
And many more!
DOV Exhibit: The exhibit will be made up of three parts: Information on Violence, Churches Overcoming Violence, and Witnesses for Peace. The presentation will be primarily through artistic expression. This will also be a central space for meeting DOV people, and hearing about the work of other Assembly participants.
A peace vigil in Porto Alegre as part of the DOV Mid-term celebrations will take place.
Visit the WCC 9th Assembly website: http://www.wcc-assembly.info/
ResourcesThermostat: How Can We Turn Toward Peace in a Time of Fear? Why Violence? Why Not Peace? Being an Instrument of Peace The Churches in International Affairs: Reports 1999-2002 People Building Peace II: Successful Stories of Civil Society Chain Reaction (New!) For the Peace of the World: A Christian Curriculum for International Relations (New!) Nurturing Peace: Theological Reflections on Overcoming Violence (New!) |
Christians and Muslims in Mindanao Forge Solidarity Network
- Photo by Gail Allen/The United Church of Canada
International Muslim-Christian Solidarity Conference
August 22-26, 2005, General Santos City, Philippines
In the face of social and political discrimination, representatives of the Moro people in Mindanao gathered in search of solidarity with their Muslim and Christian neighbours. The International Muslim-Christian Solidarity Conference, organized by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the Moro-Christian People's Alliance, drew an attendance of grassroots Christian and Muslim organizers, diplomats, Catholic sisters and priests, ministers, imams, and activists.
Also present were 14 international guests, from 8 countries, who sought to express a visible sign of international solidarity, and reflect on the Moro struggle within a larger global context. A sense of trust and unity formed as participants came together to discuss issues of human rights violations, economic development, and the global war on terror, and this, in the end, led to the formation of a new Muslim-Christian network. The Solidarity Network for the Moro People in the Philippines will organize activities addressing the Moro context on the local, national, and international levels.
Global Priorities Campaign Launched
On October 17, 2005, Global Priorities: an international inter-religious campaign to change budget priorities was launched in New York. The purpose of Global Priorities is to combine the voices of people of all religious traditions to challenge current national and international spending priorities. This requires a long term effort to shift a portion of investment in human security away from military spending and toward the Millennium Development Goals. For more information visit: www.globalpriorities.org
Ecumenical Conference on Globalizing Economic Justice and Social Sustainability
December 8-12, 2005, Hong Kong. Preceding the 6th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (December 13-18), the Conference on Globalizing Economic Justice and Social Sustainability will gather Asian ecumenical organizations at the YMCA Youth Village in Hong Kong. The conference will reflect on the relationship between WTO policies and current issues of economic justice, as well as provide an occasion for faith communities, civil institutions, and people's movements to discuss their role in developing alternatives for more just and sustainable economies.
For more information about this event visit the Christian Conference of Asia DOV website at: http://www.cca.org.hk/issues/DOV
Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism
While tourism has the potential to enhance global understanding through cultural encounters, the tourism industry is leaving marks of environmental destruction, economic disparity, and the degradation of human life. In a message on World Tourism Day, September 27, WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, expressed his concern for these lasting effects of tourism in local communities. Kobia encouraged all those engaged in the DOV "to recognize the dehumanizing and violent aspects of tourism, especially in relation to women, children, marginalized communities, and the environment." He also drew special attention to the work of the Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism (ECOT) for their focus on the social and ecological dimensions of tourism.
ECOT is a regional ecumenical organization, based in Hong Kong, which seeks to analyze the character and effects of tourism in Asia, with the objective of promoting sustainable, authentic, and life-giving cultural encounters. Finding the balance between social responsibility and leisure is the challenge ECOT brings to the tourism industry. As executive director Ranjan Solomon states, "for the church and its agencies, the challenge is to bring alternative paradigms to the tourism agenda which have values of justice, development, respect for cultures, and ecological sensitivity as their base." With this vision, churches are seeking to develop a more holistic approach to tourism.
To learn more about ECOT visit: http://www.ecotonline.org
World Military Expenditures - a compilation of data and facts related to military spending, education and healthIn 2004, world military expenditures reached $1 trillion - an average of $162 per person. The United States accounted for nearly half, 47%, of the total. There was a reduction in military spending at the end of the Cold War and until 1998. Since then, there has been an increasing trend; from 2002 to 2004 there was an annual average increase of about 6% in real terms (adjusted for inflation).
Peace Research Institutes estimated the percentage in 2004 as 47% with 455.3 billion US dollars, far and away more than the amount spent by the next largest spender, the UK, at 47.4 billion. Military Spending in the Developing WorldWhile the amount of military spending in developing countries is small by comparison to global spending, it often occupies budget space desperately needed for development and social service. Research sponsored by UNICEF indicates that government spending on basic social services - primary education, basic health, and access to safe water - have a particularly big impact on children in poor countries. However, most developing countries spend only 12 to 14 percent of the national budgets on these services. The World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT) summary reports that in 1999, on average developing countries spent 14.5% of central government expenditures on the military. In South Asia, the average percentage of military spending as a percentage of central government expenditures was 16.1%, and in Southern Africa it was 17.1%.
The need for basic social services in developing countries is brutally clear:
Another issue highly related to world military expenditures is foreign aid. Aid, normally from wealthy countries to developing countries, comes in various forms - humanitarian, development, military, etc. While international aid is substantial, by many standards wealthy countries give relatively modestly, and much aid is heavily tied to the foreign policy objectives of the donor country rather than to the needs of the recipient country.
Some things to consider about aid to developing countries:
Source - Global Policy Forum Download the 30-page document "World Military Spending" with more detailed data and many links. |
