I don't know about you, but it doesn't much feel like Easter. It almost seems like the Easter week has come too early this year.
But even as I write that I realise that is a contradiction in terms. Why so? Well, no celebration that commemorates the passing and resurrection of Christ can ever come early.
Perhaps what I ought to say is that I am acquainted with celebrating Easter during April. So in the spirit of celebration I say to you Joyeaux Pacques - I sure hope I got that right. Just thought I'd show off something I learnt from my Francophone friend yesterday...!
Saturday 22 March 2008
Monday 3 March 2008
The World's Untold Stories Revealed
I’ve been mulling over the issue of interdependence and obligation over the past few weeks and a further insight into the necessity of interdependence and obligation came over the weekend. The girl is deeep....
One of the ways I like to unwind Saturdays, second best to running in the mountains early in the morning, is viewing at least one of those noteworthy weekend documentaries on BBC World and CNN.
This weekend it was The World’s Untold Stories on CNN and Bride Trafficking in China on BBC World.
The World’s Untold Stories indeed
Somewhere in the Christian Scriptures it reads that poverty is a curse of the law, and the stories told on CNN about the girl-child trafficking in Nigeria, reminded me all the more poignantly that poverty of every kind is indeed the root of all evil. The documentaries also sharply reminded me of the necessity to reach out to our communities and to open our eyes and ears to the injustice prowling around us day in, day out.
There you had featured the story of illiterate female Nigerian teenagers trafficked into Europe as sex slaves. For some of these teenagers, their impoverished families had borrowed and paid for "travel documents" to allow their children legitimate entry into Europe. Legitimate entry to work in menial jobs, get paid and one day return home economically and socially better off - or so they thought. Sadly, some of the parents knew that their daughters were being sold to the sex trade but the depth of their poverty had numbed them of every ability and conscious to think and act with decency and integrity.
Harrowing tales. Rape. Psychosis. Disease. Violent physical abuse. And all that they and their parents had wanted them to do was to “travel”.
China's Bachelor Society
China’s Bride Traffickers had a different but still yet sinister motive. The government policy of one child families, and the preference of families to birth a boy-child, has left China, decades on, with a lot, and I mean a lot, of bachelors. If I remember correctly I think the ratio of men to women is 1:8. And some people are taking desperate measures. Young women are desperately sought after for marriage, and many are being kidnapped for and forced into marriage.
One particular young woman had been kidnapped from her family, trafficked and sold as a bride for one such of China's bachelor. Traumatized, she attempted suicide by drinking pesticide. Mental anguish followed.
Her story at least has a happier ending. A benevolent humanitarian committed to fight this of China’s growing evil in any small way heard of the young lady’s plight from her family, located her years later, and with the support of the police, and rescued her from those that had bought her into bride captivity.
Humanity's call
One thing that struck me from both documentaries was that neither of the two ‘humanitarians’ who had given of themselves to relieve these women from their most difficult and horrible plight, were particular people of faith. They were just responding to the call of humanity.
And as I laid there on the sofa mulling over what I had watched on my television, I found myself convinced that life demands much, much more of us than working, raising a family and chasing fantasies. I found myself convinced that in addition to these each and everyone of us had a calling to impact our generation in any and every small way.
And then I remembered St.Paul’s cry to us all for interdependence and obligation.
One of the ways I like to unwind Saturdays, second best to running in the mountains early in the morning, is viewing at least one of those noteworthy weekend documentaries on BBC World and CNN.
This weekend it was The World’s Untold Stories on CNN and Bride Trafficking in China on BBC World.
The World’s Untold Stories indeed
Somewhere in the Christian Scriptures it reads that poverty is a curse of the law, and the stories told on CNN about the girl-child trafficking in Nigeria, reminded me all the more poignantly that poverty of every kind is indeed the root of all evil. The documentaries also sharply reminded me of the necessity to reach out to our communities and to open our eyes and ears to the injustice prowling around us day in, day out.
There you had featured the story of illiterate female Nigerian teenagers trafficked into Europe as sex slaves. For some of these teenagers, their impoverished families had borrowed and paid for "travel documents" to allow their children legitimate entry into Europe. Legitimate entry to work in menial jobs, get paid and one day return home economically and socially better off - or so they thought. Sadly, some of the parents knew that their daughters were being sold to the sex trade but the depth of their poverty had numbed them of every ability and conscious to think and act with decency and integrity.
Harrowing tales. Rape. Psychosis. Disease. Violent physical abuse. And all that they and their parents had wanted them to do was to “travel”.
China's Bachelor Society
China’s Bride Traffickers had a different but still yet sinister motive. The government policy of one child families, and the preference of families to birth a boy-child, has left China, decades on, with a lot, and I mean a lot, of bachelors. If I remember correctly I think the ratio of men to women is 1:8. And some people are taking desperate measures. Young women are desperately sought after for marriage, and many are being kidnapped for and forced into marriage.
One particular young woman had been kidnapped from her family, trafficked and sold as a bride for one such of China's bachelor. Traumatized, she attempted suicide by drinking pesticide. Mental anguish followed.
Her story at least has a happier ending. A benevolent humanitarian committed to fight this of China’s growing evil in any small way heard of the young lady’s plight from her family, located her years later, and with the support of the police, and rescued her from those that had bought her into bride captivity.
Humanity's call
One thing that struck me from both documentaries was that neither of the two ‘humanitarians’ who had given of themselves to relieve these women from their most difficult and horrible plight, were particular people of faith. They were just responding to the call of humanity.
And as I laid there on the sofa mulling over what I had watched on my television, I found myself convinced that life demands much, much more of us than working, raising a family and chasing fantasies. I found myself convinced that in addition to these each and everyone of us had a calling to impact our generation in any and every small way.
And then I remembered St.Paul’s cry to us all for interdependence and obligation.
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