Editors

Margaret Hinchey                              Marie Butcher

margaret@lifequestoz.net                mbutcher@mercy.org.au    

 

Place detained		Main Nationality
Villawood	40	Tongan
Port Augusta	19	Chinese
Nauru	16	Iraqi
Other detention	11	Afghan
Christmas Island	10	Vietnamese
Baxter	4	Malaysian
Maribyrnong	3	Fijian
Unaccompanied	5	Afghan
17 November 2004	103

 

92 children in locked facilities with guards.

ON THE PEACE PATH - NSW

A fundraising event for When The World Said No To War http://www.whentheworldsaidno.org A project inspired by the 30 million people around the world who demonstrated against the war on Iraq in February 2003.

What: An afternoon of the poetry, prose, art and music that influenced people in their attitudes/activism re. peace.

Who: Dave Burgess, NO WAR on the Opera House; Irina Dunn, NSW Writers Centre Coordinator; Michael Janda, Global Solidarity Officer, Sydney Uni Students' Representative Council; Kieran Longridge, Greenpeace; Rosie Scott, author and Vice President of Sydney PEN

Where: Gaelic Club, 64 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills

When: 2:00-5:00pmSunday, 28th November

Cost: $15 entry, $10 concession

 

Friday 10 December

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY ACTION, PITT STREET MALL - NSW

December 10 is Human Rights Day and six months on from the Human Rights Commission’s deadline for releasing ALL children from Detention. (At the rate the number of child detainees is increasing, how many will be behind bars by then?)

We are in the planning stages of another lunchtime awareness-raising event. We will need all the help we can get on the day so please make time in your diaries to join us between 12 and 2 pm. Just come down to the middle of the mall, in a ChilOut t-shirt if you can. The last event was a great success. This one has to be even better!

Where: Pitt Street Mall, Sydney

when: 12:00 noon - 2:00pm Friday 10 December

 

OVERCOMING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN

16 days 25Nov-10th Dec http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/home.html

On 19 October 1999, at the 17^th meeting of the Third Committee during the 54^th session of the General Assembly, the representative of the Dominican Republic on behalf of itself and 74 Member States introduced a draft resolution calling for the designation of 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Since 1991 a 16 day International Campaign has been held all around the world by grassroots and women’s networks to raise awareness about women’s issues and to inspire change so that all forms of violence will be overcome.

In Australia, the National and Torres Strait Islander Ecumunical Council have developed a Women’s Network to link up Christian women from these communities. They have also developed a prayer and specific intentions for each of these 16 days.

As a large group of women, conscious of the suffering of other women in all cultures of our global community, maybe we could include in our daily prayer the specific intentions identifies by both the international and our local community.

Following are the dedications for the particular days, including both sets of intentions. You may like to light a candle for each day.

Nov 25:      Women victims of domestic violence, battered wives, marital rape

 

Nov 26:      Victims/survivors of rape, incest, sexually abused/harassed.

                 Members of the stolen generation

 

Nov 27:      Female infanticide and selective abortions, female genital mutilation

 

Nov 28:      Maltreated and sexually abused children

 

Nov 29:      Victims/survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution

                 Overcoming alcohol and substance abuse

 

Nov 30:      Women victims of unfair labour practices.

                 Prison and prison ministries

 

Dec 1:         Victims/survivors of HIV/AIDS

 

Dec 2:         Victims of war/militarism                 

                  Recreating circles of healing

 

Dec 3:         Victims of media violence               

                  Overcoming poverty and economic violence

 

Dec 4:         Women migrant workers

 

Dec 5:         Women victims of sexual abuses in the Church

                  Education leading to empowerment

 

Dec 6:         Women from rural areas who suffer violence and injustices.      

                 Supporting language

 

Dec 7:         Women from cultural minorities who suffer violence, injustice and racism

 

Dec 8:         Women/children who suffer acute poverty and displacement or lack self-

  determination

 

Dec 9:          Victims of gender violence particularly against homosexuality, 

                   Healing the land

 

Dec 10:        Women in death row or in detention and victims of Human Rights

                   Indigenous peoples world wide