INSiGHT - December 2018

December 2018

Contents CONTENTS Devotional

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O’ Now Carry Me To Bethlehem | Advent Reflections 2018

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The Story of András, Fredek and ‘Guest’

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Reflection on Exploitation and Forced Labour At A Glance Viewpoints

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Human Trafficking

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Human Trafficking and Forced Labour in Bangladesh and India

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Because of My Vagina?

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When the Flame Tree is Flowering

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Speaking Out on the Issue

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Seeing & Hearing Nauru Take A Look Your Say

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Hear Their Silence

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The God of Unanswered Prayers

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Cracking the Bad Software of Yesterday

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Economic Progress at the Expense of Everything

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The Christian Immigrant

DEVOTIONAL

‘O now carry me to Bethlehem …’

Advent Reflections 2018

Artwork via https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/AapkBiXzhdAeEzAodldzBdcbMJMLD8rkYe2dHpskzQyK1EYnxepaZAw/

These Advent reflections focus on the issue of Human Trafficking. We will read the genealogies of Jesus through the Sundays leading to Christmas and find how trafficking featured in the family history and story of Jesus. The reflections include the lighting of an advent candle each Sunday through Advent.

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There are two different genealogies for Jesus, one in Matthew the other in Luke: Matthew 1: 1-16 An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6and Jesse the father of King David.

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DEVOTIONAL Luke 3: 23 – 38 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, 24 son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, 25 son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, 26 son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, 27 son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,[i] son of Neri, 28 son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, 29 son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, 30 son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, 31 son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, 32 son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala,[j] son of Nahshon, 33 son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni,[k] son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, 34 son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 35 s on of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36 son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 37 son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, 38 son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.

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This Coptic icon of Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt portrays the Holy Family like many in the genealogy of Jesus, crossing borders to begin new lives or escape old ones.

Smith, V.(2014). How long did Jesus live in Egypt?. [online] Good Question. Available at: https://goodquestionblog.com/2014 /07/10/how-long-did-jesus-live-in-egypt/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2018].

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

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Seeing this image of the Holy Family as refugees in 2018 reminds us of the “Refugee caravan” heading from Guatemala and Honduras to the US, and the need to raise awareness of the poverty and politics driving migration. “In revisiting the angelic injunction to Joseph, ‘take the child and his mother, and flee’ (Matt, 2:13), he directs our attention to the risky choices that families feel they must make today. Here we confront a protective and determined Joseph, a resolute though frightened Mary, and a powerless Jesus who must live with the decisions made for him; the cozy Christmas ends with danger rather than safety.”

Refugees: La Sagrada Familia. USCatholic.org. (2018).

Iconographer Kelly Latimore depicts the unexpected saints among us. Available at: https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201802 /iconographer-kelly-latimore-depicts-unexpected-saints-among -us-31305

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DEVOTIONAL Advent 1 Son of Noah (Luke 3:36) Sung or Said: Oh, now carry me to Bethlehem to see the Lord appear to folk; Just as poor as was the stable then, The prince of glory when he came. (Refrain from the Calypso Carol) We are journeying to Bethlehem together. Each stage is marked out in light and an unfolding story of pain and shame in the holy Family. As Mary and Joseph make plans to leave home because of the invading empire we see that travelling and trafficking has been part of their family story from the beginning.

Genesis 9: 25 – 27 And Noah said: ‘Cursed be Canaan; lowest of slaves shall he be to his brothers.’

He also said,‘Blessed by the Lord my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.

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May God make space for[b] Japheth, and let him live in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.’

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“This graffiti from Banksy reminds us that the life of Canaan as a slave continues to be a part of the lives of young and old around the world because of our unjust economies” - Graffiti by Banksy in London. DeptfordJon/Flickr

Noah’s curse is a reminder that Trafficking is a product of patriarchal violence. The people who are trafficked are those whose race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation render them as acceptable victims in their society. Their lives and bodies can be traded and trafficked because they are not seen as important or even as human as the dominant groups in their culture. Trafficking is trading in human bodies whose ‘being’ is doubted or cursed, like Noah cursed Canaan.

[The first Advent candle is lit]

Let this light shine for those, who seeking the blessing of work or peace, left home and family and found themselves tricked and despised and trafficked.

Quiet is kept We are people on a journey It is a path we walk to Christ.

We are people on a journey It is a path we walk for life.

We are people on a journey But its end is not in sight.

We are people on a journey Marching for justice, Singing for harmony Giving out a little light

This illustration is from a Halmoni, who is a Korean “Comfort Woman” forced into sexual slavery in World War 2. It reminds us of the link between sex trafficking and Empire.

DEVOTIONAL

Advent 2 Son of Jacob Sung or Said: Oh, now carry me to Bethlehem to see the Lord appear to folk; Just as poor as was the stable then, The prince of glory when he came. (Refrain from the Calypso Carol) We are journeying to Bethlehem together. Each stage is marked out in light and an unfolding story of pain and shame in the holy Family. As Mary and Joseph make plans to leave home because of the invading empire we see that travelling and trafficking has been part of their family story from the beginning.

Genesis 37: 26-28 Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers agreed. 28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

The story of Jesus includes the story of Joseph, son of Jacob, one who was enslaved and trafficked at the hands of his own family into Egypt. Family selling the youngest into bondage is yet another shameful and horrific part of the modern-day practice of trafficking. More than Fourteen million modern-day slaves live in India. Many of these people are “debt-slaves”, meaning that people in debt are forced to work to pay off their debt. It extends to their children and grandchildren, becoming a multi-generational chain of slavery.

[The second Advent candle is lit] Let this light shine for those, like Joseph, Who are beaten by family and sold into slavery because poverty is so deep and the rich so strong: they had no choice or protection Quiet is kept We are people on a journey It is a path we walk to Christ.

We are people on a journey It is a path we walk for life.

We are people on a journey But its end is not in sight.

We are people on a journey Marching for justice, Singing for harmony

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DEVOTIONAL

[The third Advent candle is lit]

Advent 3 Salmon the father of Bo'az

by Rahab (Matthew 1:5) Sung or Said: Oh, now carry me to Bethlehem to see the Lord appear to folk; Just as poor as was the stable then, The prince of glory when he came. (Refrain from the Calypso Carol) We are journeying to Bethlehem together. Each stage is marked out in light and an unfolding story of pain and shame in the holy Family. As Mary and Joseph make plans to leave home because of the invading empire we see that travelling and trafficking has been part of their family story from the beginning.

Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho.’ So, they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there.

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The pedigree of Jesus includes a sex worker. Rahab the Canaanite, prostitute of Jericho, appears in Joshua 2 and 6. She imperils herself to save her family, by saving the men who had taken advantage of her services for the night. At the fall of Jericho, she is carried off by the triumphant Israelites. The reasons for her work are not explained. But, she was not loyal to the city where she was working, which suggests her roots were not there. Like many, perhaps, she had been brought to a city for the pleasure of men like the Hebrew soldiers she entertained for a night. Sex trafficking accounts for over 4 million of trafficked people in the world: Women, children and men to be used for the pleasure of conquest and domination.

Let this light shine for those, like Rahab, In an economy where sex sells Must offer their bodies as the playthings of others.

Quiet is kept We are people on a journey It is a path we walk to Christ.

We are people on a journey It is a path we walk for life.

We are people on a journey But its end is not in sight.

We are people on a journey Marching for justice, Singing for harmony Giving out a little light

DEVOTIONAL

Advent 4 The father of Obed by Ruth Sung or Said: Oh, now carry me to Bethlehem to see the Lord appear to folk; Just as poor as was the stable then, The prince of glory when he came. (Refrain from the Calypso Carol)

We are journeying to Bethlehem together. Each stage is marked out in light and an unfolding story of pain and shame in the holy Family. As Mary and Joseph make plans to leave home because of the invading empire we see that travelling and trafficking has been part of their family story from the beginning.

Ruth 1: 19 – 22 When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, ‘Is this Naomi?’ 20 She said to them, ‘Call me no longer Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty; why call me Naomi when the Lord has dealt harshly with me, and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?’ 22 So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

An American-Israeli Messianic Jewish Jerusalemite depicted Syrians leaving home and family because they had no choice or protection, and the Holy family goes with them. This portrayal of Jesus as a Syrian refugee is for holiday shoppers and the rest of us who have forgotten the destitute and despised among us. Image via http://www.anothervoice.info/blog/2015/10/7/jesus-as-a-syrian-refugee

‘Economic migrants coming here taking away our jobs …’ This has become a familiar refrain in many of our nations. Ruth, one such ‘economic migrant’, is also one of Jesus’ ancestors. And she even comes to the town of his birth, Bethlehem, in search of hope and a future. She is brought there by Naomi, her mother in law, who makes Ruth go and work in the fields, and even make herself sexually available to Boaz, her kinsman. Ruth’s powerful and courageous vulnerability models that of another visitor to Bethlehem, Jesus himself.

[The fourth Advent candle is lit]

Quiet is kept

Let this light shine for those, like Ruth who seeking the blessing of bread, work or peace, left home and family because they had no choice or protection

We are people on a journey It is a path we walk to Christ.

We are people on a journey It is a path we walk for life.

We are people on a journey But its end is not in sight.

We are people on a journey Marching for justice, Singing for harmony Giving out a little light

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DEVOTIONAL

The work serves as a stark reminder that Jesus was also a refugee.

Miss_Me_Art - http://www.miss-me-art.com/ Image via https://www.mtlblog.com/news/jesus-is-a-refugee-stm-bus-shelters-spotted-in-montreal

DEVOTIONAL

Christmas Day Sung or Said: Oh, now carry me to Bethlehem to see the Lord appear to [men]; Just as poor as was the stable then, The prince of glory when he came. (Refrain from the Calypso Carol) We have journeyed to Bethlehem together. We have passed through stages marked out in light and an unfolding story of pain and shame in the holy Family. As Mary and Joseph make plans to leave Bethlehem because of the violent jealousy of their own king we see that travelling and trafficking has been part of their family story from the beginning.

Matthew 2: 13-15 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod.

And so, Jesus becomes one of the desperate migrants we are used to seeing in so many places. All escaping political violence and persecution. At the border with Egypt no doubt Joseph had to find someone to smuggle them across the border. There they lived as foreigners, with Joseph doing all he could to keep his family safe.

They would have absolutely no chance of welcome, sanctuary or work now if they tried to escape to many of the places where we live. Officials or thugs would happily drive them back, the media approve and churches stay silent, and the Holy Son of God could easily wash up on a beach lifeless wearing one shoe.

[The Christmas candle is lit] Let this light shine in wonder and welcome To all who come seeking shelter here Let us be bright with it In offering love and sanctuary In Christ’s name.

Quiet is kept We are people on a journey It is a path we walk with Christ.

We are people on a journey It is a path we walk to life.

We are people on a journey But its end is not in sight.

We are people on a journey Marching for justice, Singing for harmony Giving out a little light

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DEVOTIONAL

The Story of ...

By Isobel McFarlane, Media Officer, Salvation Army

“My name is András, and I was struggling to earn a decent living in Hungary. Together with a friend, I accepted an offer to work in the UK that promised up to £2,000 monthly.

Arriving in the UK in September 2011, we were treated well and had three days of freedom. That soon changed and we were soon imprisoned in our accommodation and forced to open fraudulent bank accounts used to purchase telephones and phone contracts. We only had one daily meal of bread and margarine, and worked on building sites. Our salary was just £5 a month, which was spent on basic toiletries. It was nowhere near the salary we were promised.

Without any documents, we couldn’t escape. Compounding this was our male captors created an atmosphere and environment of violence, verbal abuse, and constant fear. After a few months, we decided to try to win our traffickers’ trust. We succeeded, got our passports back and managed to escape to the nearest police station.

We were taken to Salvation Army via City Hearts, where we were surprised to meet people in England who gave us food, clothing and safe accommodation.

I have given my statement to the police but I doubt they can arrest my trafficker. I’m now taking English classes as I want to stay in the UK to help other trafficking victims. I now have a stable job and am delighted to be able to be self-sufficient and independent again.”

“My name is Fredek, and I’m originally from Hungary. In 2012, I was held as a slave in the UK. Back then, I was looking for a way out. So when a ‘friend’ told me I could earn £2,000 a month working in a UK factory, I agreed.

We arrived in the UK after two days travelling by car with three other men. As soon as we arrived at the house we would be staying in, our passports were taken and we became prisoners. We were often physically threatened and almost assaulted.

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At times I felt suicidal. Fearing deportation, I was afraid to escape without any form of identification.

I worked for £3-5 a week in places like a pizza parlour, a chicken factory, selling mobile phones and distributing flyers. I was also forced to steal petrol and scrap metal and open false bank accounts in my name. When we overheard them speaking about transferring us elsewhere to work, we made a desperate escape attempt by jumping out of a window and went straight to the police.

At our consent, the police took us to Salvation Army via City Hearts, a safe environment with protection and support. They helped close the fraudulent accounts that had been opened in my name, cleared my record and gave me a fresh start. I even received access to dental care and English classes, which gave me confidence and courage to become independent.

I’m now a free man and my outlook in life has changed. I now look at people with love. The impossible is now possible.”

The Story of ...

By Karen Anstiss, Service Manager, Caritas Bakhita House

‘Guest’ sought a job in Pakistan as a domestic worker to support her son and her mother. She worked for her employer in Pakistan for 1.5 years and was told that she owed the costs of her flight and visa and therefore could not leave. She lived in her employer’s house and was employed as a nanny but was made to do domestic work. ‘Guest’ believed her employer discriminated against her as a Christian and felt that for the same reason, she couldn’t go to the authorities. Her employer also kept ‘Guest’s’ passport from her.

‘Guest’ had no day off and described her work as being ‘on duty’ 24 hours as she was also tasked to look after a one-year old baby. She was not allowed out of the house and had no friends. Paid US$325 a month, ‘Guest’ explained she did not have enough to eat and was not allowed to buy things. While accompanying her employer to the UK for a holiday, she managed to escape and seek help.

DEVOTIONAL

Reflection on exploitation and forced labour

By Rev Dr Michael Jagessar, Secretary for Global and Intercultural Ministries for the United Reformed Church (URC)

Though from different contexts, there is a pattern in these stories of two former Eastern European males (Fredek and András) and a Pakistani Christian woman (Guest). The latter though had further layers of exploitation laid upon her because of her gender and her faith. As a poor woman and a Christian in a rigidly patriarchal and Islamic society her vulnerability and exploitation took on mind-boggling proportions. While there is no hierarchy in exploitation and forced labour, ‘Guest’s’ vulnerability meant that she could have only escaped the clutches of her abusive employers outside her country. Inside her own land, much of the system conspired to keep her enslaved. We need to note this before reflecting on the pattern of the exploitation related to forced labour in these stories.

While there are both push and pull factors linked to the trafficking, the inherent vulnerability of all three should not be overlooked. All three (with varying degrees) are dependent on others (the traffickers) as ‘source of knowledge’ for information, language, work and accommodation, and (real or perceived) the need to be safe from the authorities.

Humans who are trafficked for forced labour are often found in a broad range of sectors, including agriculture, construction, cleaning, nursing and care work, domestic work, hospitality and also illicit activities. Different types of work may be associated with different nationalities and gender. As seen in the case of Fredek and András their labour can be characterised as ‘3D’ work (dangerous, difficult and dirty).

In all three cases the forced labour is exploitative in terms of wages, rights and treatment. In the case of ‘Guest’, the vulnerability is more acute as her labour is in a private household which will not be subjected to employment regulations as in a more formal labour market. And in Pakistan ‘Guest’ was literally ‘property’ of her employer!

The deception (more evident in stories of Fredek and András than that of Guest’s) is in the promise of a good paying job (pull factor) as against unemployment and poverty at home (push factor). As seen the promises were largely based on misinformation and the withholding of information. In all three cases the coercion is evident through debt-bondage, deprivation of movement either by the withholding of identity documents, denial of contact with others or close surveillance, physical and psychological abuse and threat of deportation.

In all three cases the combination of deception and coercion are key to the control and exploitation. These two elements that distinguishes victims of trafficking for labour exploitation from those employed in poor working conditions. Lack of free movement, the unpredictable/illegal nature of unemployment and inhumane conditions of the labour indicate ‘trafficking’ for forced labour purposes.

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DEVOTIONAL

All of these are geared to create a situation of total dependence. This is linked to the exploitative and dehumanising conditions seen in meagre payments, debt-bondage, long and excessive working hours with no breaks or benefits, almost little health and safety provision, discrimination, poor accommodation and abuse. Dependence as a paralysing state or condition is also linked to inherent systemic injustices and the internalising that happens to the victims.

Words from our sponsor Our Scriptures are replete with ‘words’ against injustices and exploitation of fellow human beings for economic gain.

Take Amos of Tekoa as only one example from the Hebrew bible. He had strong words for all who “sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals”, trampling ‘the head of the poor into the dust of the earth’ (Amos 2:6-7). Such exploitation, according to Amos and others, is an affront to the way of God who loves justice, hates evil, and will side with the poor and oppressed (Amos 5).

God’s mandate for us is best captured in Micah 6:8: (as one example): to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. This way of just living which we follow is embodied in the one who offers abundant life for all. The shape of full and abundant life (John 10) counters a life of deception, coercion and exploitation. ‘Pasturage’ is for all (not a select few). There is a freedom of movement (come in and go out to find pasture’). Danger, though, is always lurking in the form of the robber (those who steal/coerce by force or exploitation) and the thief (those who steal/coerce by guile or deception). Full and abundant life counters the ways of exploitation: it is a qualitatively different life, in which the ‘good shepherd’ will lay down his life for the vulnerable and exploited to ensure ‘fullness’ for all.

That’s our mandate: simple, clear and costly.

Prayer Lover-of-justice-and-peace, shape our consciences and hearts according to your way of just, peaceful, loving and full lives.

Move us beyond fear to speak with compassionate courage and to act with both conviction and humility for those exploited and dehumanised through forced labour.

In the face of powerful forces bent on denying life, give us ears, eyes, hearts and voices to discern, respond and embody hope through our actions.

May the urge to bring hope, care and compassion in distressing situations find sustenance through your Spirit and in your promise of abundant life for all.

In the name of the one who frees and releases.

Amen.

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AT A GLANCE

As an active, engaged mission organisation, CWM seizes opportunities for collaboration, partnerships, mutual learning, and capacity development with churches and local and global partners. To this end, the lecture given

by General Secretary of CWM, Rev Dr Collin Cowan, at the International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI) International Summer School in Amsterdam in July emphasised how our Christian identity and vocation is inextricably linked to our engagement with society. He stressed that the Church should form a “counter culture” to be a catalyst of positive change in our society. Otherwise, our neutrality, passivity and inaction will inevitably lead us to be mere spectators to society’s eventual disintegration.

Rev Cowan also visited Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), and several other CWM member churches, demonstrating CWM’s commitment to mutual accompaniment with its members in mission. He affirmed PKN’s efforts in fulfilling its missional mandate through embracing social engagement such as its partnership with City Council to support those on the margins of society.

One of CWM’s nine global themes identifies “children and young people” as not just beneficiaries but full participants and contributors in God’s mission and vital to Jesus’ ministry. In this aspect, regional youth initiatives were organised as part of CWM’s Leadership Formation programme, which aims to influence and train a new generation of mission-conscious leaders to advance God’s transformative mission.

Photo courtesy of Protestant Church in the Netherlands

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AT A GLANCE Recognising the imperative role of giving young people the opportunity to envision what missional congregations look like in future, the Pacific Regional Youth Initiative in Nadi, Fiji saw 25 participants and social media professionals explore ways for social media to become a mission tool for youth to engage with core social issues. They crafted social media elements to highlight issues affecting young Pacific islanders that could influence their faith development, which include rising crime rates, suicides, teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence, and alcohol and substance abuse.

Held in July, the Youth Initiative created a conducive space and opportunity for them to share stories and experiences, and to be challenged, motivated and empowered to be positive agents of change in their different contexts. Throughout the event, they were encouraged to review and reframe the prevalent mindset of Pacific Island countries of being small, vulnerable and overshadowed by major political-economic powers.

In August, CWM’s first Asia Youth Initiative gathered 55 participants from East and South Asia member churches in Seoul, South Korea for a time of mutual learning and encouragement as they engaged with missional issues in their regional contexts which included civic engagement and multimedia, safe spaces for youth, human sexuality, poverty, and understanding ecumenical movement.

In line with CWM’s 2018 subtheme “Healing Relationships: Hope for a New Spirituality”, Prof Rev Dr UnHey Kim’s keynote addressed the trend of Korean youth leaving the institutional church, and she encouraged pursuit of a new, transformative spirituality, for youths to be God’s vessels in bringing about healing and restoration in the world. A key highlight was a solidarity visit to participate in the weekly Wednesday Demonstration for the resolution of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery (‘Comfort Women’) issue, recognising that the Church could play a significant role at the local, national and international level in promoting justice, peace and harmony.

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AT A GLANCE Discussions were spirited, and it was reaffirmed that an advocate should not rely on hunches but should do research and careful analysis before developing solutions. The young people will be mentored for a year as they implement their project.

CWM Caribbean’s efforts to equip young people to make positive change against injustice and life-denying realities was well received by participants in the Caribbean Regional Youth Initiative held at the University of the West Indies Mona campus in the last week of August.

Focusing on social advocacy, 12 young people from both CWM Caribbean member churches Guyana Congregational Union (GCU) and the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) identified areas such as domestic violence, self-harm, discrimination against youth, unemployment and bullying to be addressed through social advocacy.

Participants were given tools to conduct research and analysis, communicate for change, plan strategically and advocate using social media and networking. The training was grounded in discipleship as youth were encouraged to follow in the footsteps of Christ whose message and work challenged injustice.

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The Europe Regional Youth Programme (July 27 – Aug 4) introduced youths from CWM Europe member churches to CWM and the breadth of mission by hosting an opportunity to live and work alongside a group of asylum seekers and refugees from Darwen and Blackburn, in rural and conservation activities in North Yorkshire Dales.

In partnership with a UK charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, and Darwen Asylum/Refugee Enterprise, a community outreach initiative based at Darwen Central United Reformed Church, CWM gave youths the opportunity to explore, experience and discern issues of migration and the effects on people from conflict areas.

They were challenged to “go beyond themselves” and to return to their homes, universities and workplaces and make them more welcoming and hospitable for migrants.

VIEWPOINTS

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

by Peter Cruchley

Some figures According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 40.3 million victims are trapped in modern-day slavery.1 24.9 million were exploited for labour. 15.4 million were in forced marriage. There are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world.2 There are more enslaved labourers than trafficked sex slaves. Many people associate modern-day slavery with sex trafficking, but in reality, 68 percent of enslaved persons are trapped in forced labour.3

The trade is economic, the reasons are economic and so are the solutions Many will ask what should we do about Human Trafficking, what can we do to help those who have been trafficked. There are groups working on this and their advice will be best for action in specific contexts.

But, a crucial question to ask is why do we have Human Trafficking? Slavery was apparently abolished around the world through the middle of the 19th Century, so why has it come back? Especially why has it come back in the age of globalisation?

https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/lang--en/ index.htm 2 https://www.stopthetraffik.org/about-human-trafficking/ the-scale-of-human-trafficking/ 3 https://borgenproject.org/top-10-modern-day-slavery-facts/ 4 https://www.oxfam.org/en/even-it/5-shocking-facts-about -extreme-global-inequality-and-how-even-it-davos 1

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VIEWPOINTS It is not just traffickers that enslave people. It is the system. Traffickers and trafficked people are products of an economic system which fails to deliver prosperity and security for all. The roots of Human Trafficking lie in unjust economics and its solutions lie in changing our economic systems. We live with global, national and local economic systems that generate and perpetuate poverty and inequality and recognise no intrinsic value to human beings. In such systems the bodies of women, men and children are used as commodities to satisfy the demand for cheap labour and sex. The people who are trafficked are a reminder that we have economies which commodify people and assigns unequal values to people based on their gender, race, status and sexuality. ‘High status’ people in societies are never victims of trafficking, only those assigned ‘low status’ in their society. The only time a white male, for example, might be trafficked is if he is poor, gay or disabled.

We should read some of the statistics about Human Trafficking in the light of an economic system that delivers escalating wealth inequality. According to Oxfam, 2017 saw the biggest increase in billionaires in history, one more every two days. Billionaires saw their wealth increase by $762bn in just 12 months (March 2016 - March 2017). This huge increase could have ended global extreme poverty seven times over. 82 percent of the new wealth created has gone to top 1 percent, while 0 percent has gone to the world’s poorest 50 percent.4 At the Council for World Mission (CWM) Africa Hearing on the Legacies of Slavery in 2017, one participant commented that “we live with such poverty that now young people would not have to be captured by slavers but would willingly swim out to boats to be taken”.

Some of the statistics about Human Trafficking in the light of an economic system that favours capital over labour: Human Trafficking brings in $150 billion annually, which adds up to be more than the combined revenues of the world’s four richest companies. About half of the world’s slaves exist in India. Fourteen million modern-day slaves live in India.

Many of these people are “debt slaves”, meaning that people in debt are forced to work to pay off their debt. It extends to their children and grandchildren, becoming a multi-generational chain of slavery.

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VIEWPOINTS

We should read some of the statistics about Human Trafficking in the light of an economy which privileges men. Gender inequality is reflected in figures of hunger and poverty: it is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls. 6 Oxfam shows that women are in the lowest-paid work.

Globally, they earn 23 percent less than men. 700 million fewer women than men are in paid work. Where they are in work, 75 percent of women in developing regions are in the informal economy - where they are less likely to have legal rights or social protection, and are often not paid enough to escape poverty. 600 million are in the most insecure and precarious forms of work.

Women work longer days than men when paid and unpaid work is counted together.

That means globally, a young woman today will work on average the equivalent of four years more than a man over her lifetime.5 Thus, it is no surprise that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime state that the vast majority of all human trafficking victims – some 71 percent – are women and girls and one third are children.

5 6

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Almost everyone is contributing to the profitability of human trafficking. Human trafficking for forced labour feeds into industries which are crucial to the modern consumer lifestyles. People are enslaved in industries which service the production of consumer goods, in agriculture, textile, chocolate, mining and other industries that many people purchase from, directly or indirectly, on a daily basis. Global brands have been shown to use trafficked forced labour in their supply lines. In 2016, the Fair Labour Association produced an assessment of Nestle in Cote d'Ivoire and found evidence of forced labour and child labour. In 2016, Nike admitted only 86 per cent of their factories were up to the minimum standards they set. A 2016 ILO report stated that as of Dec 31, 2015, 31 out of 72 H&M suppliers were using illegal contracts. Walmart refused to sign the 2013 Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh that 200 companies signed following the collapse of Rana Plaza where 1,100 garment manufacturing workers died.

Work is needed on prosecuting traffickers and on warning vulnerable people and communities how to avoid being trafficked.

But the only thing which will stop human trafficking is economic justice.

https://www.oxfam.org/en/even-it/why-majority-worlds-poor-are-women Source: World Food Programme (WFP) Gender Policy and Strategy. http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures

VIEWPOINTS

Human trafficking and forced labour in BanglAdEsh and India

By Tahmina Rahman

Global Context Human trafficking and forced labour are not new phenomena. With globalisation, issues such as wealth and comfort become more polarised. This increasing demand for cheap labour in developed countries and increased mobility has made human trafficking multi-dimensional. Despite global efforts to tackle trafficking, which is recognised as a crime and a violation of human rights, it is gradually increasing.

Defining Human Trafficking and Forced Labour Human trafficking is the trade of human beings for the purposes of forced labour, sexual exploitation and slavery. It is a multi-dimensional violation of human rights. It results in activities such as domestic servitude, low-wage work in formal and informal sectors and sex work.

Earlier forms of human trafficking mostly saw the sex slavery of women, but now it is understood in a broader continuum which includes men, women and children in hazardous work and organised crime as well.

According to the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), forced or compulsory labour is: "all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily." The definition consists of 3 elements. These are: (1) work or service which includes all types of work in formal and informal sectors, (2) threat of penalty refers to the wide range of penalties used to compel someone to work, and (3) voluntariness refers to the consent of workers and their choice to leave work.

Human Trafficking in Bangladesh Trafficking in women and children in Bangladesh is a growing concern as thousands of women and children are trafficked to neighbouring countries as well as the Middle East, with false hopes of getting better jobs or better living conditions. Unprotected by law due to their illegal status, they become vulnerable to economic and social exploitation, being forced to work for low or no wage, coerced into marriage and made to become sex workers to develop the tourism sector in many countries.

The 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report downgraded Bangladesh to Tier 2 Watch list as it did not demonstrate increasing effort to tackle human trafficking compared to the previous reporting period.

Coupled with its lucrative nature, a poor economy, over-population, gender discrimination, the patriarchal social system, exclusion, unemployment, rural and urban migration, displacement due to recurrent natural disasters, lack of good governance, the social security system and lack of awareness are some reasons behind human trafficking.

Getting data of trafficking in Bangladesh is hard as families are usually not willing to share information for fear of shame or further threat, making trafficking low-risk for recruiters. Therefore traffickers are hardly convicted and the phenomenon remains invisible, resulting in difficulty in establishing actual data about trafficking.

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Available data indicates that around 400 women and children are trafficked out of the country every month1. The Global Slavery Index 2016 showed that an estimated 1,531,300 people from Bangladesh are living in modern slavery. It revealed that forced labour (80 percent) consisting of manual labour, construction, drug production and farming - was more prevalent than forced marriage (20 percent) in Bangladesh. It found that men made up 85 percent of forced labour while women (88 percent) were more affected by forced marriage.

This reflects the wider trend for forced marriage, wherein 29 percent of girls under the age of 15 are likely to be married in Bangladesh, the highest figure for child marriage worldwide, and 2 percent of girls are married before the age of 11. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Bangladeshi children are also at risk of organ trafficking. In 2014, 15 children were killed and harvested for their organs.

According to UNICEF, a major underlying issue behind child trafficking is that children are often unaware of their legal rights and the existing inequalities of the society. Every year, many girls are trafficked abroad for domestic servitude and sex work, while males are used for camel racing jockeys.

Bangladesh is a source and transit point of trafficking, hosting significant trafficking route links from South Asia to the Gulf region. It has both water and land route links with other countries. Traffickers use 16 or more transit points located in different districts in Bangladesh to traffic people from Bangladesh to India2.

Response to Trafficking Although there are enormous challenges to overcome, it is important to develop the system to address the issue. The Government of Bangladesh developed the National Plan of Action from 2015 to 2017 to prevent human trafficking and is addressing the root cause of gender inequalities through a social safety net programme.

It also aims to stop cross border human trafficking through coordination and cooperation of a Rescue, Recovery, Repatriation and Integration (RRRI) taskforce in India and Bangladesh. On a non-governmental level, there have been many efforts to raise awareness and reduce trafficking volume in Bangladesh.

1

2

Sultana, Nargis. Scenario of Human Trafficking in Bangladesh.

Dhaka, June 6, 2015.

Corraya, Sumon. AsiaNews.it. February 26, 2015. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Prostitution-and-forced-labour: -trafficking-in-human-beings-in-Bangladesh-33572.

VIEWPOINTS Human Trafficking in India A study of the United Nations International Labour Organization and the rights group Walk Free Foundation revealed that South Asia, with India at its centre, is one of the fastest-growing regions for human trafficking in the world.

According to The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were 8,132 human trafficking cases in 2016 compared to 6,877 in 2015, with most cases reported in the eastern state of West Bengal, followed

by Rajasthan in the west. However, the actual figure was much higher, activists in India say.

Also, girls and women are often sexually exploited for the Devadasi tradition in South India, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, where they are dedicated to deity or temple worship. A lack of social awareness and proper governance system and the lack of prosecution of traffickers expedites trafficking in India as well.

Every eight minutes a child goes missing.

The National Human Rights Commission says that about 40,000 children go missing and 11,000 are never found. About 10 percent of the human trafficking in India is international and the other 90 percent happens within India3. Trafficking is operating in new dimensions, such as in tribal areas and among the disabled and transgender population where data remains inaccessible.

Reasons for trafficking in India are many, with poverty identified as a core factor.

More than 42 percent of people are economically deprived in India4 and they mostly live in rural areas. Lack of education, gender and caste discrimination are aggravating factors. The National Crime Records Bureau reported that trafficking results in domestic servitude, forced marriage, begging, drug peddling and the removal of organs; 45 percent of victims were trafficked for forced labour, and 33 percent for sexual exploitation such as prostitution and child pornography.

Response to trafficking in India India’s effort to prevent trafficking varies in different states. Apart from the law, the Central Government has a scheme providing grants to victims for rehabilitation, and it provides shelter or safe homes for children when they are rescued. Non-Governmental organisations also raise awareness to support regional networks to stop trafficking. A Regional Task Force implements the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention on the prevention of Trafficking in Women and Children.

However, efforts are not adequate.

According to Trafficking in Persons Report 2017, the Indian government demonstrated increasing efforts to tackle trafficking by increasing the number of victims identified, investigations completed, and traffickers convicted, as well as raising its budget for shelter programs for female and child trafficking victims. It also adopted an action to prevent child trafficking and protect child victims. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas and the country remains in Tier 2.

Tahmina Rahman was one of the resource persons for 2018 South Asia Regional Assembly and Consultation on Women’s Rights and Forced Labour. She has held consultant and training roles as a gender expert in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan since 2008 and is currently facilitating the development of National Gender Policy (NGP) of Somalia with UNDP Somalia.

3 4

UCANEWS.com accessed on https://www.ucanews.com/news/how-to-end-human-trafficking-in-india/78525 Causes of Human Trafficking in India, Agape Research Foundation, 2018

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VIEWPOINTS

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VIEWPOINTS

“AK”, the artist and author of this artwork and poem, is a young woman born in the Philippines to parents who are justice and peace advocates. She grew up in Sunday school, and for thirty years, took what she was taught about gender roles as gospel truth. These gender stereotypes dictated by society was reinforced by the same teachings found in her school’s curriculum.

“AK” lived in Palestine for several days as part of her participation in CWM‘s Face to Face Programme in 2018, which widened her scope of understanding how empire as a power can hold the lives of the people. She created this artwork after learning first-hand the anguish and suffering of Palestinian women, especially those killed by their own kin.

Inspired by the Palestinians’ resilience and their culture of using artwork as resistance to imperial occupation, she created this drawing and poem as a means of catharsis. “I needed to do something because my chest is getting heavy and my stomach keeps on turning,” she says.

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VIEWPOINTS

WHEN THE FLAME TREE IS FLOWERING

by Rev Sudu Tada, Programme Secretary for Indigenous Ministries in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT)

When the flame tree is flowering, it is a wonderful time to graduate from school and make young life moving forward. But, for some young girls, the darkest destiny lies ahead of them. From 1970 to 2000, Taiwan was experiencing a rapid social change on modernisation. Human trafficking was rampant. In order to get rid of poverty, many indigenous families sold their daughters to human traffickers after their graduation from elementary schools. There was a prevailing slogan which goes like "a boy's birth celebration costs a pig, a girl's a cow."

News about the falling of young indigenous girls was familiar to people's ears, but their stories were soon forgotten after briefly causing sympathy and pity. Horrible things still happened repeatedly. Xiao-hui (a fake name) was a happy, vibrant little girl and a good student. Unfortunately, she became a victim of human trafficking on her elementary school graduation day. Here is her account on what happened. “On that day, I went home with my award and prize. Without any warning, I was taken away in a taxi by my parents and traffickers. No one told me what was going on or where I was taken to, let alone what I was going to do. Just like that, I left my lovely hometown.�

Xiao-hui was only 12 when she left home.

From that day on, her life was facing an unprecedented disaster: she was sold to an illegal brothel in Taipei for 10 years. On her first day at the brothel, Xiaohui found out she was not the only victim. There were other young indigenous girls already, aged from 12 to 14, and the look of them frightened her.

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It is outrageous that Xiao-hui had to be injected with unknown medicine to accelerate physiological growth which resulted in unusual breast development. Her breast size was out of proportion to her body's size. No one would tell she was only 12.

Xiao-hui recalled that girls like her were forced to take medicine and injections, and exercise. Any hesitation in obedience would suffer a good lashing. They would gather together, holding each other, and cry aloud when getting beaten, but nobody ever came to their aid.

Ten years of her golden years, Xiao-hui struggled in the life as a prostitute. She entertained her guests wherever they were, such as in a underground dance club, a barber shop, a hair salon, a massage parlour, an ice and fruit dessert shop, a restaurant, a cinema, a tea house, an inn, a hotel, a private house, a villa, and even a luxury car. She had to sleep with 8 to 15 men every day, but she only got 300 New Taiwan dollars as her pocket money. She was being watched, deprived of her freedom, and controlled by using illicit drugs.

VIEWPOINTS

The poem below is her sarcastic accusation of her misfortune.

When the Flame Tree was flowering, I was sold by my family When the Flame Tree was flowering, I was falling into hell When the Flame Tree was flowering, l became a teenage prostitute When the Flame Tree was flowering, I worked as a Miss in a brothel When the Flame Tree was flowering, it was the day of falling, the falling of indigenous girls When the Flame Tree was flowering, my family got rid of poverty When the Flame Tree was flowering, human traffickers were celebrating their harvest When the Flame Tree was flowering, the brothel was swarming with men When the Flame Tree was flowering, men were like animals When the Flame Tree was flowering, why did this happen to me?

There are many girls like Xiao-hui in Taiwan, an economics-first society. They got ravaged and were sacrificed in the debauched sex business. The oppressors of many more Xiao-hui might be those human traffickers, their parents and family, and even their teachers at the school. When the whole Taiwan society didn't want to fight against this injustice and would rather stayed indifferent, PCT Rainbow Women's Ministry stood up in faith for those girls. They risked their lives to rescue innocent girls and uncovered these untold sad stories. Therefore, the story of Xiao-hui 's Flame Tree can be heard, and make lazy parents, greedy traffickers and cruel clients understand that their pursuit of profits and pleasure is the main cause of ongoing juvenile prostitution, bringing young girls pain and humiliation over and over again.

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VIEWPOINTS

During CWM East Asia Regional Assembly in April 2018, delegates engaged with the CWM Assembly sub-theme “Healing Relationships: Hope for New Spirituality”. Women delegates were invited to share their thoughts on human rights issues they face, and how they can be partners in God’s call to mission.

In this series, two delegates from the Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia (GPM), and The Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) share their thoughts.

By Pr. Tan Li Huay, from Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia (GPM)

What are some human rights issues faced by women today?

In two International Gender Indexes, Malaysia was ranked poorly for women's political empowerment, with the highest "restricted civil liberties" in Southeast Asia, including negative attitudes toward women as public figures or as leaders. Regionally, Malaysia has the second highest "discriminatory family code" - meaning social institutions that limit women’s decision-making power and undervalue their status in the household. Muslim women are deprived of certain rights under Sharia laws.

Malaysia’s dual justice system allows Sharia laws - which only apply to Muslims, who make up 61 percent of the population - to run in parallel with secular laws.

For example, Muslim men are allowed to marry up to four women and are granted an automatic right to divorce, while women need the approval of a judge if they want a divorce.

Sex trafficking

Human trafficking in Malaysia attracted international attention in May when several mass graves of suspected trafficking victims were found along Malaysia’s border with Thailand, and again in July.

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Malaysia was identified by the US State Department and the United Nations as both a destination and a transit country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking.

In her preliminary report published in March this year after a visit to Malaysia, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons stated that trafficking of young foreign women and children, particularly from neighbouring countries, for sexual exploitation is prevalent in the country. They end up in the commercial sex trade following deceptive recruitment practices for legal work in Malaysia. Women and girls from South Asia are also entering into brokered marriages with older men in Malaysia and subsequently being forced into domestic servitude and forced prostitution.

VIEWPOINTS Female genital mutilation

More than 90 percent of women from Muslim families have undergone the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), which is widely viewed as a religious obligation.

Reasons cited include hygiene, cultural practices, and the belief that it prevents pre-marital sex. The practice is reported to only consist of a minor cut, and is less severe than the practice in places like Northeast Africa.

% 0 9 Muslim women

undergone FGM

The Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organizations in the Universal Periodic Review Process (MACSA) considers the abuse of hundreds of thousands of young girls in Malaysia a “non-issue”, claiming that debates on FGM are marginalising more serious issues such as the prevalence of homosexuality and bisexuality, and contributing significantly to the spread of HIV. How can we build a true community of women and men in church?

Go back to the Holy Bible and truly follow what it says. For example, the Saviour openly defied the attitudes of his day in his frequent dealings with women. He conversed with the woman at Jacob’s well (a Samaritan at that!)— shocking even the disciples (John 4:27). He refused to bend to Pharisaical pressures that he shun the sinful woman who anointed and kissed his holy feet (Luke 7:36ff). Godly women were numbered among those who ministered to the Christ (Luke 8:3), some of them accompanying him even to the foot of the cross (John 19:25).

We need to understand the Lord wants His people to be a united and true community that glorifies His name! Scripture clearly stresses the mutual dependence of men and women in Christ. Neither is complete without the other (1 Corinthians 11:11).

Understand the church's purpose, and realise that your church doesn't exist simply to help people in their individual faith journeys. It's meant to be a living organism that helps people encounter the living God together and grow closer to Him. Know that God's essence is one of loving relationship because He is a Trinity, and, because He has made people in His image, they're designed to live in relationship as well. Understand that it's crucial for your church to be a strong community to fulfill its purpose.

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VIEWPOINTS How can both women and men be full participants and contributors in God’s mission?

Firstly, confess bitterness and unforgiveness to each other, with a willing heart of forgiveness and service. Further, “don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2, ref. Ephesians 5:1-2) So our contributions would be as aroma services in front of the Lord, please Him and glorify His name.

Jesus’ inclusion of women among His disciples and witnesses, the coming of the Holy Spirit on both sons and daughters, and Paul’s inclusion of women in his circles of co-workers in the ministry all affirm the full and equal participation of both women and men in all the ministries of the gospel.1 For example my church could help with my town's annual Fourth of July parade or sponsor a local sports league. Minister directly to my neighbours by appointing one of our lay ministers in each neighbourhood, training them (both genders) to respond to neighbourhood needs such as prayer and practical support such as meals. Realise that God has called my church to embody His character and act as His hands and feet in my part of the world.

Finally, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” Christianity only ultimately works from inside out, not outside in: It’s not a behaviour modification, but heart transformation (Proverbs 4:23).

In being true to Jesus’ calling to heal broken relationships between human beings and among groups of human beings, what is the role of women in social justice?

In the book of Joshua was Rahab who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city, betraying her people. In the New Testament she was lauded as an example of living by faith and considered righteous by her works.

Christine Caine says, “By the grace of God we get to rescue the victims of human trafficking around the world and help empower women around the world”.

Not only did God rescue you, but God is using you now to rescue others. How have you walked in that victory?”

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1

https://www.fuller.edu/womeninministry/

By Rev Dr Seonyi Lee, The Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK)

What are the human rights issues facing women today?

The victims of sexual violence have reported their experience in a continuous stream on social media. The prevalent serious issue of sexual assault has arisen through empathy with the purpose of solidarity. Originally an American social activist, Tarana Burk, started the campaign for teenage girls of colour who are vulnerable to sexual assault. In Oct 2017, actress Alyssa Milano spoke about the campaign and it quickly spread through Twitter. After that, many people who have experienced sexual violence started to report their story in solidarity by using “#MeToo”.

Then, sexual violence was reported more with the #MeToo movement and it expanded across more than 80 countries. This served to provide momentum in bringing attention to sexual violence committed through abuse of power. In Korea, October 2016, the “name_ my _ sexual violence” movement quickly spread even more than the #MeToo movement. The use of webtoons and subcultures started reporting sexual violence and then, the crimes committed in the literary circle, education, culture, theatre, movies, workplace, school, church, university, and family were exposed. The literary circle and in the arts exposed famous poets, critics, and curators about their charges and created a social scandal.

VIEWPOINTS

How can we build a true community of women and men in church?

The #MeToo movement has given attention to the frequently occurring sexual violence committed with the abuse of power. Power abuse related sexual violence is a sexual crime committed by the attacker with use of their superior position. The Harvey Weinstein incident is a common case of power abuse-related crime where he took advantage of his authority to have coercive sexual relations. The victims in this case have difficulty reporting their damage because if they report the attacker, the victim will be at a disadvantage due to the gap in power. The societal prejudice against the victims of sexual violence makes it more difficult to report the case. For these reasons, sexual violence prevention programs should be executed in the workplace and the opinions towards sexual violence victims have to change. The perspective of predominance of men has to change in the direction of acknowledging that men and women were made as one in the image of God. Although men and women were made in the image of God, because of sin, we need to be restored in the name of Jesus Christ. In traditional Confucianism, the ideology of the predominance of men needs to be excluded.

Men and women have to become one body in Jesus Christ and create a holy community.

Most authoritarians are men in the Korean society and there needs to be an institutional law to prevent abuse of power.

How can both women and men be full participants and contributors in God’s mission?

When a man and woman become partners, they should become one to serve in mission.

The partnership should be sustained by the sense of calling in God's mission. There is a need for quota of females in the church and in organisations in Korea where the opportunity for female leadership is less prominent. There is a demand for organisations and a system for the protection of women and teenage girls who are victims of power abuse.

In being true to Jesus’ calling to heal broken relationships between human beings and among groups of human beings, what is the role of women in social justice?

The strengthening and partnership in the role of women in Christian female leadership has to be reinforced. Women have to restore their healthy self-image in Jesus Christ. The people who have been hurt have the role to heal others who also have hurt. It is the devotion for the next generation. And the solidarity in awareness of the weak will create new relationships.

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VIEWPOINTS

Seeing & Hearing Nauru

by Collin Cowan

Cliff Bird, Mission Secretary for the Pacific region, and I recently completed a successful solidarity visit with the Nauru Congregational Church (NCC). The visit was meant to provide space for the church to share their story, and for us to clarify and reaffirm CWM’s commitment to accompany this member church in their ministry and mission.

The visit began with a courtesy call on His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Nauru, the Hon. Baron Waqa. The President, who himself is a member and former General Secretary of the NCC, warmly welcomed us to the Republic of Nauru and expressed hope that this visit would serve to strengthen the ties between CWM and the NCC, noting that there have been periods of frustration experienced by NCC in its relationship with CWM.

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In a rather positive and upbeat articulation, the President shared his vision for Nauru, which includes climate change mitigation, strengthening of the social infrastructure and better living conditions for the people of Nauru, inclusive of health care and education. President Baron refuted allegations that his government is intolerant, oppressive or insensitive to the needs and plight of refugees being hosted in Nauru. He added that, like elsewhere, Nauru was affected by the ‘fake news’ phenomenon that frames perspectives and taints images. Contrary to the allegations, he shared stories of how the refugees are incorporated and integrated into the life of Nauru. Our visit, which happens on the eve of the Pacific Leaders Forum, scheduled to take place in Nauru, gave us the opportunity to encourage the president to speak about the refugee situation in Nauru, given the contrary perceptions in the public square. President Baron was visibly pleased to have received this visit and was receptive of our offer to pray with him as the hour-long conversation concluded with the exchange of gifts and sentiments of good wishes.

VIEWPOINTS

The leadership of the NCC described our visit as timely and expressed gratitude at our taking the time to make it happen.

Triggered by remarks made by Cliff that the purpose of our visit was to “come and see”, NCC’s General Secretary, Deacon Peta Gadabu, urged us to take the time to “see and hear” their stories and to walk with them as they try to make sense of their struggle and aspirations to move forward.

In addition to the business sessions, we had a great opportunity to tour the beautiful island of Nauru, to see for ourselves some of the positive developments, as well as the negative impact of mining; to appreciate afresh the wonders of creation; and to identify with the narratives of the people of the Republic of Nauru, especially the NCC. Our visit climaxed, appropriately, with a worship service, attended by the President and First Lady, Madame Louisa, where I had the privilege of preaching the sermon.

In my sermon, I encouraged the gathered community to rise above the doubt, fear and insecurities that paralyse our will and cripple our determination; and, instead, to claim the life-giving, energy-sustaining and hope-restoring gift of the risen Christ as our inspiration for faithful discipleship.

The conversation with the Council of NCC was candid, honest and thorough. They shared their challenges, articulated their struggle and invited us to walk with them.

Issues of personnel and financial capacity, the absence of organisational structures and processes to support their mission engagement and a strong and vibrant youth ministry were high on their agenda.

Noting that the entire church leadership was composed of non-stipendiary workers, who are mostly employees of the Government, the leaders of the Council shared how challenging it is for them to give quality time to the demands of the church. In response, we reiterated our commitment to be in solidarity with them, offered guidance and our commitment through the regional office, to assist them in exploring ways to develop capacity, establish structures and processes and strengthen their youth ministry.

As the Nauru Airlines flight lifted off the airstrip of that beautiful spot on Earth, I reflected on how awesome an experience it was, to have been in the company of sisters and brothers of the CWM family; to receive the generosity and graciousness of their hospitality; and to connect intimately with their story of hope and aspirations for the future. As a mission organisation, CWM is strategically placed to live out its mission of mutual accompaniment, challenging, encouraging and equipping churches to share in God’s mission. I am grateful for the immense privilege, bestowed on me, to be part of this narrative and I pray that my contribution will serve to further the work that defines us and calls forth our commitment and loyalty.

Call for recognition of Dutch slavery in Netherlands, 2013

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TAKE A LOOK

Peruse this website set up by CWM and its members United Reformed Church (URC) and Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), which comes with a smorgasbord of personal accounts and stories of trafficked individuals. It also contains reflections and even resources to inform and help you make a difference to support victims of trafficking: http://freetobefreeing.org

Human Trafficking is the television miniseries about an American Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent going undercover to stop an organisation from trafficking people. Starring Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland, it is a powerful eye-opener to the world of human trafficking and shows the struggles of three trafficked women from Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Philippines.

Even though the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) has a third of its congregations being indigenous people, their cultures and languages are disappearing and little is known about these real and original inhabitants of Taiwan. Through CWM’s Hearing God’s Cry Programme, PCT has published the Taiwan Indigenous Mission Stories to give voice to these lesser known stories and traditions of the indigenous people and enhance their profile and leadership.

Email missiondevelopment@cwmission.org for details.

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TAKE A LOOK

When news reports show the arrest of a human trafficker and their victims finding freedom in the United States, Americans ask, “How did that happen?” Catalleya Storm, a human-trafficking survivor tells her story in this video, in hopes to demystify the silent trade of young people and challenge society to find one way to respond to the problem. She is founder and president of the student organization Generation Freedom Makers to raise awareness about human trafficking among Ohio's universities. This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.

View it here: https://bit.ly/2NrQt6E

Challenges including human trafficking, environmental concerns and the growth of Christianity in the non-Western world were addressed during a CWM joint theological consultation in Taipei, Taiwan. As participants explored the facets of missiology while considering these issues, Wanda Joleen Otuafi from Nauru Congregational Church (NCC) of CWM Pacific region was inspired to compose this song upon her personal reflection.

Have a listen: https://bit.ly/2Q23BzN

Simar Singh’s strongly vocal and no-holds-barred poetry entitled “The Legal Rapist” talks about marital rape which identifies and raises the issues on the patriarchal role in marriage, and how love and consent is blurred between the lines of a woman’s duty and role as a wife to her husband.

View it here: https://bit.ly/2xBfAef

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Your Say

HEAR THEIR

SILENCE

by H.L Ong from Malaysia

I read with great interest the two views on Article 377A that was published in the previous issue of INSiGHT. I congratulate and thank CWM for creating this invaluable platform for the global community to connect, share their hearts, and be heard.

My son is gay. Yes, I’ve said it.

And not only that, my wife and I are proud about it, and not ashamed to tell others about it.

But living in a country that has labelled homosexuality as ‘illicit behaviour’ and a ‘disease’, it has never been an easy road for our family. For years we lived and had to deal with the stigma of being an ‘abnormal family’ who supposedly failed to impart wholesome Godly values to our son. But with the support of other parents facing the same struggles, and holding on steadfast to the word of God and His amazing grace, we eventually found comfort and peace.

I shall not venture into the 377A debate as all that needs to be said has already been said.

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But as someone who has - and still continues to journey through these waters as a parent and father, I say this: Churches must make a conscious deliberate effort to boldly step up and address the issue head-on, stop brushing it aside, and start actively helping individuals who are struggling with their sexuality – even if it means polarising the congregation and possibly losing a significant number of them.

Instead of assuming, ‘it doesn’t exist’ or that the LGBT community in your church is ‘only a small minority’, Churches have to come to the hard realisation that there may very well be a significant number of individuals who are hurting and who are seeking help but are just too afraid or intimidated to vocalise their pain. As we journeyed with my son, we met many individuals who, just like our family, felt alone and isolated – hiding the pain and fear behind fake ‘Sunday smiles’, unsure of how those around them in church may react or respond to their situation.

Your Say Silence does not mean everyone is doing well, and the Church cannot, and should not, be a nonchalant bystander who assumes the issue will just go away - or worse, sort itself out.

In our previous church, there was a serious lack of support in the form of materials, talks or direction from church leadership. We were constantly given the run-around, and the feeling we got from the leadership was, “If nobody talks about it or raises it up, it’s not a big deal.” At one point, we blatantly asked one of the senior members of the leadership where the church stood on the issue, and where - if at all, we could get help.

For LGBT individuals in the church looking for help and support, but never hear homosexuality mentioned from the pulpit or talked about in classes or small groups, it's easy for them to assume that God is silent on this issue, too, and that He doesn't care. My son certainly held on to this view for the longest time, walking the painful path alone and afraid. It might seem the obvious, but we sometimes forget that voices from the pulpit do have a strong influence on people in the pews.

And as a parent, it was a depressing, confusing and frustrating time for me where the body and community that was supposed to give clear direction and voice, remained lost and silent on the issue. I remember cheekily telling one of our Elders one Sunday that both homosexuals and the Church had to stop hiding and ‘come out of the closet’.

Yes, some churches today may face a difficult and uncertain path when it comes to the issue.

But I feel that addressing homosexuality in an honest and transparent way within church may give people the courage and hope they need to come forward for help and support.

This applies to those already in church and those who have yet to know the Lord. We often forget that sexual orientation is only a small part of who the LGBT community is, and that members of the LGBT community do have amazing and inspiring life songs and testimonies of faith. But are we willing and open to give them a space to be seen and heard?

Yes, we may welcome them with open arms to our weekend services. But are we doing enough to affirm these individuals instead of paying them lip service? Does the church stand in solidarity with them to send the right messages that speak of a welcoming, accepting and loving community?

A church actively addressing the homosexual issue and making it a relevant agenda doesn’t make it a ‘gay church’. It simply means you are acknowledging that these individuals are a valuable part of your church family. More importantly, it means you are seeing them, and are actively hearing their silence.

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Your Say

THE GOD OF

UNANSWERED

PRAYERS

by Sean K.

I remember the day like it was yesterday; the year, like it was last year. I was desperate for God to answer my prayer, but no answer came. I had been going to church my whole life, where I had been taught that if you needed God to help you, all you had to do was say a prayer and he'd answer. For years I heard, read, and believed this, but the day finally came, as it eventually does for all of us, when believing that the thing was true did not feel adequate, for what I was desperate for was to experience it. I was 18 years old and my father had come home from work burning up with a fever.

Within twenty-four hours, he was paralysed from the chest down. His doctors determined that he had a viral infection of the spine and needed immediate medical attention.

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When the ambulance came to take him to the hospital, I was at his side, praying for a miracle to restore feeling and movement to his lower body. As he lay motionless on his hospital bed, I was again at his side as his guardian, praying that God would heal him.

I used every formula I had been given at the various churches I had been to for making my prayers worth answering. Some said all I had to do was ask; others said that I had to pray while placing my hands on the part of his body that needed healing. Some said to make sure that I was continuously believing very strongly that God would heal him; others said that if I really wanted to take my prayer to the next level, I had to pray while fasting from food.

Your Say

Some said that I had to pray while visualising the healing in my mind before I could see it with my eyes; others said that after each prayer, I had to say out loud that he was healed in order to create the healing with my words. Some said I had to get other people to pray in agreement with me because prayer has strength in numbers; others said that I had to also find verses in the Bible that promise healing and mention them to God whenever I prayed.

Some said that I had to confess my sins to God to make sure they were not blocking my prayers from reaching him; others said that I had to pray with deep emotion to show God how desperate I was for him to answer me. Some said I had to listen to the stories of people whose prayers for healing had been answered in order to keep my mind from entertaining doubts; others said I had to stop asking God for healing and instead simply tell him to do whatever he thought best and hope that what he thought best was healing my father.

Well, over the course of ten months, I did all this. I followed every prescription i could find for getting my prayer for my father’s recovery answered. And five months after my 19th birthday, my father died.

My desperate pleas to God to keep my father alive had been met with what felt like the chilling winter of silence. And as though this was not enough to leave my belief in God fatally wounded, it was followed by a series of disorienting questions that rushed through my mind like a raging storm.

Did God show favouritism, answering others but not me?

Or was God distant, too far or too busy to hear or answer my pleas? Or was he cruel, refusing to help when he could? Or was he powerless, promising what he has no ability to give us? Or was it that God is imaginary, a figment of human imagination? I considered every possibility I could think of, but found that when a tragedy of this magnitude strikes, no explanation feels satisfying.

And in my anguish I saw that even if I was to find the perfect explanation, it would feel pointless, because it would not bring my father back or somehow make me see a bright side to his death. More fundamentally, I realised that by demanding an explanation for why God didn't answer my prayer to let my father live, I was once again falling into the same heartbreaking cycle of waiting for an answer that was not coming.

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Your Say And so finally, I had to admit to myself that though my creed had said that there is a God who answers prayer, this God hadn't answered mine; that though I had prayed in all the ways my faith told me to, I had prayed in vain, left with the fragments of a broken heart and broken dreams.

Looking back, I believe that that is the day I started to leave the church. But unlike others who have left the church to stay away from it, I left the church to stay in it. I left to start a new church, a church for young people whose faith had also let them down as much as mine had; young people who had called on the God of their parents to send an answer to their desperate prayer or to their deepest questions, but none came. I left the church to start a new church where faith is not a magic wand with all the answers, nor a cover up for the unanswered prayers and the unanswered questions they lead to. And ever since I embarked on this journey, I have met hundreds of young people with their own litany of unanswered prayers and their own set of unanswerable questions. And as we have listened to each other's stories of perplexity and pain, we have given each other permission to stop pretending.

On the one hand, what these fellow believing heretics want is to live in a world in which they don't have to pretend to have no faith when they do.

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On the other hand, they also want to live in a world in which they don’t have to pretend that their faith has given them answers when it hasn't. They want a world in which if it is ok for some to lose their faith in the possibility of finding answers and ok for others to put their faith in make-believe answers, then it should be ok for some among us to keep our faith without having the answers.

To put it another way, what those of us who have been disillusioned by our faith want, what we seek, and what we ask for, is a church that does not pass on a faith so small that it only has room to welcome our certainties, but a faith so large that it has room to embrace our doubts. What we long to be is a church whose faith is not so weak that it can only bear the weight of the answers it brings to us, but whose faith is so strong that it can also bear the weight of the questions we bring to it. We desire a church that sends us home not with condemnation for feeling that God is silent and distant, but with greater permission, greater honesty, and greater courage to lament to God about all the anguish we feel from every prayer and every question he has not answered.

Your Say So since this is the cry of so many of us, my challenge to the rest of you who believe because God answered your prayer, especially as you enter a season of celebration and festivity, is

Welcome and celebrate people who keep the faith after the faith fails them. The church needs this:

people who can worship God through lament when they feel that God did not come through for them. The church needs people who do not measure the strength of their faith by the prayers and questions it answers, but by its inexplicable capacity to endure the equally inexplicable winters of God’s silence. The church needs to celebrate the people in its midst who are crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, because in that unanswerable lament, they too are following Jesus.

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Your Say

CRACKING THE BAD SOFTWARE OF

YESTERDAY

by Eakaey from Philippines

As a woman born in the Philippines, I discovered that I came from a background where both my parents’ families are justice and peace advocates. Also, I came to know that I’m a sixth-generation descendant of one of the revolutionary religious leaders in the Spanish Colonial Era, who was brutally killed because of knowing, reading and practising the gospel of God to the lower class or those treated as slaves in the Spanish Colonialisation, and with whom the word of God was not being shared.

Now, I’m in the seminary which helped me to be critical in seeing things and discerning things, waking me up to different topics and issues that I thought was taboo to talk about. As I grew up, I saw how my understanding and knowledge was being changed and saw the reality of the true meaning of Jesus’ life here on earth.

I thought whatever taught to me in Sunday School was always right. For thirty years, this Christian Education curriculum shaped my mind, the very core software that I have, and made me realise all the wrong teachings that were being fed to me.

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And the same thing was being taught in school based on the Education Curriculum. For a decade, they made me believe that the only role of a particular gender is assigned and dictated by the society based on the gender. Someone of the male gender should do things based on just being a man, and these things done by men shouldn’t be done by those of the female gender. We are feeding the minds of children such connotations from young, so that’s why they are growing up with wrong knowledge, mindsets and are living lifestyles dictated by the society.

Men are trying hard to be the provider of the family, always pretending to be the strongest in the family because of society’s norms. And referring to women as the weaker link of the society.

Before, here in the Philippines, women were not allowed to work just like men do, because the role of women is doing housework and childbearing.

But now, it is good to see that men can do laundry and it is not seen as shameful for the male gender anymore. Also, we found out that men are also good in cooking and preparing food.

Your Say Teaching is not only a job for women but also for men who love to teach. Gradually, here in my country I can see changes and as a nation, and especially for women, we will continue breaking away from wrong information that is being fed to each and everybody’s minds.

We are afraid that when the women talk and rule, their thinking will overpower us, that women will take over, and thinking that as men, we will no longer be worthy of use.

But this kind of thinking is stupidity which is not what God wants us to be. God is the Maker, God is the one who owns us. And Being given a chance to be part of and immersed in the CWM Face shame on us, especially on those to Face Programme brought me to who are taking control of the lives of other people in their own a wider scope of an issue hands. But God is the only one regarding gender justice. When I heard the stories of the Palestinian who shaped us in the womb of our mother. women, I can't help but voice out through a drawing and a poem.

Yes, dear men, don’t ever say that Why it is called "honour killing"? your semen is the reason we are Why women should only suffer? enjoying life, but remember that Why did women take all the semen and the egg cell are the blame? Why women? I want to shout using different medias. And two important elements needed to form a zygote. let all those people who will read my poem be able to reflect, turn To all the women and whatever their stomachs upside down, and sexual orientation you may have, be shaken until justice seeps all of us are created uniquely in through their bloodstream to the image of God, all of us are make them realise that our given equal rights and no one is existence on earth was given by below or above another. God gave the Creator to have a purpose, a us Jesus, to show us what God fulfilling and meaningful life. wants us to have, an abundant life. The very reason of His Gender is not the basis of creation’s existence is to have a authority that we can use to meaningful, purposeful and dominate whoever and whatever fulfilling life. we want to dominate. Both men and women are imbued with value Let’s educate and raise awareness and meaning by God and are not hand in hand to all the people in to dominate each other. I hate it when someone says, it is how the the world whether they listen to us or not, and not stop promoting Bible is written, it is how the laws equality, justice and peace. Don’t are written in the Bible, but who wrote the Bible? How it was being be afraid to voice out and speak up! Don’t be afraid to expose canonised? The Bible was written maltreatment, abuse and in a patriarchal way, in a way to injustice! Our ancestors kept on conquer land, to dominate and fighting before us and planting the rule over the lives of the people. seed of legacy of life-giving, and Women in the Bible have a vast, let’s pass this legacy for today and loud voice, but inside the churches, we are silencing the role future generation until we achieve of the women because of our own our goal. Speak up! And don’t be afraid! selfish desires and wants.

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Your Say

ECONOMIC PROGRESS AT

THE EXPENSE OF

EVERYTHING

by Pertrina from Singapore

As a girl born and bred in the post-war years of Singapore where we had transformed from a sleepy fishing village to a bustling, first-world, metropolitan city, I grew up with wholehearted belief in the values of “meritocracy” and “equality for all”. I studied hard, as we were told, over and over again, that hard work trumped everything in our proudly meritocratic Singapore.

Education was the only way out of the poverty trap, and a promising future awaited me, I was told and naively believed. It never occurred to me that something might be wrong, when corporal punishment was meted out whenever I brought back a test or examination grade that was unsatisfactory to my mother. She had my best interest at heart, I thought and believed, and everything a mother does is out of love - after all, spare the rod, and spoil the child. Among my childhood memories are that of endless tears, caning, fears of displeasing my mother in any way.

Later on, I passed through premiere schools with privileged students, and seemed on track to success.

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Surely the ends justified the means, I thought. As the verbal and physical discipline continued, the guilt and shame of being “a bad child” became ingrained in me. “We are already teenagers, why do you still get caned?” asked my incredulous friends, when I appeared in school with cane marks and bruises sporadically. This did not gel with my friends’ lives, and their parents were so different from mine.

Indoctrinated with Confucian values of filial piety, respect for elders, and family before self, I was silent. My friends were familiar with curfews, being grounded, and withholding of privileges, so how could I explain what grave mistakes I had committed?

As my sister and I grew older, our punishment escalated inordinately in proportion to our transgressions and increased alarmingly in frequencybeating, hair-pulling, scratching, throwing heavy objects, and so on. We started to wonder - was this normal?

Your Say One of my most vivid memories was that of my mother storming into our bedroom with a kitchen chopper threatening to kill us. I do not recall how the concept of “child abuse” and later on, “mental illness” came to my knowledge. My grades suffered and eventually, I went to a polytechnic - known back then as a place for “second-rate” students, destined for a life of mediocrity.

But that was when my life dramatically changed.

I met many people from the lower socio-economic strata, whose experiences were varied and yet stemmed from the same social issues. Some a little worse, others horrifically worse than mine. The understanding of wider social issues that contribute to what is narrowly defined as success in Singapore was no longer head knowledge to me; they were embedded in the lives of those around me who seemed very different, yet the same. Today, many of the friends with whom I went to premiere schools have the external trappings of success in Singapore- respectable and well-remunerated jobs, driving expensive cars, and living in private housing. But they've learnt the hard way - success doesn’t bring happiness. The country we’ve grown up in and love has developed systemic problems as a result of pursuing economic success at any and all cost.

An older, wiser woman once remarked to me: “Many parents in Singapore have sacrificed their children on the altar of economic prosperity.” I believe this to be true.

My experience with “poverty” and “being in a lower socioeconomic strata” as a girl in highly sanitized and contemporary Singapore pales in comparison to that of the unrelenting daily realities of many girls and women in other countries, who face infinitely more serious issues such as sex trafficking, gender-based violence, discrimination in the work force and many more.

International news is replete with and outdo one another with stories of hopeless, harsh and unrelenting realities of the vulnerable in society, especially women and children.

My story has a happy ending. I no longer bear the brunt of abuse from an ailing mother, and I am more cognizant of the issues faced by mothers today, professional or otherwise. Even though I have not fulfilled my dream of becoming a social worker, counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist, I am employed in work that is indirectly helpful, and hence fulfilling. Tears well up in my eyes as I think about what my fellow sisters in other parts of the world face. I cannot begin to imagine what life is like for them, even for a day, and my heart goes out to them. I pray and wish that they will find grace, strength, and hope through Christ to endure the unbearable. And for those who may never find justice in this life, faith to hold on to our Saviour, and believe in a future world where “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

(Revelations 7:17.)

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Your Say

THE CHRISTIAN

IMMIGRANT from a Malawian living in the Benelux region

The word “immigration” was seldom part of my vocabulary until it was used on me. Growing up, I only encountered the word every few years when I went to renew my passport at the Department of Immigration offices in Malawi. It was a mouthful for me then, as it is now. It conjures up in my mind images of faceless bands of people trekking from one corner of the world to another.

Immigrants. Emigrants.

The English words of choice in every context I had lived in prior to moving to this European country that is beset by the so-called “culture wars” were “foreigner”, “alien” and even “ex-pat”.

A few years ago after coasting through life here on a Spouse Visa for some time, I received a notice from, funny enough, the familiar-sounding Department of Immigration and Naturalisation.

The message was to the point: 1) I have been here for more than a few years.

2) I am an immigrant and these are my two options, a) apply for permanent residence or b) apply for a citizenship.

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I read and re-read the second line wondering when I had become one of those faceless people in bands trekking from place to place. In the time that I had lived here descriptors for immigrants, thanks to social media, had grown increasingly complex, even terrifying.

Apparently, there are two categories of immigrants in people’s imagination here, the desirable and undesirable immigrants.

The former is a straightforward category; it is typically composed of healthy, young Westerners or affluent and/or highly skilled citizens from the global South. The latter is split into a further two categories, the so-called economic migrants; and the rising number of people fleeing conflicts and other unsafe socio-political situations back home.

Asylum-seekers, refuge-seekers.

In my case, I had come because of marriage but I was also studying towards a second master’s degree on an elite campus. Did that make me a “desirable”?

Your Say

When I received the notice, I was a housewife although, admittedly, being married to a vicar buffered me from the socio-economic effects of that label.

There was a second notice in that letter. I was instructed to take a mandatory, formal integration course constituting of language and enculturation components. Note that this course does not apply to immigrants from most Western countries. The language part was the easiest because I am not opposed to speaking language/s spoken where I am a resident. The enculturation part was the challenge. It was basically a nine-month-long treatise in: we are happy to have you here, learn our culture, memorise the attached facts and figures.

Good luck on your exam.

But of course, as is the case with all countries, not all customs and norms are benign.

Suffice it to say that here, like everywhere else, the norms and values privilege the indigenous population, their historical narrative, cultural tastes and knowledge production. So, my take from that course was that it is beneficial to know, respect and sympathise with a host country's culture but there is wisdom in maintaining a critical distance, for none but the "immigrant" has the privilege of knowing more than one worldview in great depth.

Furthermore, in the time it took to graduate the course, I met people from countries I had only read about.

Some had risked everything to cross the Mediterranean by boat onto the shores of Europe. Some had journeyed from the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Others were small-scale business owners or employees from Asia.

Very few were like me, students or spouses of locals. What struck me was the level of expertise among such a group perceived as “undesirables�. There were medical specialists, teachers, business leaders. None of them was average. There were no other Southern Africans in that particular cohort so it was from the sidelines that I painfully watched my classmates react to how they and their religions were negatively perceived, particularly in the media and on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Nevertheless, I was the recipient of prejudice too as some classmates and tutors tried to figure out how poor I am, how I learned to read and write (did I mention an aptitude test is part of the course), whether I eat maize all the time, how I was coping with cooler weather.

I do not know exactly when but during the course of that period I began identifying as an immigrant. It is an ill-fitting costume but I wear it by choice.

I suppose it started when I realized that when the suspicious and the hateful peered through our classroom windows, they were not seeing immigrants and me. No, they were seeing us all as immigrants, period.

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Your Say

The same goes for the wider public, when the proponents of the culture wars engineer their latest fear-mongering tactic, I embody one of the images they have in mind. Three years later, I am in the middle of a PhD in Theology programme and am employed at a private university with nationwide reach. This has opened a lot of doors. Just last year I met the monarch of this country. I am often asked what my theological position is on the immigration crisis. I do not have a tidy theology on it but I am inspired by theologians who grapple with themes like solidarity, justice and empathy.

They strive for facts over opinions and they practically engage with the classic Christian themes of love, grace, mercy and hope. So, although it is uncomfortable knowing that I cannot control how others perceive me as an immigrant, I do realise that I have the privilege of joining like-minded people in influencing an alternative immigrant narrative and empowering the quietened voices to be heard.

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It is a fact that we live in an era with unprecedented migratory activity. Making it work, I believe, will need more than neater immigration policies or louder ideological wars. It will need careful theological praxis based on the principles of love, grace, mercy, justice, hope and truth that Jesus modelled.

These are constant against the flux - in affirming life, in all its fullness not just for the immigrant, but the host as well.

I have seen these and more played out over and over as churches open their doors to provide safe-housing to people on the verge of being unjustly deported, or to provide skills and language training for free on their property. Some have become “buddies� that accompany the newly arrived in navigating how to do life well here; others have been there to meet needs, or just to sit, talk and share a meal.

May we be more than a label and may we do more than being a label, wherever we can. Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. � (NIV)

DO YOU HAVE BURNING ISSUES TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Looking for an outlet to contribute your reflections on social, socio-political and economic issues which plague our world today? Is your passion taking the stand against the current structures of society and empire?

If you want to be heard, we invite you to be part of this publication by sending your material(s) to insight@cwmission.org You may also write to: C/O INSiGHT Council for World Mission Ltd 114 Lavender Street, #12-01 CT Hub 2, Singapore 338729 *We reserve the right to edit articles for space and clarity

“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.�

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas

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