Asian Church Leaders gather to Crush Violence against Children

Church leaders will gather for two meetings to discuss their concerns about the growing plight of children across many parts of Asia. The meetings will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 28-31 August and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 1-4 September. The aim of the meetings is to develop a strategy for mobilising churches in taking a more active role in overcoming violence against children in local as well as national contexts in Asia.

The gatherings have been jointly organised by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), and will focus on creating a more peaceful environment for children at a community level through equipping the churches to tackle the increasing trends of violence against children.

The increasing violence against children is especially apparent in conflict-ridden countries in Asia, and this has become more and more worrying to the church leaders in the regions. Violence against children occurs within the family, at school, in the community, in conflict situations and just about any walk of life in which the children are not given any protection.

The consultations will bring together around 70 church leaders from the WCC and CCA in Asia, and they hope to come up with an “Ecumenical Action Plan for Overcoming Violence against Children in Asia.”

In south Asia countries of particular worry are Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Where as in south-east Asia; Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines have been exposed as problematic countries. Children in these areas are forced to become soldiers, sex workers and to work as labourers and domestic servants.

WCC Asia secretary, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, who co-ordinates the WCC programme on the “Dignity of Children” said, “These two consultations are part of the global and regional ecumenical bodies' ongoing efforts to challenge the churches in Asia not to remain silent when it comes to promoting the dignity of marginalised children, especially as a traditional charity approach to such issues often takes precedence.”

These meetings will tie in with the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence, which focuses on Asia in 2005, and the 12th CCA General Assembly, which will hold the theme, “Building communities of peace for all”.