FOCUS January 2016

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FOCUS January 2016 Vol. 4 No: 1
Ten Giants of Human Rights Movement Page 14
Cover Photo, Child Labor & Human Rights,

Adessium Foundation, Porgera Gold Mine, PNG
A Publication of Diaspora FOCUS
Contents
Editorial Human Rights - Page 3

Dr. Stanley Jones, Re-collections by
granddaughter, Dr. Anne Mathews-Younes Page17
Metropolitans Pastoral Letters October,

November and December 2015 - Page 5
Social Justice is Gods Justice, Lal

Varghese, Esq., Dallas - Page 18
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

- Page 7
Global Child Labor: Beyond Goal? Dr. P.

Jegadish Gandhi, Vellore - Page 20
Affirming Human Rights. Rev. Dr. M. J.

Joseph, Kottayam - Page 10
Bishop Angaelos at WCC Leaders
Consultation, Star of Wonder, Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph - Page 16
The Christian Imperative on Human

Rights - Dr. Zac Varghese, London - Page 12
Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan

Consecration Photos, Page 23
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Editorial
Human Rights
There should be no resistance whatsoever in affirming
and defending the rights and dignity of the voiceless,
persecuted, socially marginalized and alienated
people. Our Lord Jesus taught the values and
characteristic of the kingdom of God. These values
are universal and it is for upholding human rights and
dignity of all people on the earth. Therefore, advocacy
for human rights is of fundamental importance to
Christians.
Every day, we read and watch on the news media of
people deprived of their human dignity and human
rights by organised gangs and powerful institutions
including religions and state governments. People are
losing a sense of hope and direction in life due to a
deteriorating situation where human rights and human
dignity are constantly violated. Churches need a new
politico-social paradigm, which sensitizes its members
to defend human rights. Churches and the ecumenical
movement in this context should support various
human right organisations, which are working
relentlessly in upholding the value and building
respect for human dignity.
Churches need to explore various aspects of the
human right advocacy including human rights
violations happening due to the deteriorating rule of
law, religious violence and growth of fundamentalism,
lack of democratic governance and growing
militarization. Other areas are the denial of freedom of
religion, rights of religious minorities, and the lack of
protective mechanisms especially in the case of rights
of women and children. Protecting the environment
and safeguarding the resources of the earth for the
next generation is also an important human right
issue. The ability to breathe clean air, drink clean
water, and have minimum amount of food and other
basic needs of life are essential existential needs for
every one of us and we have no right to deny any of
these to others. We should also explore how the
ecumenical community can be engaged in human
rights advocacy at the global level, especially through
United Nations human rights protection mechanisms
and the International Court of Justice. The important
issue for Christians is to think of the human right
advocacy as a mission of God (Missio Dei). It is just
not another political issue or agenda; it is a
fundamental agenda of Gods kingdom and it is our
responsibility to make it available to everyone.
For creating a just and free society, it is essential to

find total freedom and fulfilment for each individual
who are born free but finds themselves in chains.
Even when we look at the misery of others passively
and feel satisfied with our own cosy circumstances,
we are still enchained at a deeper level in an unjust
society. True freedom in Christ will be only ours when
we get out of our egoistic attitude and commit
ourselves to the cause of justice and join the struggle
for the establishment of a just society. Respect for the
other person for what s/he is, therefore, is the primary
premise of communitarian life and hence the basic
principle of social justice. Each person should have
the freedom to be what s/he is. Human being has
been created in the image of God and carries with him
a sublime human dignity, which is undeniable.
The concept of social justice is linked to the Christian

social teachings of doing social justice for achieving
common good for all. This emphasises of the need to
recognise every human being as a person with Godgiven dignity to a tenor of life with basic necessities of
life, to freedom of conscience and freedom of choice.
This concept of social justice is linked to the kingdom
values expressed in the Sermon of the Mount such as
respect for human rights and dignity, concerns for
peoples on the margins of the society, widows and
orphans, and voiceless. Social justice consists in the
firm commitment to love God and neighbour. Social
justice inspires feelings against all forms of
discriminationreligious,
political,
communal,
economic and cultural. Justice and freedom are
mutually inclusive. We cannot have one without the
other. It is only by bringing about justice that one
experiences full freedom. Injustice and unjust

structures obscure and curtail basic needs of people.

Justice is the basic form of love and in the expression
of justice we experience freedom. This freedom is
offered to us in the kingdom of God. The challenge is
to build a new world order in collaboration with people
of all religions and no religions. In this attempt we may
have the beginning of transforming secular into
sacred.
It is not enough that we denounce injustice: as

Christians we are called to be builders of a just
society. Those who have a commitment to live by the
Gospel values must be fully engaged in building a
society that promotes human rights and human
dignity. One who is truly motivated by the freedom in
Christ has to make a commitment for the poor and
those who are socially victimised. Human right can
only be realised fully and universally when we accept
the fact that we are created in the image of God, and
we are the children of One and Only God and we
are brothers and sisters under the grace of God. Then
we may be able to pray the prayer of Tagore in the
Gitanjali: When one knows thee, then alien there is
none, then no door is shut. Oh, grant me my prayer
that I may never lose the bliss of the touch of the one
in the play of many.
We are grateful to all the writers who contributed to
this issue. We also express our gratitude to all those
who visit our online magazine and also forward the
links to others. At present we have about 100,000
subscribers to this online magazine, which is first of its
kind for any Christian denomination from Kerala.
Many churches are now more and more interested in

addressing social issues than winning souls for the
membership
of
churches
through
religious
conversions. They are interested in projects for
uplifting the poor and the needy, standing up for the
others and defending their rights. Jesus identified
himself with the poor, the oppressed, the depressed,
the outcasts and the disinherited of the earth. His
struggle against the political and religious structures
and authorities was for the liberation of enslaved
people. Liberation has been the central theme of
Jesus mission. His parables open up the human
reality to set it free from the bonds of oppressive
institutions and power structures. He was indeed a
non-violent revolutionary; He broke sabbatical law to
help and heal; he worked against religious hierarchy
and promoted equality and peace. As His followers we
are enlisted to proclaim and establish freedom from
social, religious, and political bondage. Bishop Helder
Camera1 who was martyred for his liberations
struggles in Latin America said: The goal to be
attained is a free and conscientious being, in a
progressive liberation from a thousand servitudes, in
order that our basic freedom may grow; in order that
we may be free to the point of being able to give
ourselves to others.
Ref: 1. Leonardo Boff et al. Salvation and Liberation,

New York; Maryknoll; 1986, 19
The Editorial Board
Note: Please remember that we need your constant
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for the glory of God. Please send the following URLs
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Disclaimer:
Diaspora FOCUS is a non-profit organization
registered in United States, originally formed in late
Nineties in London for the Diaspora Marthomites. It is
an independent lay-movement of the Diaspora laity of
the Mar Thoma Church; and as such Focus is not an
official publication of the Mar Thoma Church. Opinions
expressed in any article or statements are of the
individuals and are not to be deemed as an
endorsement of the view expressed therein by
Diaspora FOCUS. Thanks.
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Synopsis of Metropolitans Pastoral Letters in the Sabha

Tharaka October, November, & December 2015
Oct. 2015:
The
2015
Sabha
Mandalam
meeting
had
approved
the
annual
report,
accounts and budget
for the next year.
Metropolitan Thirumeni
appreciated all those
who participated and
helped in the success
of the meetings which
was held over two
days at Thiruvalla. The
book based on theme
for the session of the
Mandalam Faith and
witnessing in the community was distributed to all
Mandalam members. It may be a good idea to conduct
classes based on this them in the parishes in the coming
days. Our faith is experienced by the community around us
through our witnessing. Jesus reminded us that we need to
be His witnesses through our faith and deeds in the society
in which we live. But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
of the earth (Acts. 1: 8).
When the gospel of Jesus Christ enters in to our heart and
we grow in that faith, it will lighten the darkness around us.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended
from David. This is my gospel (2 Timothy 2:8). St. Paul
wrote to Corinthian church: For when I preach the gospel, I
cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if
I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16). Again in
letters to Romans, St. Paul wrote: For I am not ashamed
of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings
salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to
the Gentile (Romans 1:16). In order for the gospel of Jesus
to be a blessing for the community, it should be proclaimed
through our witnessing. May our Lord strengthen us to be
his witnesses.
We begin the thoughts for the month of October in relation
with the day of celebration of Voluntary Evangelistic
Association. We can be the ambassadors of Christ by
proclaiming the values of reformation which we inherited
from our forefathers. We need to be different in all situations
by witnessing Christ, and should not get confused with the
culture in which are planted. We have the responsibility to
take care of the differently abled people in our community.
We have several institutions run by the church and by
diocese for differently abled people in the community. We
celebrate Oct. 18 as Yuvajana Sunday and our youngsters
should be able to live a life worthy of our Lord. Our

youngsters must be able to hand over good values to the
children then only we will be able to form a generation
based on good value system. When the young boy
Augustin followed the worldly pleasures, his mother Monica
prayed with tears, which transformed him to become St.
Augustine. Like Timothy we need youngsters who can
rekindle the glory of God to those around them. Family is
the plan and gift of God. When the first family joined and
walked with God it was an ideal family. But when they
disobeyed God we saw problems and issues in that family.
We should be able to witness and say that me and my
family will serve the Lord. In the Old Testament God asked:
Where are you? Where is your brother? Now God will be
asking us: Where is your parents? Where are your
children? Those who search for the right answers for these
questions will be able to live in good relationship with God
and with those around them. May our Lord help all of your
houses to be model homes.
Nov. 2015:
Geevarghese Mar Athanasius Episcopa had been
consecrated as Suffragan Metropolitan on Oct. 2, 2015 at
Ranni Christos Mar Thoma Church by a special service
during the Holy Communion service. We are thankful to the
Lord for the grace showered throughout the entire service
and special service. I congratulate the members of Ranni
Christos parish, other local parishes and also the Ranni
Nilackal Diocese for all the arrangements made for the
installation. Metropolitan also recollected with much
enthusiasm himself serving as a deacon in that parish 58
years ago. Metropolitan congratulated Athanasius
Suffragan Metropolitan and also prayed that God may
continue keep Thirumeni with good health to do the ministry
in the days to come.
We have celebrated family dedication in October and in
November we are celebrating the world Sunday School day.
Children will be the light of the world only if they grow in the
faith of the church. Jesus was able to ask his parents at the
age of twelve whether he needs to be at the temple which
belongs to his father and grow in such a faith. He continued
the same belongingness to faith and to his father during his
public ministry. We are thankful for the services rendered
by Sunday School Samajam in the religious education field.
On November 1st we think about the theme cleansing of
the church (kudos etho) and we enter into another theme
on Nov. 8th renewal of the church (hudos etho). Cleansing
should lead us to the renewal experience. When renewal
takes place on a daily basis it will bring new ideas and
thoughts both in society and church as a whole. On that
Sunday we also celebrate as the day of C. S I/C. N. I and

Mar Thoma joint communion. We also embrace the idea

that church as the light on the lampstand. When world is
immersed in darkness, the church has the responsibility to
show light to the world.
By the ecumenism of the
denominations the churches should be able to bring the
entire humanity into a holy life with the help of the light that
radiates from our Lord Jesus Christ. It is like Jesus wants
us to become united like he is united with his father.
Recently the Methodist church requested to include them
also in the union of churches, which itself is recognition of
our efforts of union with C. S. I. and C. N. I churches.
On November 15th we as a church mediate on the theme of
revelation to Zachariah. John the Baptist is the gift of God
to his old parents. The birth of John the Baptist is also a
declaration that nothing is impossible for God. It is a true
witnessing that we hear the praise from the tongue of
Zachariah at the birth of John the Baptist. Because of the
tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come
to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and
in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of
peace (Luke 1:78-79). On November 22nd we meditate on
the theme of revelation to virgin Mary. When Gabriel, angel
of God, revealed the birth of Jesus she accepted the same
with these words: I am the Lords servant, Mary answered.
May your word to me be fulfilled (Luke 1:38). Mary is
giving us the perfect example how to receive the promises
of God. Jesus repeated the same on the day before his
crucifixion at the garden of Gadsamne when he prayed:
Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my
will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42). Parents should be
able to transfer this witnessing to their next generation. On
Nov. 29th we meditate upon the travel of Mary to Elizabeth.
It is very thoughtful that Mary visited while carrying Jesus in
her womb and traveled long distance through mountains to
see Elizabeth who was carrying John the Baptist at her old
age. The grace they received from God overflowed when
they met each other. It is also an indication about the
meeting of those who received the grace. With these
thoughts we end the meditations during the month of
November. The Son of God came to earth from heaven to
reclaim us from the darkness of sin and sickness. John the
Baptist came to prepare the people through transformation.
When we transform ourselves from sin and sickness, the
revelation given to Solomon by God is a message for us
also. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble
themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive
their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Dec. 2015:
Let us remember our Lord who keeps us in His providence
at a time when we are moving into the end of the second
decade of the 21st century. We celebrate the birth of John
the Baptist on Dec. 6th, a day we also think about the
subject of the Word of God, prompting us to prompt
others. The birth of John is to pave the way for the
ministry of Jesus Christ. When we listen to the Word of
God, it is in essence paving the way for mission. With the

Word we invite Jesus in to our hearts. When Jesus faced
the Satan after 40 days of lent, he used the Word as a
sword. When Satan asked Jesus to convert the stone in to
bread, Jesus replied from the Word by saying: Man does
not live with bread alone but also from the word that come
from God. Satan next quoted the Word of God and again
tested Jesus. This is a reminder about how these days
some people using the Word of God for their agenda. We
should remember that Jesus rejected the calling of Satan to
move away from the path of cross and to move with the
world with the strength of Word of God.
On Dec. 13th we think about the revelation to Joseph. Bible
says Joseph was a just person, but it should be
remembered that he became a just man by obeying the
order of God. On Dec. 20th we think about the Coming of
Jesus. The birth of Jesus was not to see or enjoy the world,
but it was aimed at saving the world. God is still searching
for a space in our hearts. Only when we receive God in to
our hearts and when we recognize and accept Him as our
savior and God, then only we are His real witnesses. On
Dec. 21st we celebrate St. Thomas to remember St.
Thomas Apostle who addressed Jesus as My Lord and my
God and came to India with the gospel. On Dec. 25th the
people celebrate the birth of Christ around the world. When
sun rises on the east on every day, a colorful and beautiful
sky is covering the earth and all the living things on the
earth also getting ready for new tasks with new and
renewed energy. When we celebrate Christmas we should
also have the same renewed energy within us to do more
tasks for the glory of God. On Dec. 27th we are thinking
about Gods promise of His second coming as stated in
John 14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come back and take you to be with me that you also may
be where I am. We are also entering into the last phase of
another year so that we may move forward along with God
who provides us with everything we need. Let us enter in to
the New Year by repeating the words of St. Paul: But he
said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power
may rest on me..For when I am
weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 11: 9-10).
Compiled by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas (Summary of the
pastoral letters from Sabha Tharaka Oct. Dec. 2015)
FOCUS
wishes you
and your
family a Merry
Christmas
and a Blessed
New Year.
Editorial Board

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
[The editorial board of the FOCUS feels that every member of
the Mar Thoma Church should know the background and details
of the UDHR and hence we copy the following from the web site
of the United Nations Organization (UNO). It is as important as
the Ten Commandments for preserving the rights and dignity of
every human being, and for the spiritual journey]
History of the Document:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted
by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the
result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end
of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the
international community vowed never again to allow atrocities
like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided
to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee
the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they
considered, and which would later become the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session
of the General Assembly in 1946. The Assembly reviewed this
draft Declaration on Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms
and transmitted it to the Economic and Social Council "for
reference to the Commission on Human Rights for consideration
. . . in its preparation of an international bill of rights." The
Commission, at its first session early in 1947, authorized its
members to formulate what it termed "a preliminary draft
International Bill of Human Rights". Later the work was taken
over by a formal drafting committee, consisting of members of
the Commission from eight States, selected with due regard for
geographical distribution.
The Commission on Human Rights was made up of 18

members from various political, cultural and religious
backgrounds. Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of American President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, chaired the UDHR drafting committee.
With her were Ren Cassin of France, who composed the first
draft of the Declaration, the Committee Rapporteur Charles
Malik of Lebanon, Vice-Chairman Peng Chung Chang of China,
and John Humphrey of Canada, Director of the UNs Human
Rights Division, who prepared the Declarations blueprint. But
Mrs. Roosevelt was recognized as the driving force for the
Declarations adoption.
The Commission met for the first time in 1947. In her memoirs,
Eleanor Roosevelt recalled and wrote like the below words:
Dr. Chang was a pluralist and held forth in charming fashion on
the proposition that there is more than one kind of ultimate
reality. The Declaration, he said, should reflect more than simply
Western ideas and Dr. Humphrey would have to be eclectic in
his approach. His remark, though addressed to Dr. Humphrey,
was really directed at Dr. Malik, from whom it drew a prompt
retort as he expounded at some length the philosophy of
Thomas Aquinas. Dr. Humphrey joined enthusiastically in the
discussion, and I remember that at one point Dr. Chang
suggested that the Secretariat might well spend a few months
studying the fundamentals of Confucianism!
The final draft by Cassin was handed to the Commission on
Human Rights, which was being held in Geneva. The draft
declaration sent out to all UN member States for comments
became known as the Geneva draft.
The first draft of the Declaration was proposed in September
1948 with over 50 Member States participating in the final
drafting. By its resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948, the
General Assembly, meeting in Paris, adopted the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights with eight nations abstaining from
the vote but none dissenting. Hernn Santa Cruz of Chile,
member of the drafting sub-committee, wrote:
In 1950, on the second anniversary of the adoption of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, students at the UN
International Nursery School in New York viewed a poster of the
historic document. After adopting it on December 10, 1948,
the UN General Assembly had called upon all Member States to
publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be
disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in
schools and other educational institutions, without distinction
based on the political status of countries or territories." (UN
Photo)
I perceived clearly that I was participating in a truly significant

historic event in which a consensus had been reached as to the
supreme value of the human person, a value that did not
originate in the decision of a worldly power, but rather in the fact
of existingwhich gave rise to the inalienable right to live free
from want and oppression and to fully develop ones
personality. In the Great Hallthere was an atmosphere of
genuine solidarity and brotherhood among men and women
from all latitudes, the like of which I have not seen again in an
international setting.
Full Text PREAMBLE
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and
inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have

resulted in barbarous acts, which have outraged the conscience
of mankind, and the advent of a world, in which human beings
shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear
and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the
common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have
recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and
oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule
of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly
relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter
reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men
and women and have determined to promote social progress
and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve,
in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of
universal respect for and observance of human rights and
fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms
is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this
pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a
common standard of achievement for all peoples and all
nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of
society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive
by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights
and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and
international, to secure their universal and effective recognition
and observance, both among the peoples of Member States
themselves and among the peoples of territories under their
jurisdiction.
Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity
and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and
should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set
forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as
race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the
political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or
territory to which a person belongs, whether it is independent,
trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of
sovereignty.
Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of
person.
Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery
and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,

inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a
person before the law.
Article 7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without
any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled
to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this
Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8. Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the
competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental
rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest,
detention or exile.
Article 10. Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public
hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the
determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal
charge against him.
Article 11. (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the
right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to
law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees
necessary for his defense.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account
of any act or omission, which did not constitute a penal offence,
under national or international law, at the time when it was
committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one
that was applicable at the time the penal offence was
committed.
Article 12. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference
with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, or to attacks
upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the
protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement
and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his
own, and to return to his country.
Article 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in
other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions
genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary
to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one
shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right
to change his nationality.
Article 16 (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation
due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to
found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage,
during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full
consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of
society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17 (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as

well as in association with others.
2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change
his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community
with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or
belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference and to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful
assembly and association.
Article 25. (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living

adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his
family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and
necessary social services, and the right to security in the event
of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or
other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and
assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall
enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26. (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education
shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.
Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and
professional education shall be made generally available and
higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis
of merit.
Article 21. (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the
government of his country, directly or through freely chosen
representatives.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the

human personality and to the strengthening of respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote
understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations,
racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the
United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in

his country.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education

that shall be given to their children.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of
government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine
elections, which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and
shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting
procedures.
Article 27. (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the
cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in
scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to

social security and is entitled to realization, through national
effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the
organization and resources of each State, of the economic,
social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the
free development of his personality.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and
material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic
production of which he is the author.
Article 28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international
order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this
Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 23. (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of
employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to
protection against unemployment.
Article 29. (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which

alone the free and full development of his personality is
possible.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal

pay for equal work.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be

subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely
for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the
rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just
requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in
a democratic society.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable
remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence
worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by
other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for
the protection of his interests.
Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including
reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays
with pay.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised

contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as
implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in
any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of
any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Affirming Human Rights

Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam
In recent times, all human concerns whether religious or
secular have a dimension of human rights: Right to
breathe fresh air, right to drink unpolluted water, right to
have a dwelling place, right to get a free and fair trial in
the court of law, right to information, right to safeguard
the freedom of conscience etc. In a bio-centric attitude to
life, all living beings on this planet have the right to exist
and to accomplish their destiny.
family will perish." The writer of the letter to the Hebrews

exhorts his readers. "Let us provoke one another to love
and to do good works" (Heb. 1 0: 24). What do we learn
from the above biblical texts? One has to break the
culture of silence and to risk his/her life for other's
deliverance; one has to relate himself/herself to others by
word and deed. The overall message is that life is to be
lived in relationship, as "no man is an island."
The UN Declaration on HR, Art.1 reads, "All human

beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
are endowed with reason and
conscience and
should act towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood". Art.3 states, "Everyone has the right to
freedom of liberty and security of
person", Art. 18
read, Everyone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience, and religious. This right includes freedom to
change ones
religion or belief. No right, not even
the so-called natural rights have been
attained by
men/women by the mere fact of coming into the world.
He/she has had to conquer them through persistent
struggle. God will not take back the freedom given to man
or intervene to prevent its abuse. The divine mandate is
quite clear "I have set before you life and death, blessing
and cursing, therefore, choose life"(Due 30:15). This is the
theological foundation of Human rights.
The following conversation between Gurudev Tagore and

Mahatma Gandhi will throw light on the humane
dimension of Human Rights: "Gandhiji, why are you so
unromantic? When in the early dawn, the morning Sun
rises; does it not fill your heart with joy to see its reddish
glow? When the birds sing, does not your heart thrill with
its divine music? When the rose opens its petals and
blooms in the garden do their sights not bring cheer to
your heart?
Spiritual dimension
Let me illustrate first with a few texts from the Bible.
The Mahatma replied, "Gurudev, I am not so dumb or

insensitive, as not to be moved by the beauty of the rose
or the morning rays of the Sun or the divine music of
birds. But what can I do? My one desire, my one anxiety,
my one ambition is when shall I see the red tint of the
rose on the cheeks of hungry naked millions of my
people? When shall I hear the sweet and melodious song
of the birds in place of their agonizing sighs? When will
such music come out of their soul and when will that day
come when the light of the morning Sun will illumine the
heart of the common man in India? When will I see its
luster and brightness on his face?
What a noble vision! We will be tempted to ask ourselves:
"Why should I, if the going is good for me, bother about
my neighbor and his misery? Why should I fight against
corruption? The answer comes from St. Paul: "Woe to
me, if I do not preach the gospel..."(1 Cor 9: 16).
Life for all
Let me list out a few core concerns of Human Rights.
i). Life is the gift of God. Life in all its fullness is
affirmed for all across any man made divide. If life
is the gift of God, and it is to be treasured,
preserved and promoted.
ii) Spirituality of religion alone will give us the urge
to protect life for all.
All human rights questions begin with God's question to

Cain. "Where is Abel your brother? "I do not know, he
replied, Am I my brother's keeper" (Gen 4: 9)? We read
in Esther 4:14, "if you keep silence you and your father's
iii) The Ten Commandments speak of life in

relationship. Right to life and right to property and

even right to leisure are integral to the divine

laws.
social sectors, liberalization, issue of Intellectual

property rights etc.
iv) To hunger and thirst after righteousness is the

call of the Spirit. A movement from diakonia to
dikaiosune is the need of the hour.
d. Resources of the Mother earth: Water-airland- people belong to one cluster of human
existence. To preserve the resources of the world
for the unborn inheritors of the earth is a moral
responsibility.
v) Freedom of conscience is the basic right of

human beings for creativity and personal
fulfillment.
vi) A paradigm shift from an anthropocentric to a
bio-centric attitude to life affirms the nature of
interdependence between the human and other
living beings on this planet.
vii) God's preferential option for the poor is the
Magna Carta for a Christian response. "The Lord
works vindication and justice for all who are
oppressed." (Ps.103: 6)
viii) The wide sector of HR concerns includes:
child rights - women's rights, rights of the
differently abled, consumer rights, civic rights,
environ-mental rights etc.
ix) Violation of the rights of the weaker sections is
sin against humanity: - Dalits, Tribals, Adivasis
and Fisher folks have earth- centric rights.
x) Need to change outdated-laws such as Police
manual in India, manual for prison laws, and to
codify instruments of Justice. "Justice delayed is
justice denied." In the absence of just laws,
wound will be justified and justice will be
wounded.
xi) Poverty is a violation of HR. What does
poverty mean for millions in Asia?
Human Rights-Pastoral Concerns
a. Right to be human: Incarnation is God's
solidarity with the poor of the earth. It is indeed
the vulnerability of God and also the subversive
act of God. Kenotic-life style is the key to the
transformation of the community at large.
b. Celebration of diversity: Plurality is integral to
Reality. In a life of diversity, the Trinitarian
concept of the God- head gives us a clear
framework for action.
c. Globalization and Human rights: The ill
effects of globalization as a project are to be
exposed:
marginalization,
displacement,
introduction of neo-colonialism, withdrawal of
e. Issues of Displacement: Right to a habitat is

basic to human dignity. Denial of right to a few in
the name of progress or of a political ideology is a
violation of human rights. In the name of
modernity, the indigenous people are displaced
from their natural environment. Right to land and
to a culture of their own is indeed a cry for
justices.
f. Glory of service and vigilance: "Service is the
rent we pay for the space we occupy"- "How can
we become eyes to the blind and feet to the
lame? How do we become agents of change
and channels of grace break the walls of
pessimism, narcissism, fatalism, and cynicism.
Remember, "Christian faith is a resistance
movement against fatalism" (F & O, (WCC) 1978).
Conclusion
Our common humanity transcends the oceans and all
national boundaries. It bids us to speak together for a
common cause against tyranny and to act together in
defense of our very humanity. The earth created by God
need to be preserved by us in its original form so that our
generations may also enjoy the creation of God in its
original form and its beauty. The destruction of earth is
also a violation of basic human rights.
Editors Notre: Rev. Dr. M.J.
Joseph, M.Th., D. Th, is the
former
Director
of
the
Ecumenical Christian Centre,
Bangalore. He has also served
as Professor and Principal, Mar
Thoma Theological Seminary,
Kottayam, India. As a former
member, Faith and Order
Commission of the World
Council of Churches, he is
widely
known
for
his
ecumenical
and
ecological
contributions. He has served as
Secretary Board of Theological Education, Senate of Serampore
College (University). He currently serves as Convener, Ecological
Commission, of the Mar Thoma Church. Dr. Joseph has also
authored several articles, poems and books available both in
English
and
Malayalam
languages.
E-Mail:
drmjjoseph_65@yahoo.co.in.

The Christian Imperative on Human Rights

Dr. Zac Varghese, London
At the heart of the Christian understanding of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General
Assembly in 1948 is the call of Jesus to love God and love
our neighbor as ourselves. The parable of the Good
Samaritan (Luke 10: 29-37) is central for discovering who
our neighbor is. This understanding makes us believe that
human rights are not a set of rules and regulations, but it is
way of life. It was possibly the strict religious laws, which
prevented the priest and the Levite to help the man who
needed human compassion and solidarity. Pope Francis
at the recent synod of bishops stated: The true defenders
of doctrine are not those who uphold its letter, but its
spirit; not ideas but people; not formulas but the free
availability of Gods love and forgiveness. Therefore,
human rights are an expression of how Christians
understand their role in society of a vision of justice
promulgated by Gods unconditional love, where love is
understood as self-giving love, agape.
Human rights are often looked at from the point of view of

legal rights and dutiesbut for us, as Christians, there is a
need to widen the scope of this understanding from a faith
perspective of relationship with God and Gods children.
This short paper is to explore some theological principles
for understanding what we mean by human rights and

express them in the context of the human relationship.
God has created mankind in His image and likeness and
for a relationship. We reflect the image of God in our
relationships. It says in Johns first letter: Whoever loves
God must love his brother (1John 4: 21). Gods love for
us and our love for God and others around us is one of the
first principles of human rights. Therefore, the very nature
of our creation is relational; this relational connection is
also evident in the gross human genetic identity too and
hence we have both biological and spiritual identities and
relationships. This identity is not accidental, but intentional
and creational.
The current debates about on human rights are all about
legal issues and jurisdictions of national parliaments and
courts in defining and implementing 30 articles of UDHR
and other articles associated with European Conventions
on Human Rights. There are opposing views currently
about implementing these international agreements. This
is surfacing on a gigantic level as the results of the
conflicts, killings and massive refugee crisis at the
doorstep of Europe. This conflict in the Middle East has
the potential to bring the entire super powers into it create
the biggest human tragedy. These religious conflicts are
more destructive than atomic weapons. The question for
a Christian is not what are his rights? but what are his
responsibilities to all human beings and the created-world.
In all these, there is a much more fundamental question for
us to answer, which is What does the Lord require of
you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with
your God (Micah 6: 8). Human right is possibly an answer
to this question with a legal framework. However, most
laws under which we live and work are of human construct
and these laws are not perfect as people are not perfect.
Therefore, we do need Gods help and guidance to build
relationship and respect other human beings and allow
them to enjoy their humanity in its fullness.
Human rights are intimately linked with what is required to
show respect for the worth of a human being and his
dignity. Therefore, to treat a person with less respect than
he or she is worth is to deny his/her human right. It is
important to develop an I- Thou relationship with others.
This is implied in the traditional Indian greeting of saying
Namaste when one meets another person, which means I
bow to the divinity in you. This emphasizes the relational
nature of human rights: in recognizing the dignity of
others, we are in turn dignifying ourselves and thereby
elevating and honoring humanity as a whole. The idea of
being a good neighbor is the key to the concept of human
rights. This is an existential movement in life from being-

in-itself through the medium of being-for-itself to the

progressive mature stage in life of being-for-others. It is
in this being-in-for-others stage in our life that we become
the neighbor that God wants us to become. The ideas of
moral rights and obligations as a basis for creating a just
society can be traced to this understanding. It is linked to
crucial human values such as solidarity, sharing and
participation. God-given human responsibility is not
limited, but infinite and it is meant to embrace all
categories of people in a world of religious and ideological
pluralism. It is a challenge to commit oneself to the good
of ones neighbor; in the Gospel sense, it is to lose oneself
and ones self-centeredness for the sake of the other.
The concept of human right is intrinsically connected to
the ideas of common good and social justice. Common
good and social justice is enshrined in the kingdom
values, which Jesus proclaimed. Therefore, human rights
are not a new ideology for Christians; it is the key to
establishing Gods kingdom on the earth for enjoying
heavenly peace.
The social justice problems and violations are so common
and hence we have a tendency to ignore them; only by
naming them we realize it is horrible and cruel. We also
have a tendency to close or eyes and think that these are
not our problems and it is someone elses. But the
refugee crisis is now is in the so-called Christianized and
civilized Europe. These problems include: religious and
political violence, pollution, destruction of ecological
balance, bad sanitation, feticide, sexual abuse and child
molestation, malnutrition and starvation, child labor and
modern slavery, beggary, drug trafficking, class and caste
struggles, destruction of cultures and traditions, noise
pollution, corruption, gender in equality, domestic
violence, religious violence, abuse political power and so
on and on. To certain extent most of us have become
immune to these huge problems. These issues individually
and collectively have the power to destroy the world; the
biggest danger is our immunity in understanding the
severity of these issues and how we are destroying the
innocence of our children or even denying them a
childhood.
Social justice will only be realized when everyone has just
enough, just enough Manna for the day, to develop of his
or her creative potential to the maximum; it is only
possible when the powerful people (religious, political,
business) recognize the limitations of the poor and give
them preferential treatment for housing, food, water,
education, health, and political empowerment as the
founders of the Indian nation provided through the quota
systems for the backward communities. It was an amazing
vision of caring for the underprivileged, but we have
forgotten these good intentions and now we are exploiting
the weaker sections of the community by over feeding the
privileged through preferential treatment though education
and tax incentives. It is time to reflect on the bad impacts
of globalization in destroying job opportunities of

traditional communities and trades for making a quick
buck at the global market. These too are human right
violations.
As human beings, we have developed three types of
loyalties: personal (friendships), interpersonal (Communal),
and a destructively powerful religious loyalty. These are
interwoven and should not be separated; when we
separate them we have unbridgeable divisions. We are
created to live in relationships; being human means
being-with others and being-for-others. Being and
becoming are related to human freedom and justice. There
is an obligation of respecting and accepting people
belonging to other religions. In Isaiah we read of Lord
anointing the Persian king Cyrus: This is what the Lord
says to his anointed, Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold
to subdue nations before him. (Isaiah 45:1). It is a
lesson in religious tolerance and understanding to see how
Darius, Cyrus and other Persian Kings subsequently
helping the Israelites to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. It
is also a lesson for us to understand that we cannot
domesticate the God of unconditional love for our whims
and fancies, and to create our own kingdoms.
In summary then, the Gospel imperative is to reject all
unjust social structures, including so-called religious, and
to enable one to dedicate oneself to the service of
humanity through justice and freedom. God has given us
this freedom in Christ. We have an infinite responsibility to
build social structures to support to bring to the center
poor and all classes of people on the margins of the
society. This movement from the periphery to center is our
God-given Gospel mission, Missio Dei. Therefore, there
is an urgent need for the active participation of the Church
in safeguarding human rights and serve God as His
children and partners in building His kingdom on the earth.
God has given us an infinite responsibility to promote
kingdom valueswhich promote love, justice, freedom and
all aspect of human rights.
Editors Note: Dr. Zac Varghese,
London, U.K., was the director of
Renal & Transplantation Immunology
Research of Royal Free Hospital and
Medical School in London. He has coauthored Medical textbooks and
published
extensively
on
Transplantation,
Nephrology,
Inflammation,
and
lipid-mediated
vascular injury. He is an Emeritus
Professor and continues to be a
supervisor for doctoral studies even after his retirement. He is
also a prolific writer on religious and ecumenical issues; he
continues to work relentlessly for the common good of the
worldwide Mar Thoma Diaspora communities. He is also the
editor in charge of FOCUS online magazine. He can be reached
by
his
e-mail
address
at:
zacvarghese@aol.com.

Ten Giants of the Human Right Movement

History is replete with the stories of great people who have
changed the world by championing human and civil rights.
Jesus Christs inauguration of the kingdom of God and the
values of the Gods kingdom as enshrined in the Sermon on
the Mount are the essence of the human rights. The following
are some of the giants who contributed much for this mission.
bus boycott, which began in 1955 following Rosa Park

incident in Montgomery, and led to the end of segregation on
buses. At the age of 35, King was the youngest man to have
ever received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated
four years later in 1968.
5. Nelson Mandela (1918 2013):
1.Cyrus the Great:

In 539 BC, the armies of Cyrus the Great
conquered the city of Babylon. But rather than
rape and pillage, Cyrus freed the slaves,
declared freedom of religion and established
racial equality. These and other decrees were
recorded in cuneiform on a baked-clay cylinder
now known as the Cyrus Cylinder. It is generally considered
the worlds first charter of human rights.
2. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (18691948)
Developing and spreading the art of nonviolent civil disobedience and applying it to a
large scale, Gandhi who was commonly
known as Mahatma Gandhi brilliantly
brought independence to India and became an
inspiration for movements of nonviolence, civil
rights and freedom across the world.
3. Rosa Parks:
Rosa Parks is known today as the mother of
the civil rights movement because her arrest
for refusing to give up her bus seat sparked the
pivotal Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott.
She didnt set out to make history when she
left her job as a seamstress to board a bus on
the afternoon of December 1, 1955. She was tired, and she
just wanted to go home. When the bus driver asked her to
move toward the back of the bus so that a white man could
sit, she couldnt bring herself to do it: this resulted in her
arrest. The arrest and brief jailing of Rosa Parks, a woman
highly respected in the black community, and the boycott that
followed led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing
segregation on city buses. The boycott also raised to national
prominence a youthful, little-known minister named Martin
Luther King Jr. Under his leadership, the boycott set a pattern
for nonviolent, community-based protest that became a
successful strategy in the civil rights movement
The
South
African
anti-apartheid
revolutionary
inspired
an
international
campaign for his release from prison where
he was serving a life sentence on charges of
sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the
government. After 27 years in prison, he was
released in 1990; three years later he was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with F.W. de Klerk for their
work to undo South Africas racist apartheid policies. In 1994,
Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black
president, a position he held until 1999. Among other
accolades, he has variously been called "the father of the
nation, "the founding father of democracy, and "the national
liberator, the savior, its Washington and Lincoln rolled into
one.
6. Mother Teresa (1910- 1997):
She was born in Macedonia but elected to
live in India as a nun to help the poor and
orphans and widows. She founded a new
sisterhood, Missionaries of Charity. Mother
Teresa and her helpers built homes for
orphans, nursing homes for lepers and
hospices for the terminally ill in Calcutta. Mother Teresa's
organization also engaged in aid work in other parts of the
world. In 2003, the Pope took the first step towards her
canonization.
7. Oscar Romero (1917-1980)
He was a priest and bishop in El Salvador. His
love for his people who were suffering violence
and oppression led him to take their side and
to denounce their oppressors. He was killed,
whilst saying Mass, on 24th March 1980.
Romero's campaign for human rights in EL
Salvador won him many national and
international admirers as well as a Nobel Peace Prize
nomination. He was a champion of the liberation theology in
South America.
4. Martin Luther King Jr. (19291968)

8. Dalai Lama, 14th (1935)
He was an American clergyman, activist, and
leader in the African-American civil right
movement; he is best known for his role in the
advancement of civil rights using nonviolent
civil disobedience. King led the first AfricanAmerican nonviolent demonstration with the
Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of Tibet,

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th and current Dalai
Lama, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
1989 for his nonviolent struggle for the
liberation of Tibet. He has consistently

advocated policies of nonviolence, even in the face of extreme

aggression. He also became the first Nobel laureate to be
recognized for his concern for global environmental problems.
9. Aung San Suu Kyi (1945)
She is the daughter of a Burmese nationalist
hero, became involved in Myanmars struggle
for national independence in 1988. Taking
leadership of the democratic opposition using
non-violent means to fight a regime known for
its harsh brutality, she also worked for peace
amongst feuding regions and ethnic groups in
her country. In 1989, she was placed under house arrest,
without charge or trial. The military offered to free her if she
agreed to leave Myanmar, but she refused to do so until the
country was returned to civilian government and political
prisoners were freed. She spent 15 of the next 21 years in
strict custody. In 1991, her ongoing efforts won Suu Kyi the
Nobel Prize for Peace, given to honor her unflagging efforts
and to show its support for the many people throughout the
world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and
ethnic conciliation by peaceful means. She was finally
released from house arrest in November 2010.
10. Ayyankali (18631941)
He was a social reformer who worked for the
advancement of those people in Travancore
(Kerala) who were treated as untouchables. His
efforts influenced many changes that improved
the social wellbeing of those people. He
fought against the caste discrimination and
social division of Kerala, which Swami
Vivekananda described as a mad house. Maharaja of
Travancore gave him a membership of the Legislative Council
to represent his people. In the caste-ridden Indian society, it
was a major achievement and he stands alongside Ambedkar
and such great people who lived and worked for human rights
that we enjoy today.
Bishop M. C. Mani, CSI, Kottayam

Rt. Rev. Dr. M. C. Mani, former
bishop of CSI Madhya Kerala
diocese was called to eternity on
Tuesday on October 20, 2015. He
breathed his last around 12 pm at
a private hospital in Kottayam
following age-related ailments. He
was 87. His funeral service was
held on October 22 2015 at the CSI
Cathedral,
Kottayam
in
the
presence of a large number of
people from all walks of life and leaders from both the State
and the Church.
Born to Dr. and Mrs. M. P. Chacko of the Modayil family from
Mallappally in 1928, Rev. M. C. Mani was ordained as a
bishop by Most Rev Dr. Solomon Durai Swami at the CSI
Cathedral, Kottayam on Feb 8, 1981. He was ordained
Deacon in 1956 by Bishop C K Jacob and was ordained
Presbyter by the then CSI Moderator Bishop Michael Hollis.
,
He completed his graduation from Madras Christian College

and studied theology at the South India Biblical Seminary,
Bangarapet and United Theological College, Bangalore. His
higher studies were in Asbury Theological Seminary, USA and
St. Georges College, Jerusalem. He worked as the president
of the Healing Ministry and Mission & Evangelism
Departments of the CSI Synod. After 12 years of service as
Bishop, he retired in July 1993. It was during his period as a
Bishop the East Kerala Diocese of the CSI was formed under
his initiative and leadership, paving the way for the
development of the hill tribes. He was always known as a
friend of the poor and the marginalized. He also worked as
the school corporate manager of the Diocese and served as
the Diocesan Council Secretary for three consecutive terms.
The late Mrs. Thankamma Mani is his wife. He is survived by
his children Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko (General Secretary, The
Bible Society of India, Bengaluru); Prof. Korah Mani (Former
Principal, CMS College, Kottayam); Mr. M. M. Mani (Senior
Development Officer, United India Insurance, Kottayam); Mr.
M. M. Philip (Architect, Kottayam and Former General
Secretary, CSI Synod), Mrs. Mary Mani (CMS Higher
Secondary School, Kottayam), Daughters and Son in-law:
Mrs. Achyamma Chacko (Formerly Teacher, Union Christian
Higher Secondary School, Chennai) , Prof Susan Korah (CMS,
College, Kottayam ); Prof. Miriyam Mani (CMS College,
Kottayam), Dr. Anil Philip (Medical College, Kottayam) and Mr.
John K Abraham ( Chief Manager, New India Assurance,
Mumbai).
Bishop Angaelos at WCC Leaders

Consultation
His Grace Bishop Angaelos,
General Bishop of the Coptic
Orthodox Church in the
United Kingdom, spoke of the
challenges and opportunities
of the current refugee crisis at
a World Council of Churches
Consultation
in
Munich,
Germany, jointly hosted by the
Evangelical Lutheran Church
in
Bavaria
(ELKB),
the
Evangelical
Church
in
Germany (EKD) and the World
Council of Churches (WCC),
29 October 2015.
During his address, Bishop Angaelos said:
We are not only witnessing the immense displacement of
vulnerable people fleeing war-torn countries, but a
dehumanization and a loss of dignity of those peoplethey do
not leave their countries unless they feel that they no longer
have a viable presence there. We need to look with a new
heart, to encourage our states and governments, and all who
make decisions, to look at these people as more than mere
statistics.

Speaking of ways to address the crisis, he went on to say:

This epidemic that we are seeing needs to be addressed
collaboratively, across the Church and across religions, nation
states, organizations, and international bodies. This crisis is
larger than any one person, state, religion, or organization, and
so we need to encourage one another to move on in active
collaboration. Without a streamlining of our efforts, we will see
a wastage of both human and material resources.
In conclusion, Bishop Angaelos gave a message of hope:
As Christians we believe that there is always hope; this is a
great opportunity for us all to be light in an abject darkness,
and a light that can and will make a difference.
In speaking about the consultation shortly after his
address, Bishop Angaelos said:
This is a welcomed initiative of WCC and its member
Churches to bring Church leaders together from across
Europe and discuss the implications both, in the Middle East
and in Europe, of what we see unfolding at the moment.
It is widely agreed here that there is a major and complex
situation in the Middle East, and that Christians and others are
facing immense pressures, living in great risk because of the
conflict that is occurring around them.
As I have been saying all along, the complexity of the
unfolding situation in the Middle East necessitates a
coordinated and collaborative response encompassing nation
states, as well as religious and non-governmental
organizations and bodies. While this is a great challenge, it is
not one that cannot be met if we work together to safeguard
those most vulnerable.
Taking part in the consultation were 35 bishops and Church
leaders from 20 countries, and representatives from a variety
of Churches across Europe.
The program included presentations and discussions
surrounding values and perspectives in the public sphere,
along with discussions of possible future strategies and steps
for action to assist those affected by the crisis.
(A Nativity Poem)
O Star of Wonder, Star of Night

Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Devalokam
The Magis search for the manger in Bethlehem
Guided by the star-a large ball of burning gas- in the
night sky
Simeon the senior citizens vision of the star of wonder
dwelling on earth
Kindle in me a ray of hope for a better tomorrow.
The kinetic energy of the Star leading the Persian

astrologers to Bethlehem
The hazardous journey of the Gentile- seekers to the
Court of the King
The nights stay of the Magi at the Mar Saba monastery
in the Judean desert
Kindle in me a vision of the glory of God outside the
Law.
The identity of the Magi as practitioners of occult arts
Their branded name as fortunetellers
Theyre boasting at the Court of the King Herod
Kindle in me an appreciation of the truth in diverse
cultures.
The enquiry of the Gentile seekers and their
interpretation of the Scriptures
Their boldness to give a testimony of their reading of the
law within their hearts
Their ardent desire to worship the King of the Jews with
their treasured gifts
Kindle in me a vision of the breaking of the religious and
cultural walls.
A voice from above whispered in my ears:
None has the right to monopolize the Christ - Child in
the Crib
He who owns the text may be ignorant of its meaning
He who stands outside the boundary may find a way
inside.
Just as a Star is nones possession, so also Jesus, the
Universal Child.
The glory of heaven and earth finding a union at the
Cradle
The insincerity of the King urging us to disobey the
powerful
The courage of the wise men taking a different route
Kindle in me the spirit of obedience to God.
Editors Notre: Rev. Dr. M.J. Joseph,
M.Th., D. Th, is the former Director of
the Ecumenical Christian Centre,
Bangalore. He has also served as
Professor and Principal, Mar Thoma
Theological Seminary, Kottayam, India.
As a former member, Faith and Order
Commission of the World Council of
Churches, he is widely known for his
ecumenical
and
ecological
contributions. He has served as Secretary Board of
Theological Education, Senate of Serampore College
(University). He currently serves as Convener, Ecological
Commission, of the Mar Thoma Church. Dr. Joseph has also
authored several articles, poems and books available both in
English
and
Malayalam
languages.
E-Mail:
drmjjoseph_65@yahoo.co.in.

Dr. Stanley Jones: Recollection of a Granddaughter: Part-4

Dr. Anne Mathews-Younes, USA* [This concludes the four part series on Dr. Stanley Jones.]
The E. Stanley Jones Foundation is dedicated to preserving
and extending the legacy of the late E. Stanley Jones who
blessed millions of people around the world with his
preaching, teaching, and prolific written works proclaiming
Jesus is Lord. The Foundation is working to utilize all
available technological means for distributing the intellectual
property to appropriate entities that will use these tools to
build the Kingdom of God; including but not limited to
universities, seminaries, churches, and individuals, etc.
May I make some closing comments about the legacy of E
Stanley Jones. In a great many ways, ESJ was a pioneer a
man before his time. He spoke out for racial justice even in the
Deep South at America at a time when it was not popular to
do so. Not surprisingly it used to be said in the 1930s that E.
Stanley Jones and Eleanor Roosevelt should be hanged from
the same tree. He insisted that his meetings be open to all
people
He stood for peace when that too was not a favored cause.
Until the very last moment he was found busy trying to
prevent war between the United Stated and Japan. Jones
also wrestled with the problem of human suffering and was a
reconciling agent wherever he went.
When war came to an end he continued his work of
reconciliation. Today the virtues of corporate life are often
extolled. He lives much of the time for years in an Ashram
for him the Kingdom of God was to be taken seriously
He was a global person in the most specific sense long
before globalism became a general reality. He had simply
been everywhere/ a missionary first of all to India; he became
a missionary to the whole world. For fifty years, he lived out of
a suitcase. Today the holistic understanding and approach are
much favored. As previously shared, Tertullian could say that
the soul was naturally Christian. Stanley Jones extended this:
the whole body was naturally Christian nerves, blood
vessels, vital organs, the mind the whole of society was
meant for Christian love
For some people dialogue between the Christian faith and
other secular and religious faiths remains a new thing. For
years, in his round Table conference, he was engaged in this
approach with adherents of every religious persuasion and
every ideology. I draw these from my fathers postscript to my
grandfathers last book, The Divine Yes.
o
He found the Christian movement scattering its energies

about marginal issues of doctrine and denominations and
left it centered on Jesus Christ as the one and central
issue.
He found evangelism in America on the edges of the life

of the churches and not too respectable and he left it a
central issue in the life of all the churches and made it
respectable and necessary.
o He found evangelism largely personal and left it personal

and social a total way of life.
o He found Christianity presented as alien to human nature
and it left it as supernaturally natural and sin as
unnatural and alien.
o He found the Kingdom of God largely inward and
mystical, or futuristic in heaven, and he put it into life as
the one issue now, supplanting all the alternatives of
other isms communism, and fascism and the like.
The kingdom of God on earth and on earth now is the
issue.
o He found the nonviolent non-cooperation movement
Indian and Gandhian and shared it as the method of
finding freedom for the African Americans in America.
o He found the Christian movement largely alien and
Western and he left it more naturalized through the
Ashram movement.
In concluding, my grandfather would repeatedly affirm that it
does not take much of a man or woman to be a Christian, but
it takes all that there is of him or her. It doesnt matter how
much youve got; it matters how much Gods got of you.
God certainly had all of E Stanley Jones and according to
Stephen Graham who wrote a fine biography of him, that was
enough to change the world.
Dr.
Anne
Mathews-Younes
is
currently working for the Federal
Government as a psychologist in the
Department of Health and Human
Services Center for Mental Health
Services. She is the granddaughter
of Dr. Stanley Jones. Dr. MathewsYounes was initially trained as an
occupational therapist.
She later
received her doctorate in Counseling
and Consulting Psychology from
Harvard University and is a licensed
psychologist. Dr. Mathew Younes
has also completed a Masters Degree in Theological Studies
at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., as well
as a Doctoral Degree in Ministry from that same seminary.
Both of her theology degree theses focused on the life,
mission and theology of her late grandfather E. Stanley Jones
with whom she traveled extensively through India and Africa.
Dr. Mathews-Younes is the President of the E. Stanley Jones
Foundation (www.estanleyjonesfoundation.com) and has
served as the Vice President of the United Christian Ashram
Board, a spiritual retreat organization founded by E. Stanley
Jones. Her book, Living Upon The Way: Selected Sermons of
E. Stanley Jones on Surrender was published in 2008. Anne
can be reached at amathews1@verizon.net

Social Justice is Gods Justice

Lal Varghese, Esq. Dallas
The social justice of Jesus is perfect and better than what Carl
Marx or any other social system offered after Jesus declared
them and comforted, those who suffer, come to me I will
provide comfort you. When we are gripped by Gods love and
by His calling for transforming the social justice as according to
Gods justice, our life is becomes different. We grow close to
one another and become organs of a mystical body, ruled by a
spirit of unityone heart and one soul. The necessity for force
and coercion, for law and moral striving, is removed because
the true spirit, which the law expressed imperfectly, comes to
rule our lives. Jesus brought the new righteousness goodness
of heart which embraces all human existence. It is an eternal
justice and it no longer needs to take into account the
restraints and injuries that are part of our present legal
relationships. This justice is unconquerable because it is Gods
goodness. It can be neither weakened nor changed, for it
manifests a life energy that wants to unfold in every area of life.
This justice is goodness, because God is good. His goodness
is love. His justice reveals all the powers of love. Any attempt
to reach this goodness on the basis of legal rules or
regulations will end in failure.
world of today. On one side wealth is accumulating, and

surpluses of everything, and on the other side, people are
living in poor conditions without even the means to afford one
meal a day. The quantities of food wasted by civilized societies
to maintain sophisticated lifestyles are more than enough to
feed the poor; this is a reality we should be aware of when we
are dragged away involuntarily by the shopping trolleys. Where
should be our priority, filling the shopping basket or feeding the
poor?
When we see the churches, as they are today, where money
has so much power and there is so little compassion for the
poor, we should feel challenged to reach out more. We know
that the first believers in the church at Rome fed their own poor
and the poor of the whole city. They lived in the love of Jesus,
and that is what we are missing now. The world around us
demands that we need to return to this first love of Jesus. In
Matthew 25 Jesus speaks of those who are hungry, thirsty,
naked, and in prison, and the need to provide for them, and
speaks about the reward to such people. So we must be
concerned about the hungry, thirsty, naked and those being
isolated themselves from the society for various reasons. We
need to share our resources and talents with these brothers
and sisters. To be complacent in the face of injustice is a
terrible sin. Many people are making sacrifices for
righteousness, and some have even sacrificed their lives.
But the fight for social justice itself will not bring the kingdom of
God, and we must not lose sight of this, in spite of our respect
for those who sacrifice everything for it. Something much
greater must come into being, something we ourselves cannot
make: the powerful atmosphere of the spirit of Jesus, which
must penetrate into the world. As injustice continues to
increase, let us hold on to our hope in the kingdom of God and
seek to live according to it, so that we can show the world of a
new righteousness that embraces the principle of loving
everyone including the enemy. This is the answer to the great
need of our time in the world at large especially on the political
and racial scene we see around us. We need to thrive for the
best from us and need to deliver the best for others. We are all
responsible for the social injustice, the human degradation, the
wrongs people inflict on each other, both public and private.
Each one of us bears guilt toward all humankind because we
are deaf and blind to their degradation and humiliation.
Remember the calling of Jesus as recorded in Mathew: those
who suffer come to me I will provide for you. That is the calling
we need to make to our brothers and sisters who are suffering
around us, so that we can continue that social justice Jesus
Christ began during His worldly ministry.
Jesus brings a totally different righteousness because He is

God incarnate, the Trinitarian reality, who encompasses
everything and tolerates nothing to be isolated. He brings
Gods radiating light and floods warmth; the living God, who
wants nothing but life; the God of riches, whose being consists
of giving. Those who lose themselves in God have the new
justice. Where God himself lives and works, this justice of the
warmly pulsing heart replaces the stony tablets of the law.
There is so much pain on the earth around us. If we are filled
with God's love, we will experience this pain ourselves; we will
feel the need of children, the elderly, the mentally challenged
and disturbed, the unwanted, and the starving. We cannot
ignore those around us for whom social justice is denied by the
Simple, apostolic mission to do justice to others does not

require large sanctuaries or halls and lengthy pulpit preaching.
It is much simpler than that just open your heart to do justice to
others who are being ignored by the faithful believers around
them. It means finding the living thread from one person to
another, from house to house, from one town to the next. It
means discovering the footsteps of Jesus Christ to see which
way He went, so that we can go to the very place where He
has been. Jesus didnt make the Pharisees or other people in
authority in position as His disciples, but He went and gathered
those who were in the lowest strata of the society to be with
Him and to do His justice in the world. He entrusted the twelve
disciples to continue to spread the Good News, the Gospel so
that social justice will be served to those marginalized people.

Jesus was actually identifying himself at His sermon on the

Mount with the poor, less fortunate and the marginalized when
He said as stated in Mathew 5: 3-10: Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those
who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are
the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the
pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The church should be the vehicle of social justice where much

injustice in the name of religion is being done now. Religion is
the vehicle for terrorism and violence and not offering any
justice to the poor and the less marginalized. When church and
its believers offer social justice, they are unknowingly offering
Gods justice to those who are around. When the faith
overflows the four walls of our sanctuaries it move around by
doing justice to God. Everyone is created in the image of God
to resemble Gods justice to the fellow beings. If our faith does
not help us to offer social justice to others, our faith is vain.
Every individual has the right to live a life worthy to God and no
one has the right to resist the individual right and freedom to
live. Practical Christianity is what James is teaching us through
his letter: What good is it, my brothers, if a main claims to
have faith but has no deeds? (James 2:14). We have
proclamations, mission statements, parish conventions, but
have no meaningful deeds. Mother Teresa had deeds!
Destroying the earth for selfish goals and gain is also amount
to human rights violation. God created the earth for all human
beings to enjoy the fruits of it. If we do not allow others to
enjoy the earth we are violating their basic rights to enjoy the
earth and all its creations. Human right is defined as a right
that is believed to belong justifiably to every person. U. N.
Human Rights declares: Human rights are rights inherent to all
human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence,
sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any
other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights
without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated,
interdependent and indivisible. Universal human rights are
often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of
treaties, customary international law, general principles and
other sources of international law. International human rights
law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain
ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and
protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals

or groups.
To quote UNHR Human rights are inalienable. They should
not be taken away, except in specific situations and according
to due process. All human rights are indivisible, whether they
are civil and political rights, such as the right to life, equality
before the law and freedom of expression; economic, social
and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security
and education, or collective rights, such as the rights to
development
and
self-determination,
are
indivisible,
interrelated and interdependent. The improvement of one right
facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation
of one right adversely affects the others. Non-discrimination is
a crosscutting principle in international human rights law. The
principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and
freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of
non-exhaustive categories such as sex, race, color and so on.
The principle of non-discrimination is complemented by the
principle of equality, as stated in Article 1 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights: All human beings are born free
and equal in dignity and rights. Human rights entail both rights
and obligations. States assume obligations and duties under
international law to respect, to protect and to fulfill human
rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain
from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human
rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect
individuals and groups against human rights abuses. The
obligation to fulfill means that States must take positive action
to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights. At the
individual level, while we are entitled our human rights, we
should also respect the human rights of others.
So the main purpose of any mission is to make all the world
aware of who God is and what His will is, of His power to bring
about perfect love through Jesus Christ, and that this love can
be put into practice here and now in a community life. And that
today, this life can be lived out in complete social justice, and
brotherliness. Our mission should include the whole world, and
that includes those in high places as well as the masses of
underprivileged. Let us also take this as a challenge in our
individual life and feed at least a few of those who cannot
afford to feed themselves: let us do our part to do justice to
others so that it can be Gods justice to those underprivileged;
let us follow the justice of God by loving and doing justice to
our neighbours. Whatever we did not do to our neighbour will
be considered as not doing it for the Son of God, since God
created all human beings in His own image by breathing life in
to each person. Hence, doing social justice is Gods justice and
if we fail in doing social justice as believers, and as a church,
we fail in the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith without
deeds is no different than building a house on sands, which is
quickly washed away (Matthew 7: 26-27). It is good to think
deeply of what Wilmington said: A silent believer may indeed
be a saint before God, but he remains a sinner before man
until he walks the walk and the talks the talks of Christian
service.
Editors Note: Lal Varghese, Esq., is
mainly practicing in U. S Immigration law
for more than 20 years in Dallas. He is the
legal counsel and member of the Legal
Affairs Committee of the Diocese of North
America & Europe of the Mar Thoma
Church. He can be reached at E-Mail:
attylal@aol.com, Telephone: (972) 7880777 (O), (972) 788-1555 (Direct)

Global Child Labor: Beyond Goals?

Dr. P. Jegadish Gandhi, Vellore
Children are born free in this world, but the dynamics of
skewed society has christened them as Child Labor
worldwide. Ramesh Bhagat was 10 years old when he came
to New Delhi, trafficked by an agent who promised his family
that he would be given a suitable job. Fighting with poverty
in eastern Indian Jharkahand state, Bhagats family had
hoped for a bright future for their son. Little did they know
what the future had in store for their little boy? Five years
and three jobs later, Bhagat was rescued from a house in
Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh state on October 24, 2015
where he had been working as a servant. In all those years
not only was he not paid anything for his work, he was not
allowed to have any contact with his family. This story is not
an isolated incident, but an integral nexus in globalized labor
market system.
How many child laborers are there in our world? A few
hundred thousand? Twenty million? One hundred million?
The real numbers are absolutely staggering: 218 million
children under 18-some as young as five-work for low or no
wages because their familys survival depends on it. They
do not go to school and have little or not time to play. Many
do not receive proper nutrition or care. They are denied the
chance to be children. More than half of them are exposed
to the worst forms of child labor such as work in hazardous
environments, slavery, or other forms of forced labor, illicit
activities including drug trafficking and prostitution, as well
involvement in armed conflict.
Towards Abolition of Child Labor
The new global estimates and trends are presented in terms
of three categories economically active children, child labor
and children in hazardous work. In addition, gender plays a
significant role in determining the different types of work
done by girls and boys. For example, girls predominate in
domestic work, while boys are heavily represented in mining
and quarrying. The situation is made worse when, as for
domestic work in many counts the kind of work is excluded
from regulation in a large proportion of countries. Our
understanding of the causes of child labor has also become
more sophisticated as different academic perspectives have
been brought to the problem. Seeing child labor as a
product of market forces supply and demand has been a
fruitful approach, taking in the behavior of employers as well
as of individual households.
Poverty and economic shocks clearly play an important if
not a key role in determining the market for child labor.
Child labor in turn contributes the perpetuation of poverty.
For example, recent empirical findings by the World Bank
from Brazil demonstrate that early entry into the labor fore
reduces lifetime earnings by some 13 to 20 percent,
increasing significantly the probability of being poor later in
life. However, poverty in itself is not a sufficient explanation
of child labor, and it certainly fails to explain some of the
unconditional worst forms of child labor.
One of the major aims set of the International Labor

Organization (ILO) at its foundation in 1919 was the abolition
of child labor. Historically, the ILOs principal tool in
pursuing the goal of effective abolition of child labor has
been the adoption and supervision of labor standards that
embodies the concept of a minimum age for admission to
employment or work. The ILOs adoption of Convention
No.182 in 1999 consolidated the global consensus on child
labor elimination. It provided much-needed focus without
abandoning the overarching goal, expressed in Convention
No.138, of the effective abolition of child labor. Moreover,
the concept of the worst forms helps set priorities and can
be used as an entry point in tackling the mainstream child
labor problem. The concept also helps to direct attention to
the impact of work on children as well as the work they
perform.
Child Labor and Human Rights
A human rights perspective is necessary for a fuller
understanding of child labor, as it focuses on discrimination
and exclusion as contributing factors. The most vulnerable
groups when it comes to child labor are often those subject
to discrimination and exclusion: girls, ethnic minorities,
indigenous and tribal peoples, those of low class or caste,
people with disabilities, displaced persons and those living
in remote areas. The United Nations General Assembly
Special Session on Children in 2002 endorsed a
mainstreaming approach placing child labor on the
development agenda. This implied that a new ambition had
to be set for the worldwide movement against child labor. In
political terms this meant putting child labor on the agenda
of finance and planning ministries after all, the worldwide
movement has to convince governments to act to child
labor. Child labor elimination comes down to a set of
political choices rather than a technocratic exercise. And
everyday hard realities challenge attempts at making
progress.
Elimination of Child Labor is it a Mirage?
It isnt easy to end child labor in poor countries. In fact,
passing laws banning anyone under 14 or 16 from working
can actually make the problem worse. If we are going to
sustainably reduce the level of child labor worldwide, we
need to provide parents the resources so they can make the
choice to keep children out of the factory or field and send
them to school instead. The International Labor Office
estimates there are about 168 million child laborers,
accounting for about one in 10 of the worlds children. That
is a one-third reduction since 2000, which is heartening
progress. Thankfully, only about 4 percent of child laborers
are in forced or bonded labor, prostitution, or fighting in
armed conflict. The great majority of the rest are working in
the field or home next to their parents.
Beate Andrees, Chief of the ILOs Fundamental Principles
and Rights at Work Branch explains how we can achieve
target 8.7 of the United Nations SDGs which calls for an

end to forced labor and child labor by 2025. Global number

of children in child labor has declined by one third since
2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than
half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (down from
171 million in 2000). Asia and the Pacific still have the
largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child
population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the
region with the highest incidence of child labor (59 million,
over 21%). There are 13 million (8.8%) of children in child
labor in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle
East and North Africa there are 9.2 million (8.4%).
Agriculture remains by far the most important sector where
child laborers can be found (98 million, or 59%), but the
problems are not negligible in services (54 million) and
industry (12 million) mostly in the informal economy). Child
labor among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25%
for boys. (Source: Marking Progress Against Child labor
Global Estimates and Trends 2000-2012). A new Report by
Risk Analysis firm Maple croft, which ranks 197 countries,
identifies Eritrea, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Myanmar, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and
Yemen as the 10 places where child labor is most prevalent.
Countries with high poverty rates fare badly in the index due
to the need for children to supplement their family income,
the report said, but economically important countries like
China, India, Russia and Brazil were also found to have
extreme risks because child labor laws are often poorly
enforced.
in hazardous work stand as a major obstacle to achieving

decent work for all youth. The logical policy conclusion
emerging from this link the need for a coherent policy
approach that tackles child labor and the youth decent work
deficit in an integrated fashion. Looking forward, promoting
decent work for all will be a critical part of the Post-2015
Development Agenda. Such a coherent policy approach to
education, child labor and youth employment will be central
to the achievement of this goal.
Global Action
India has 440 million children. Thats more than the entire
population of North America (USA, Mexico and Canada put
together). Every fifth child in the world is Indian. Official
figures indicate that there are over 12 million child workers in
India, but many NGOs reckon the real figure is up to 60
million. The number of girls involved is not much lower than
the boys. The largest numbers work in places like textile
factories, dhabas (roadside restaurants) and hotels, or as
domestic workers. Much of the work, such as in firecracker
or matchstick factories, can be hazardous; even if not,
conditions are often appalling and simply rob kids of their
childhood. By a law introduced in 2006, no child under 14
should work. But like many laws in India, the problem is
enforcement, 2 years after the ban; the Labor Ministry had
carried out 12,000 operations but only made 211
prosecutions.
The case for accelerated global action targeting child labor

and the lack of decent work opportunities for youth is very
clear. Some 168 million children remain trapped in child
labor while at the same time there are 75 million young
persons aged 15 to 24 years who are unemployed and many
more who must settle for jobs that fail to offer a fair income,
security in the workplace, social protection or other basic
decent work attributes. Evidence from ILO School-to-Work
Transition Survey (SWTS) program indicates that between
20 and 30 per cent of adolescents and young adults in the
low-income countries included in the SWTS program
complete their labor market transition by the age of 15
years, i.e. as child laborers. The same source indicates that
even more youth in these countries leave school prior to this
age, driven, inter alia, by poverty, social vulnerability,
problems of education access and quality and genderrelated social pressures.
Hazardous work among adolescents who are above the
general minimum working age but not yet adults (i.e. those in
the 15-17 years age group) constitutes a worst form of child
labor and a violation of international labor standards. The
ILO Convention No.182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor
(1999) calls on countries to take immediate and effective
measurers to eliminate this and other worst forms of child
labor as a matter of urgency. It is the 15-17 years age group
that the goals of eliminating child labor and addressing the
youth decent work deficit intersect most explicitly. In simple
terms, it will not be possible to achieve overall child labor
elimination without addressing child labor among older
children. Similarly, adolescents aged 15 to 17 years trapped
Achieving sustainable progress against child labor and

promoting decent work for youth requires a supportive
legislative environment which is in line with international
standards and effectively mainstreamed into national
development policies, plans and programs. This has the
important effect of signaling national intent and of providing
a framework for action.. This process should include the
elaboration of national lists of hazardous work that is
prohibited for all persons below the age of 18 years. In the
context of youth employment, it is critical to ensure young
persons rights at work in order that they receive equal
treatment and are protected from abuse and exposure to
hazards. Eliminating child labor, in other worlds, is a key
policy goal in itself and a necessary starting point for
achieving decent work for all (World Report on Child Labor
2015).
India: A Showcase
In 2007 the Indian Government published the results of one

of the worlds largest and most sophisticated studies on
child abuse, carried out in conjunction with UNICEF and
Save the Children. This detailed research on over 12,000
children produced some shocking conclusions: Two thirds
of children are victims of physical abuse. The majorities are
beaten in school, and over half have to work seven days a
week. Over 50% have faced some kind of sexual abuse,
and over 20% of them severe abuse. Half of children also
face emotional abuse. So this is some of the context from
which so many children choose, or are forced, to leave their
home or village and end up in many Indian towns and cities.
In 2014 Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai were
announced the joint winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, in
recognition of their efforts to protect the rights of children.
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Yousafzais courageous campaign for female education in

Pakistan has garnered more global attention of late, but
Satyarthis work to end child labor is just as important. His
South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude has raided
factories across India and liberated more than 40,000
bonded laborers, many of them children working and living
under armed guard.
Satyarthi has campaigned or
strengthened laws banning the practice and has begun a
global campaign against child labor involving more than
2,000 civil society organizations around the planet. His
Nobel put spotlight on the issue of child labor worldwide.
Diamonds, garments, tires and chocolate are all

industries that are tied to exploitative child labor.
Urge people to get beyond the notion that the
lowest price is the law when shopping.
3.
Christians should adopt a policy that clothing and

apparel used by government workers must only be
purchased from responsible manufacturers. Items
must be manufactured according to accepted labor
standards and not involve practices such as child
labor.
As Founder-Director of the Vellore Institute of Development

Studies (VIDS), I joined with local NGOs through awareness
and advocacy campaigns to abolish bonded child labor for
many years. Today we are able to see the total elimination
of Child labor in hotel industry in the whole of Vellore city.
The amendments proposed to be introduced in the Child
Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, for which the
Union Cabinet of the Modi Government has decided its
approval has been widely criticized by social activists. VIDS
has stated that the amendments to impose stricter
punishment on those employing children below 14 years,
but allowing minors to work in non-hazardous family
enterprises and the audio-visual entertainment industry are
ill - conceived and ill-advised. This is contrary to the Central
Governments declared policy of total elimination of the
bonded child labor system. These amendments will only
tend to perpetuate the child labor system in the society. The
bonded labor system should not be allowed in any form or
sectoral activities.
VIDS strongly advocates the total
abolition of child labor by 2020 in India by adopting the
hitherto best practices of pro-active NGOs.
4.
Encourage your Church members to sign a petition

to abolish modern-day slavery.
5.
One of the worlds eight Millennium Development

Goals is achieving universal primary education by
2015. When school fees are abolished and spots
are created for every child, child labor decreases.
Christians should rally around the MDGs through a
global campaign to engage Christians in issues of
poverty and injustice.
6.
Pray for Gods protection on children who are

vulnerable to traffickers, and for children caught in
exploitative conditions.
7.
Church should take initiative to include abolition of

child labor in Sunday school curriculum, VBS
studies, Youth and Women fellowship meetings.
8.
Christian homes should not employ children for

their domestic work.
Children in the Bible
9.
Every Christian home should adopt a child labor in

his/her studies.
Children are graciously given gift of God (Gen.33:5), a

heritage from the Lord (Ps.127:3) and they are like olive
plants (Ps.128:3) enliven every household. The parental
obligations towards children are clearly spelt out both in OT
and NT verses Nourishment (1Sam.1:22). Discipline
(Eph.4:1, 2), Instruction (Gal.4:1, 2) Employment (1Sam.7:15)
and Inheritance (Luke 12:13, 14). Jesus loved children. He
invited their presence, lavished His attention upon them and
showed the infinite value God ascribes to each and every
person. As followers of Jesus and Christian leaders, we
cannot respond to the global injustice of child labor with
indifference or resignation.
10. Pray for organizations, ministries, churches and

social activists working to end child labor.
End Message
Jesus Christ categorically said: Let the little children come
to me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of
God (Matt. 19:13-15; Mark 10:14-16; Luke 18:15-17). So
dont enslave children in the earthly kingdom!
Editors Note: Dr. P. Jegadish
Gandhi
is
the
founder
chairman of Vellore Institute
of
Development
Studies
(VIDS) and also the secretary
of
the
Association
of
Christian Institutes for Social
Concern in Asia (ACISCA).
He is a prolific writer and
speaker especially on Biblical
subjects and Human Rights
issues. He can be contacted
at
his
e-mail
address:
jegagandhi@gmail.com or by
What Church can do?

With so much exploitative child labor tied to practices and
policies in all countries, what can Christians and followers of
Jesus do to help end the exploitation?
1.
Child labor is closely tied to poverty. Write a letter

from your Church Pastorate Committee to fight
poverty at different levels of Government
departments.
2.
Encourage church members to be informed and

responsible in what they buy and where they buy it.
phone: 011-91 98940 51256
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FOCUS January 2016 Vol. 4 No: 1

Ten Giants of Human Rights Movement Page 14

Cover Photo, Child Labor & Human Rights,

A Publication of Diaspora FOCUS

Editorial Human Rights - Page 3

Metropolitans Pastoral Letters October,

Social Justice is Gods Justice, Lal

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Global Child Labor: Beyond Goal? Dr. P.

Affirming Human Rights. Rev. Dr. M. J.

The Christian Imperative on Human

Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan

For creating a just and free society, it is essential to

The concept of social justice is linked to the Christian

structures obscure and curtail basic needs of people.

It is not enough that we denounce injustice: as

Many churches are now more and more interested in

Ref: 1. Leonardo Boff et al. Salvation and Liberation,

Synopsis of Metropolitans Pastoral Letters in the Sabha

should be able to live a life worthy of our Lord. Our

Mar Thoma joint communion. We also embrace the idea

God, it is in essence paving the way for mission. With the

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

The Commission on Human Rights was made up of 18

In 1950, on the second anniversary of the adoption of the

I perceived clearly that I was participating in a truly significant

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have

Article 5.No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,

Article 17 (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as

Article 25. (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the

(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in

(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to

Article 29. (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal

(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be

(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised

Affirming Human Rights

family will perish." The writer of the letter to the Hebrews

The UN Declaration on HR, Art.1 reads, "All human

The following conversation between Gurudev Tagore and

The Mahatma replied, "Gurudev, I am not so dumb or

All human rights questions begin with God's question to

iii) The Ten Commandments speak of life in

even right to leisure are integral to the divine

social sectors, liberalization, issue of Intellectual

iv) To hunger and thirst after righteousness is the

v) Freedom of conscience is the basic right of

e. Issues of Displacement: Right to a habitat is

The Christian Imperative on Human Rights

Human rights are often looked at from the point of view of

for understanding what we mean by human rights and

in-itself through the medium of being-for-itself to the

of globalization in destroying job opportunities of

Ten Giants of the Human Right Movement

bus boycott, which began in 1955 following Rosa Park

1.Cyrus the Great:

4. Martin Luther King Jr. (19291968)

Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of Tibet,

advocated policies of nonviolence, even in the face of extreme

Bishop M. C. Mani, CSI, Kottayam