Kim Jong Un: Threat of mass famine in North Korea
Jun 19 2021
Kim Jong Un: Threat of mass famine in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a speech at a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party announced a possible food shortage in the country.

This was reported by the Japanese television NHK.

“Due to the damage caused by last year’s typhoon, the grain growing plan has not been implemented and therefore there is a tense situation with the provision of food to the population,” the North Korean leader warned.

According to Kim Jong-un, quoted by South Korean television, the extension of quarantine measures imposed in the DPRK due to the coronavirus “has led to a continuation of the struggle to provide the population with clothing, food and housing.”

Kim Jong-un also called on the party and the people of North Korea to be ready for a new “difficult march”. This term in the history of the DPRK refers to the period of the 90s of the last XX century, when the country was experiencing a severe economic crisis, aggravated by mass starvation.

Earlier, South Korean media commented that Kim Jong-un has noticeably lost weight.

Just a month ago, the official publication of the Communist Party in North Korea for the first time acknowledged that vaccination against COVID-19 was not a panacea and that citizens should therefore prepare for long-term intensified anti-epidemic measures. In February, the country requested coronavirus vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO) -based Covax program. The DPRK has requested vaccines, although it has not officially provided any information.

Kim Jong Un has acknowledged that the food situation in North Korea is “tense”, state media reported, amid anxious recalls of the country’s devastating famine in the 1990s, which killed hundreds of thousands.

The poor country, which has come under numerous international sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, has long struggled to feed itself by suffering from chronic food shortages, AFP reported.

Last year, the coronavirus pandemic and a series of summer storms and floods added even more pressure to the suffocating economy.

At a plenary session of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party, Kim said the economy had improved this year, with industrial production up 25 percent from a year earlier, the official KCTA news agency reported.

But there have been a number of deviations due to a number of challenges, the North Korean leader added.

“The human food situation is now escalating as the agricultural sector failed to meet its grain production plan due to typhoon damage last year,” Kim said.

A series of typhoons last summer caused floods that destroyed thousands of homes and flooded farmland. Kim called for steps to minimize the impact of such natural disasters, saying ensuring a good harvest is a “top priority”.

The “long-term nature” of the coronavirus pandemic was also discussed at the meeting, KCTA reported. Pyongyang has a poor medical infrastructure and a chronic shortage of drugs, and analysts say a riot of coronavirus would wreak havoc in the isolated country.

North Korea imposed a strict lock when it sealed its border in January last year to stem the spread of the virus from neighboring China. Pyongyang has long claimed that there have been no cases of the virus – a statement that analysts doubt. But the country has paid a huge economic price for the blockade.

Trade with China, Pyongyang’s viable economy, has become a thin thread, while all international aid faces severe restrictions. The impact of the pandemic “is likely to have worsened” the humanitarian situation in the north, with about 10.6 million people in need, “said a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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EASPD appoints next Secretary General: Maya Doneva
Jun 18 2021
EASPD appoints next Secretary General: Maya Doneva
EASPD appoints next Secretary General: Maya Doneva In preparation for the upcoming retirement of its current Secretary General, Luk Zelderloo, the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities has publicly announced the appointment of Maya Doneva as its next Secretary General. Ms Doneva will formally succeed Mr Zelderloo on the 1st November 2021, following a brief transition period.

Having worked at both a national level in her native Bulgaria and at a European level, Ms Doneva has 15 years’ experience as a grass roots activist for social inclusion. Ms Doneva is the founder and mentor of the Social Teahouse, a social enterprise which provides long term mentorship and first employment for youngsters raised in institutionalised settings. The Teahouse was one of the first social start-ups in the Balkans and it is currently one of the most awarded enterprises with a social mission in Bulgaria.
 
For the past 4 years, Ms Doneva has been the CEO of Karin Dom, an early intervention center based in Varna, managing a team of more than 60 employees and 20 volunteers. Within this role she has served as an active EASPD member, contributing to our work to represent the voice of social service providers for persons with disabilities at a European level. Alongside her work at Karin Dom, Ms Doneva has been a trainer for the European Youth Forum since 2015 working on a variety of topics related to youth rights.
 
Ms Doneva was selected as the next Secretary General of EASPD following a recruitment process that was implemented by an internal Recruitment Committee, comprising of EASPD Members and chaired by the EASPD President Jim Crowe. Her appointment was confirmed via a unanimous approval by the EASPD Board.

James Crowe, President of EASPD, welcomed the news of the selection of Ms Doneva as the the next Secretary General: “On behalf of the Board of EASPD I am pleased to present Maya to our members and to congratulate her on her appointment. As EASPD has grown, so have the demands on our Secretariat in Brussels, and upon our Secretary General. As we set out on the recruitment path for the new Secretary General, we knew we were looking for a special person. I am confident that in Maya, we have found that person.”
 
Speaking on her appointment Ms Doneva said “It is a great honour and huge responsibility to take over the position of Secretary General of EASPD in these times of post-pandemic recovery. Last year has taught us many valuable lessons, but the most important of all was that we need to be united and together in order to stand for our values and mission. Let’s continue building a better world for the people with disabilities and the services that support them.”

Maya will join the EASPD Secretariat in Brussels on the 1st October and will formally succeed Mr Zelderloo on the 1st November 2021.
 
Supporting Documents: Video message from Maya Doneva
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Inclusive Education for Migrants and Refugees – Side event on the margins of the 47th Session of the Human Rights Council
Jun 18 2021
Inclusive Education for Migrants and Refugees – Side event on the margins of the 47th Session of the Human Rights Council

The event will be held online on Thursday, 24 June 2021 at 13:00 CET, and it is being co-organized by Arigatou International Geneva, the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, and KAICIID Dialogue Centre.

Increasing conflicts, political and financial crises have led to insecurity and hardship in many people’s lives, resulting in increasing numbers of migrants and refugees and intensifying challenges in many societies. The panel discussion aims to reflect on the importance of national education policies and programs that can support inclusive education for migrants and refugees, particularly as access to social services have been halted and discrimination has been exacerbated during the pandemic.  

Description: Increasing conflicts, political and financial crisis have led to insecurity and hardship in many people’s lives, resulting in increasing numbers of migrants and refugees and intensifying challenges in many societies. The COVID-19 has exacerbated tensions between migrant, refugee and host communities. Hate speech, stigmatization, incitement to discrimination and xenophobia have increased during the pandemic, building on an existing and generalized culture of mistrust in societies.

The pandemic has largely disrupted access to quality education, particularly for children who are displaced, migrants and refugees. An urgent response is needed to provide these children with the right to education and make sure that they are not left behind. A continuous effort to promote inclusive education in emergencies context where there is a limited access to basic services is critical to ensure access and quality education for all.

Objectives

1. Reflect on the challenges and opportunities to support the implementation of educational policies and programs that foster inclusive education as a central response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

2. Identify good practices of how education can foster learning to live together in societies, in particular amidst increasing distrust, xenophobia and discrimination affecting migrants and refugees

3. Share successful policies and programs to support quality and inclusive education for migrants and refugees.

Panelists will share good practices in education to contribute to building forward better to prevent further discrimination and rupture of the social fabric as well as helping to create new narratives of solidarity in societies. 

PANELISTS:
Dr. Angeliki Aroni, Head, Unit for Integration and Support, Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Greece

Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta,  Director, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

Ms. Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, andSpecial Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe

Mr. Javed Natiq, Education Sector Lead,
World Vision Afghanistan 

Ms. Maria Lucia Uribe, Executive Director,
Arigatou International Geneva

MODERATOR
Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Senior Adviser, KAICIID Dialogue Center 

OPENING REMARKS
Dr. Fadi Yarak (TBC), Director-General of Education, Ministry of Education & Higher Education, Lebanon 

CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. Rebecca Telford, Chief of Education, UNHCR 

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Sources of normative standards for protection against discrimination
Jun 12 2021
Sources of normative standards for protection against discrimination

Anti-discrimination standards are contained in universal acts within the UN; EU law and acts within the Council of Europe. The progressive development of international human rights norms has led to the establishment of an independent branch of modern international law – international protection of human rights or international human rights law – international norms for protection against discrimination have become a subdivision of this branch of human rights. international law. Among the most important acts of a universal nature that have a direct bearing on the fight against discrimination are the following international treaties: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Convention on the Rights of the Child; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the UNESCO Convention on Action against Discrimination in Education. The International Labor Organization conventions, in particular the –100 Convention on Equal Pay and the Convention №111 on Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation, are key to enforcing the right to equal treatment in employment.

In all these international treaties, special provisions prohibit discrimination on certain social grounds listed in each specific international treaty, as well as specific forms of discrimination. The most recent international human rights treaty, adopted at UN level, is open for signature in 2006. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCCD). Until 2000 EU anti-discrimination law applied only in the field of employment and social security and covered only discrimination based on sex. In 2000 two directives were adopted: the Employment Equality Directive introduced a ban on discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation, religion, age and disability; The Racial Equality Directive introduced a ban on discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin in employment, as well as on access to social security systems, social security and goods and services. This is a significant extension of EU anti-discrimination law, taking into account the fact that in order for individuals to realize their full potential in the labor market, they need to be guaranteed equal access to areas such as health, education and housing. Although sexual orientation, religious beliefs, disabilities and age are grounds for protection only in the field of employment, the EU institutions are currently considering a proposal to extend the protection to these grounds to include access to goods and services (known as the Horizontal Directive).

The prohibition of discrimination is enshrined in Article 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), which guarantees equal treatment in the exercise of the other rights provided for in the Convention. Protocol №12 (2000) to the ECHR, which has not yet been signed by Bulgaria, extends the scope of the prohibition of discrimination by ensuring equal treatment in the exercise of all rights (including rights guaranteed by national law). According to the explanatory report to the protocol, the document was developed with reasons to strengthen the protection against discrimination, which is considered a key aspect of guaranteeing human rights. The protocol was adopted in particular as a result of discussions on ways to strengthen gender equality and racial equality. The principle of non-discrimination is a guiding principle enshrined in a number of other Council of Europe documents. It should be noted that the text of the European Social Charter of 1996 guarantees the right to equal opportunities and equal treatment in the fields of employment and occupation, and protection against discrimination based on sex. Additional protection against discrimination is provided by the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents.

The Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime also provides for protection against the promotion of discrimination. The relationship between anti-discrimination standards should not be equated only with the relationship between the sources in which the rights are established. Neither EU law nor the norms of classical international law deprive national law of its purpose of building its own standards of protection of fundamental rights higher than those established in a supranational manner. The process of transposing international standards into national legislation by countries that have committed themselves to the latter is an ongoing process of interaction between legislation and law enforcement. Today, constitutional standards for the protection of human rights are largely positively aligned. The European Network of Equality Bodies takes into account the diversity of equality bodies in the Member States, identifying three types: • Predominantly tribunal-type equality bodies, which spend most of their time and resources in meetings, investigating and deciding on individual cases of discrimination before them, and in some cases also perform a number of tasks identified as primarily encouraging. type of equality bodies. • Predominantly encouraging type of equality bodies, which spend most of their time and resources supporting good practices, raising awareness of rights, developing a knowledge base on equality and providing legal advice and assistance to victims of discrimination. • Combined type of equality bodies – tribunal and promotion, which meet, investigate and decide on cases of discrimination, and participate in a number of activities to raise awareness, promote good practice and conduct research.

Anti-discrimination standards formally protect equality by prohibiting direct and indirect discrimination. Formal equality is rooted in justice. Everyone must have access to certain minimum provisions, after which this is regulated by non-discrimination. This aspiration is limited by the fact that it can coexist with significant levels of inequality. However, EU equal treatment directives allow for specific measures to ensure that “full equality in practice” is achieved. This reflects the pursuit of real equality, rooted in delivering results for disadvantaged groups.

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Deinstitutionalisation: Planning inclusion in Greece
Jun 12 2021
Deinstitutionalisation: Planning inclusion in Greece

Across the European Union, hundreds of thousands of persons with disabilities, persons with mental health problems, older people and children live in segregated institutions. These were originally created to provide care, food and shelter, but proved to be harmful to their quality of life and participation in the community and wider society.

Greece is among the Member States in which the European Commission identified the need for deinstitutionalisation (DI) reforms to create support systems in the community. To meet these objectives, the government has worked alongside experts and stakeholders representing different sectors in society including the three target groups of the reform: children (including children with disabilities), adults with disabilities and older people with support needs.

Join us for our final conference as we mark the official launch of the Greek Deinstitutionalisation Strategy, Action Plan, the Strategic Roadmap and more tools created within the project.

Civil society, public authorities and key participants also look to evaluate the process and discuss the key elements for a successful DI (deinstitutionalisation) transition.

The country requested a technical support for the government and stakeholders in:

  1. Completing the DI national Strategy, Roadmap and Action Plan;
  2. Defining and implementing processes and methodologies to run and manage the DI programme;
  3. Developing a communication and outreach strategy with communication materials, and support plan for receiving communities;
  4. Developing and providing training programmes to support the DI process.

These objectives were reached over the last two years with the support of European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD – a non-profit NGO in the disability sector, promotes the views of over 17,000 social services and their umbrella associations. There are over 80 million people with a disability throughout Europe. The main objective of EASPD is to promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities through effective and high-quality service systems), experts and stakeholders representing different sectors in society including the three target groups of the reform: children (including children with disabilities), adults with disabilities and older people with support needs.

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Bigger impact, smaller footprint: Social services key to green transition
Jun 3 2021
Bigger impact, smaller footprint: Social services key to green transition

Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, Europe needs a new growth strategy that will transform the Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. The EU aims to be climate neutral in 2050. We proposed a European Climate Law to turn this political commitment into a legal obligation. The proposal respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in particular by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. In particular, it contributes to the objective of a high level of environmental protection in accordance with the principle of sustainable development as laid down in Article 37 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

To mark the 2021 EU Green Week, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) has published a report, ‘The European Green Deal and Social Services’ which addresses the opportunities, needs and barriers for social service providers in in the move towards a Greener sector. The report highlights that social services can improve their environmental impact whilst increasing their social impact. It goes on to suggest that the European Green Deal and EU funding programmes have the potential to empower social services to maximise the potential of green strategies for the provision of high-quality community-based services, which meet the needs of persons with disabilities.

Climate change, and its side effects, pose a real and ever-increasing threat to communities around the world. Persons with disabilities are arguably more vulnerable to experiencing the negative repercussions of climate change such as extreme weather episodes, pollution as well as changes to transportation or energy consumption, impacting on their health and ability to fully participate in their communities. In turn, the social services sector, and persons with disabilities also impact climate change. 

Social care and support providers also play a key role in the transition towards more inclusive, sustainable societies however, both via their working practices, but also by ensuring that more vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities are not left behind in this transition.

EASPD’s latest report focuses on the European Green Deal along with other EU policies and funding programmes when it comes to the opportunities, needs, and barriers it poses for the social services sector in the green transition. The research assessed social services impact on climate change and vice versa across the following five dimensions of services: (i) long-term care and (ii) social housing; (iii) childcare, (iv) employment and training services, and (v) social assistance.
The report stressed that it is necessary to ensure that that the Green Deal and related initiatives do not make it more difficult for support service providers to deliver high quality support, nor make the daily lives of persons with disabilities harder. In this spirit, Luk Zelderloo, Secretary General of EASPD said “Social services are already working in difficult conditions as they re-build from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Green Deal should facilitate their recovery and not create an additional burden on the sector. Increasing costs and the creation of additional administrative issues are a risk. Reducing bureaucratic issues is vital to allow professionals to focus on people and their support needs whilst also making sure the sector contributes positively to climate change”.

Investment was highlighted as key to end enable these services to implement green strategies that can support the EU’s transition towards a fair, prosperous and sustainable society. This investment should include targeting the following areas:  
Infrastructure needs (renovation, energy processes, etc.);

The purchasing of products and services (catering, cleaning, maintenance, etc);

The service provision itself (transport, etc.);

Te type of area where services are provided (rural development, industrial transition, etc);

The impact on employment opportunities (social economy enterprises, inclusive farms, etc).

The report also provided an overview of methods that social services sector can adopt to reduce its impact on climate change. At the very beginning of this task is the diagnosis of the problem by detecting barriers and enablers. Followed by a detailed assessment of the resources that are required. Identifying this, it is important to boost the capabilities by training the staff to better manage the energy resources of the organization. Then it is important to convert all the research into action by finding appropriate funding.  Lastly, it is necessary to communicate and raise awareness about the new greener practices and evaluate the impact of the new changes on the environment. Following this entire process, the final goal would be achieved in 10 years’ time.

The European Green Deal will be pivotal in transforming our lives at all levels into a more sustainable and environmentally-conscience one in Europe and the European Commission rightly identifies that that the transition can be only successful it is conducted in a fair and inclusive way considering the most vulnerable people that, at the same time, are the most exposed to harmful effects of climate change and environmental degradation.  Support service providers are crucial, to ensure that the nobody in Europe is left behind and as a result, should be treated as key partners in the implementation, of the Green Deal.

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SOCIAL VOUCHERS: EFFICIENT TOOLS TO SUPPORT SOCIAL POLICIES
Jun 3 2021
SOCIAL VOUCHERS: EFFICIENT TOOLS TO SUPPORT SOCIAL POLICIES

40+ COUNTRIES – 100+ MILLION USERS

Developed in 46 countries, incl. 19 EU member states – Used by nearly 80 million people worldwide.

Social Vouchers, whether paper or digital, are social benefits attributed to workers collectively by their employers, public or private, carrying a right to access specific goods or services that improve their working conditions and facilitate their work-life balance (such as access to food, culture, transportation, childcare, holidays…). Instruments valid only in a single State provided at the request of an undertaking or a public sector entity and regulated by a national or regional public authority for specific social or tax purposes to acquire specific goods or services from suppliers having a commercial agreement with the issuer. (Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market, article 3k(iii): social vouchers present a number of characteristics that differentiate them from payment services or E-money).

Such goods or services are accessible within a dedicated network of merchants and providers which is built through a contract-based relation with each merchant/provider by companies issuing social vouchers and ensuring their proper efficiency, notably by avoiding their conversion into cash.

Social vouchers, usually supported by a public policy and sustained by a national tax and/or social framework, enhance a virtuous social and economic model while stimulating local and national economy to meet a dedicated social purpose.

Public Authorities can also adapt social vouchers to distribute welfare to their citizens as an alternative to allowances in cash or in kind. Social vouchers have been developed in 40 countries (19 EU Member States) over the last 50 years to facilitate the implementation of social policies and meet the needs of employers, employees, citizens, as well as public authorities.

Impacts and potential of social vouchers to encourage sustainable consumption as innovative tools for social inclusion and local development:

FOOD AND MEAL VOUCHERS

give access to food during the working day or provide basic goods to people in needs

PERSONAL AND HOUSEHOLDS SERVICES VOUCHERS

give access to home and basic care services and foster work-life balance

TRANSPORT VOUCHERS

facilitate employees’ transportation expense to their workplace

LEISURE VOUCHERS

encourage citizens to adopt healthy way of life and habits guaranteeing them an easy access to sport and wellness facilities

CHILDCARE VOUCHERS

improve work-life balance of working parents and boost women’s employment

CULTURE VOUCHERS

improve access to culture for employees and citizens

ECO-VOUCHERS

support the green consumption and foster the sustainable behavior of citizens

Examples for work-related vouchers (benefits for workers), public service vouchers (social inclusion) and local development vouchers (local development): Eco-vouchers in Belgium are given by employers to employees to purchase products or services with a low or positive environment footprint; Ch èque culture in France, Holiday vouchers in Romania, Food vouchers in Brazil and Mexico, Tourism vouchers in Czech Republic.

In France President Emmanuel Macron explained that every Frenchman over the age of 18 would receive 300 euros for cultural events.

The funds are for tickets for a movie, theater, concert, museum or for books and musical instruments.

There will be an opportunity to use electronic platforms.

However, the condition is that the value of these costs does not exceed 100 euros and that American giants such as Netflix, Disney or Amazon are not used. The so-called “cultural omission” will be valid for two years.

In Bulgaria From 12 to 165 children from one school are going on vacation without money. The “Together Again” program is initiated by the Ministry of Education and Science and will be implemented jointly with the Ministries of Finance and Tourism, after students spent most of the school year absent due to the emergency situation in the country. As a result, the emotional and physical condition of the students is destabilized. The six-day student tourist trips aim to overcome the consequences of COVID-19, incl. lack of active social life. The program also includes classes in science, arts, technology and sports.

The implementation period will be until September 14, 2021, and the budget will be BGN 15,000,000. The program will provide a one-week vacation for 30,000 children.

It covers state and municipal schools and is designed for students from I to XI grade (divided into groups of 10 to 15 students) in the school year 2020/2021, including group leaders – teachers and other pedagogical professionals, educators, psychologists, pedagogical advisors and medical specialists. In addition to the tourist package, the activities include organizing visits to cultural and historical sites, craft workshops, sports events, theaters, cinemas and others, sports, discussions and educational games in various fields, meetings with celebrities.

The pedagogical councils will decide who will travel, the director will send 3 offers to tour operators electronically to the Ministry of Education and Science.

Hours after the Education union warned that there could be a lot of tension around the one-week student camps at the expense of the state, the MES announced for public discussion the framework of the new “Together Together” program. It confirms the initial information that the Pedagogical Councils in the schools will determine which children should go on a free holiday for the families. However, it introduces new benchmarks for the number of small holidaymakers according to the size of the school. Initially, the information was for up to 70 children from school.

It is now planned that schools with more than 150 students can apply with up to 7% of the total number, but not more than 165 participants. The smaller ones will send up to 12 holidaymakers.

The application deadline will be from the approval of the program by the Council of Ministers until September 1 or until the funds are exhausted.

3 offers from tour operators will be submitted, and the documents will be sent electronically to the Ministry of Education and Science with a copy to the RWB. The maximum amount for one school is BGN 82,500 with a 6-day package worth BGN 500 (or ab. 250 EURO) per person. 70% of the requested amount will be transferred upon approval, the rest after a contract with a tour operator.

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Russian prisoners recorded audio stories for their children
Jun 2 2021
Russian prisoners recorded audio stories for their children

The action “Audiobooks for convicted children” was held in Russian penal colonies. In different regions, those serving sentences read the works on record, so that the files would then be handed over to their families. The project was timed to coincide with Children’s Day, which is celebrated on June 1.

Thus, in the correctional colony No. 33 in Saratov, one of the first participants in the action was a 29-year-old convict, who will be released only three years later. He has a five-year-old son and a nine-year-old daughter. Father wrote down verses for them from the collection “Smehodron” by the Saratov poet Yevgeny Grachev, reports “Vzglyad-info”.

And in the local correctional colony No. 10, a convict, in whose family a child with special needs is growing up, said that he had already received a response. His wife shared the baby’s joyful reaction to his dad’s voice. According to psychologists of the Federal Penitentiary Service, the sound of the native voice has a positive effect on the emotional sphere of the child. This is how he feels the presence of his father or mother in his life.

“Profile” said that now the society is discussing another innovation that will help the socialization of prisoners – the idea of ​​replacing the vacancies left by migrants with them. The Ministry of Justice has already positively assessed such a proposal by the FSIN. It turned out that almost 180,000 convicts have the right to replace imprisonment with correctional labor, but only 8,000 such jobs have been created in the country.

The idea of ​​replacing labor migrants with prisoners approved by the Ministry of Justice

According to the Minister of Justice of Russia Konstantin Chuichenko, he positively assesses the initiative proposed by the Federal Penitentiary Service to involve prisoners in work instead of labor migrants. He recalled that today almost 180 thousand convicts have the right to replace imprisonment with correctional labor, but the country has created places for only 8 thousand people. “I think this idea of ​​replacing migrant labor is correct. It is possible to create correctional centers at large construction sites, at large facilities, and citizens serving sentences, as a rule, have the necessary qualifications to perform this work,” Chuichenko told reporters in Khabarovsk …

As Interfax clarifies, the minister added that Russia is interested in large investment projects, where the number of persons serving sentences in the form of correctional labor will be at least a thousand people. According to him, there are no such people now, and the number, as a rule, is about 100 people.

“Profile” wrote about the proposal of the Federal Penitentiary Service to use prisoners for work in Russia instead of labor migrants. The head of the department, Alexander Kalashnikov, is confident that the labor of prisoners can be used more actively in the country. He noted that all prisoners will be provided with a dormitory or apartment, as well as conditions for living with their families. In addition, they will receive a salary for their work, added the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service.

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Freezing find: A mass grave of more than 200 children was found in Canada
May 31 2021
Freezing find: A mass grave of more than 200 children was found in Canada

From the 19th century to the 1970s, more than 150,000 local children were required to visit local boarding schools.

In place of the once largest boarding school in Canada, a mass producer was found, leaving 215 children, some up to 3 years old.

The school is one of the institutions that educates indigenous children taken from families across the country.

Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation chief Rosana Casimir said in a news release that the wreckage was confirmed last weekend by ground penetrating radar.

The former boarding house is located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. The remains of 215 children have been found so far, but more bodies can be found as there are more search areas in the school area, Kazimir said on Friday.

In an earlier edition, she called the discovery “an unthinkable loss that is talked about but never documented in the boarding house.” It was once the site of Canada’s largest housing school.

From the 19th century to the 1970s, more than 150,000 local children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into Canadian society. They were forced to accept Christianity and were not allowed to speak their native languages. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and about 6,000 died, according to information gathered.

The Canadian government apologized to parliament in 2008 and acknowledged that physical and sexual violence in schools was widespread.

Many students remember being beaten to speak their native language; they have also lost touch with their parents and their customs.

Local leaders cite isolation and severe restrictions as the main cause of epidemic levels of alcoholism and drug addiction among alumni.

A report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission more than five years ago said that at least 3,200 children had died as a result of abuse and neglect, and reported that at least 51 deaths had been reported at the Kamloops school alone between 1915 and 1963.

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Effective Interfaith Education for Social Cohesion
May 30 2021
Effective Interfaith Education for Social Cohesion

Effective interfaith teaching can contribute to the overall quality of educational programs, particularly advancing goals for social cohesion and common understandings of civic values well-rooted in local history and culture. The ideal is to foster and deepen the lasting formation of civic values and knowledge and relationships that can sustain lifelong learning and communication across social differences.

There is no global consensus about whether and how to integrate interfaith approaches in education programs, including core curricula and extracurricular activities. Indeed, the topic is contested in various settings, especially where religious institutions are viewed with some suspicion. Thus it is not surprising that systematic treatment of interfaith topics in national curricula range from nil (no effort whatsoever) to curricula and foundational education values permeated throughout by the teachings of a specific religious tradition. Examples of excellence are rare, though creative efforts in a number of settings offer insight and promise.

Basic starting questions here are why, whether, and how an integrated approach building on religious histories and underlying values might enrich education overall. Can they, for example, enhance development and peace-building strategies?

Why: The most fundamental reason to focus on interfaith approaches is to help societies to bridge social divides that may be aggravated or even caused by religious differences. Interfaith knowledge can avert the social tensions that can lead to conflict and violence as well as political divides that detract from efforts to develop flourishing societies. The knowledge and skillsets that interfaith education aims to develop can prepare young people to contend with a fast-changing, diverse, and interconnected world, in their own communities and transnationally.

Whether: It is increasingly understood that while religious institutions and beliefs play declining roles in some societies, in most world regions they have central social roles, deeply involved in economics, politics, and culture. With plural societies increasingly the norm, citizens need to learn to live together with different communities. Effective and well-integrated interfaith curricula can provide meaningful knowledge about different communities and their beliefs and avert any appearance of seeking conversion or something approaching indoctrination.

And How: Participation by educators and communities in designing curricula and pedagogy can enrich programs and ensure that they are appropriate to the context, including underlying tensions, patterns of discrimination, and historical memories reflected in different narratives.

Effective interfaith teaching can contribute to the overall quality of educational programs, particularly advancing goals for social cohesion and common understandings of civic values well-rooted in local history and culture. The ideal is to foster and deepen the lasting formation of civic values and knowledge and relationships that can sustain lifelong learning and communication across social differences.

Three broader goals (3 C’s) can be integrated in reflections and design. Interfaith education can help students to reflect on their ethical compass and core values as students and citizens, linking personal moral teachings with the society’s broader shared values. Ethics education can also build on and enhance curiosity and openness to learning about other ways of approaching problems and life markers. And compassion for others, the counter to indifference and hostility, is an ideal outcome of working in systematic ways to know about and to know others.

Many governments and educators need convincing that interfaith learning and more values-based education should be a priority objective. They also need evidence as to how this can be a practical, mainstream approach, not an optional add-on. This demands both political will and solid evidence. The COVID-19 crisis should bolster both, offering vivid examples that inequalities and mutual distrust are destructive forces, while cohesive societies work far better. As debates continue about how to “build back fairer”, documenting successful practices and highlighting what it takes to strengthen social cohesion should underscore why integrating meaningful approaches to core civic values and cross-community knowledge and understanding are vital parts of the education venture.

The Ethics Education Initiative promotes spaces and opportunities to nurture values and ethics in children and young people within the framework of the Child’s right to education as stated in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. It utilizes an innovative approach to interfaith and intercultural learning in a value-based and quality education program for children and young people.

The Ethics Education initiative aims to nurture values and ethics to empower children in order to create a world of greater justice, peace and dignity. It envisions a world where children are equipped to make ethical decisions, to nurture their spirituality and to transform their communities together, based on values that promote respect for their own and others’ cultures and beliefs

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Photo: Ms. Katherine Marshall – Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, and Professor of the Practice of Development, Conflict, and Religion, Georgetown University. She is also part of the Arigatou International Advisory Group.

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