David Rogers Ministries

Leprosy

World Leprosy Day is observed on the last Sunday in January. World Leprosy Day raises awareness of a disease that many people believe to be extinct. Today it is not just the disease that is forgotten, but the people too. Approximately 214,000 people a year are diagnosed and it is estimated that millions more go undiagnosed.

What is leprosy?

Leprosy is a contagious disease that affects the skin, mucous membranes, and nerves, causing discoloration and lumps on the skin and, in severe cases, disfigurement and deformities. Leprosy is now mainly confined to tropical Africa and Asia. If not diagnosed and treated quickly, can result in debilitating disabilities. The effects of leprosy are exacerbated by the negative stigma surrounding the disease.
 
In countries like India and Bangladesh, people are subjected to discrimination and social exclusion simply because they are, or have previously been, affected by leprosy. In India there are still 17 laws which discriminate against people with this disease. 
 
Leprosy has been curable for over 60 years and treatment has been provided completely free since 2000. The leprosy organisations are working to make sure no man; woman or child will have their life needlessly ruined by this terrible disease.
They want to do this by:

• Fighting prejudice surrounding the disease so people won’t be afraid to come forward for treatment
  
• Pushing for earlier detection and diagnosis so no-one need be disabled by leprosy again
  
• Helping millions more who are already disabled by the disease to rebuild their lives 
  
  

For more information on this visit the various websites: http://www.leprosymission.org  

Scroll Down the page to see articles on:- Slave Trade, the plight of children, domestic workers, and migration, plus some other issues.

Also take a look at the pages on Poverty, Caring for others and the Environment.    

Some horrifying facts on slavery.

The Global Slavery Index estimates that 45.8 million people are subject to some form of modern slavery in the world today. The Index presents a ranking of 167 countries based on the proportion of the population that is estimated to be in modern slavery.

Of the 45.8 million it is estimated that 58% of those living in slavery are in 5 countries; India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan
The countries with the highest estimated prevalence of modern slavery by the proportion of their population are North Korea, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, India, and Qatar. Those countries with the highest absolute numbers of people in modern slavery are India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan. Several of these countries provide the low-cost labour that produces consumer goods for markets in Western Europe, Japan, North America and Australia.

The countries with the lowest estimated prevalence of modern slavery by the proportion of their population are Luxembourg, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and Belgium, the United States and Canada, and Australia and New Zealand. These countries generally have more economic wealth, score higher on government response, have low levels of conflict, and are politically stable with a willingness to combat modern slavery.

What factors explain or predict the prevalence of modern slavery?
Vulnerability to modern slavery is affected by a complex interaction of factors related to the presence or absence of protection and respect for rights, physical safety and security, access to the necessities of life such as food, water and health care, and patterns of migration, displacement and conflict. Statistical testing grouped 24 measures of vulnerability into four dimensions covering: 1) civil and political protections, 2) social health and economic rights, 3) personal security, and 4) refugee populations and conflict.

For further information and details of Government responses go to the Global Slavery Index Website. 

Homelessness.

In many rich countries around the world there are people sleeping on the streets because they are homeless. Often, they are victims of circumstance who have lost their home through debt, marital breakup, or addiction to gambling or alcohol. While many voluntary organisations give help and assistance the problem is get worse because politicians are not taking the action need to solve the problem. The irony is that in the same towns and cities where there homelessness, there are people who have huge wealth and could help solve the problem by helping to pay for temporary accommodation for the poor living on the door steps. Sadly, this is not a new phenomenon Jesus tells the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16.19-31) where a man lived in poverty, in sight of a rich man who ignored his needs. In many cities lower cost accommodation could be provided by the renovation of empty or derelict builds if local authorities, rich business people and celebrities were willing to help. 

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Education:

In the UK, we have an annual focus on children’s examine results, with discussion on their grades and if they are going to University. We should stop and pause for a moment to think about all the children in the world who have little or no education, many others do not complete their education, because of war, poverty, and sexism. We all ought to support the organisations that are working to help bring education to all. Governments can also help by focusing their aid budgets on providing education and health care in the poorer countries.

On 8th September, it is International literacy Day (Take a look at the UNESCO website) 

Slave Trade

On 23rd August it is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, but has much changed?

In the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, men and women, torn from Africa and sold into slavery, revolted against the slave system to obtain freedom and independence for Haiti, gained in 1804. The uprising was a turning point in human history, greatly impacting the establishment of universal human rights, for which we are all indebted. The courage of these men and women has created obligations for us. UNESCO is marking International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition to pay tribute to all those who fought for freedom, and, in their name, to continue teaching about their story and the values therein. The success of this rebellion, led by the slaves themselves, is a deep source of inspiration today for the fight against all forms of servitude, racism, prejudice, racial discrimination and social injustice that are a legacy of slavery. (source of this information the United Nations)

Although slavery has been officially abolished, many people are still in slavery. These include the people being trafficked around the world. Those force into the sex industry, who are then forced to have sex with strangers against their will. Those forced into domestic slavery, plus those children who are force to work to pay for their parent’s debts which can never be repaid. Then we have the gang masters who keep illegal migrates to work in the agricultural, fishing, other industries around the world. Governments seem unwilling or unable to stop this human suffering, while the United Nations highlights the problems they are powerless to stop it. We all ought to support groups and organisation who are working to bring an end to modern slavery.

(see the articles on domestic workers and trafficking).

Plight of Migrant Domestic Workers

The UK Government is still failing to protect domestic workers who a not British citizen, many have to work in slave like condition, have poor living conditions and receive little or no pay. If you would like to know more about the plight of Migrant Domestic Workers in the UK; visit the Kalayaan Website.   

Pictures from Goggle images

The plight of children

The plight of many thousands of children in the world is of grave concern to all those who care. Sadly, these children are often exploited by adults and forced to work in horrendous conditions. Others are just abandoned to live off the streets, in slums, in and around refuse tips, others have no option but to work in the sex industry. Those who use prostitutes enable and encourage criminals to force young people into the sex industry. In many rich countries politicians and rulers grow fat and prosperous while children starve in their streets. This can be seen throughout the world, and for me is one of the great humanitarian crimes that goes unpunished. These events often leave us feeling helpless, but there are organisations working to change this situation, they do not only want money, they also need help and support. There are also other organisations which are helping in all sorts of ways. The links page has some examples of different groups helping those in need.

 Here are some examples of organisations who work to help the poor and vulnerable children in the world. There websites provide examples of the work being carried out to help children.  

Save the Children is an international organisation that is helping children throughout the world.     
Barnardo’s is working in the UK to help those in poverty, young carers, vulnerable and abused children build a new life in safety.
H D F Mercy Centre in Bangkok is helping young children living in the slums of Bangkok, helping those suffering with HIV and seeking to help all the children they can. 
NSPCC working to protect abused children and helping to rebuild their lives.

If you would like find out more information go to the link page.      

Social issues

In the 21st century there are many social issues which concern people, but some of the challenges in modern society have been present for years. Poverty is a good example. Even though there have been campaigns and initiatives, like the United Nations’ Millennium Project, poverty continues to increase. But one of the most pressing problems is social unrest which can be seen in the protests over people being kill by police and extremists violence. We also see an increase in hate crimes, we appear to becoming a world where we have forgotten to care about our neighbour.

The Social problems which contribute to the unrest in our society include issues like; homelessness, social deprivation, prejudice and discrimination which are still very much present in our world. Also the suffering of children in the developing world, who are often forced to scavenge for food and shelter, have no access to education or are forced to work in slave conditions are of deep concern. The articles and essays posted on this site seek to highlight some of these issues.

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Ending human trafficking and forced labour

Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. The United Nations uphold the principles of social justice when they promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. They advance social justice when they remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.

For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of their global mission to promote development and human dignity. It supports efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.

Forced labour  takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by clearly illegal tactics and paid little or nothing.

In June 2014, governments, employers and workers at the ILO International Labour Conference (ILC) decided to give new impetus to the global fight against forced labour, including trafficking in persons and slavery-like practices. While they voted overwhelmingly to adopt a Protocol and a Recommendation which supplement the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), and complement existing international instruments by providing specific guidance on effective measures to be taken to eliminate all forms of forced labour. There is still a great deal of work to be done to create social justice in the world.

Source: UN @ https://www.un.org/en/observances/social-justice-day