{"id":362,"date":"2003-01-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2003-01-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lanuera.com\/cmwp\/?p=362"},"modified":"2003-01-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2003-01-02T00:00:00","slug":"reclaiming-our-right-to-wholeness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/?p=362","title":{"rendered":"Reclaiming our Right to Wholeness"},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"justify\"><span class=\"dropcap\">                           W<\/span>e are 29 women who have gathered on 8-14 September                            2003 in Chiang Mai, Thailand in a Workshop on Asian                            Indigenous\/Dalit\/Aboriginal Women Overcoming Violence                            organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA)                            and the World Council of Churches (WCC), hosted by the                            Women&#8217;s Department of the Church of Christ in Thailand,                            and sponsored by the Fellowship of the Least Coin, the                            World Day of Prayer-German Committee and the United                            Church of Christ in Canada.                          <\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">We are from indigenous communities in Asia and the                            Pacific &#8211; Aborigine, Bunun, Dalit, Ibanag, Igorot, Kachin,                            Karen, Lahu, Lawa, Naga, Orang Asli, Papuan, Rungus,                            Shan, Tayal&#8230; We are students, teachers, professors,                            social workers, pastors, presbyters, writers, researchers,                            lawyers, directors of church programmes and institutions.                            We have come not as individuals but as parts of communities                            that seek and pursue the establishment of peace and                            justice in the world.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">We shared our stories and acknowledged the commonalities                            in the struggles and pain, the hopes and aspirations                            of our peoples, particularly of women who continue to                            suffer from various forms of violence on account of                            their being women.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Domestic violence &#8211; whether verbal, physical, emotional                              and psychological &#8211; is pervasive. In their homes where                              they are supposed to be safe, young women suffer molestation                              by family members, relatives and friends.<\/li>\n<li>Outside their homes, women do not feel safe, as                              rape is a constant threat.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Particularly in controlled or militarized areas,                              the rape of women &#8211; regardless of age &#8211; is common.                              We heard stories of Dalit women raped before their                              families and other people in temples.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Women in Indigenous, Dalit, and Aboriginal communities                              are denied fundamental rights including access to                              basic needs, health care, sanitation facilities, and                              opportunities to participate in decision-making processes                              that affect every aspect of their life thus denying                              them the dignity and pride to live as human beings                              created in the image of God.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">We declare that<\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<ul>\n<li>Throughout history, women have been excluded, marginalised,                              discriminated against, displaced, dispossessed, isolated                              and alienated by racism, sexism, casteism, and classism.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Rape occurs mainly because of the prevalent view                              that women are properties or are mere objects solely                              for pleasure of and service to their husbands and                              partners.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Violence against women in not just a domestic concern.                              Rather, it is a serious social issue and an urgent                              human rights concern for many women living in constant                              fear and insecurity over their lives and safety.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Gender-based and other forms of violence are systematically                              used to control, break down and suppress women.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Indigenous\/Dalit\/Aboriginal women and children suffer                              the most in situations of conflicts, atrocities and                              wars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">For Theological Seminaries and Institutions to<\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<ul>\n<li>Strive towards the relevance of theological education                              to the lives and situations of Indigenous, Dalit and                              Aboriginal peoples.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Promote processes leading to the recovery of the                              positive and liberating elements in indigenous cultures                              and traditions.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Veer away from predominantly male-based curricula                              and organizational structures and to intentionally                              include the experiences and perspectives of women                              both in theological instruction and seminary praxis.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Ensure a gender balance among faculty, staff and                              students, which may require a re-examination of the                              processes of recruitment and hiring.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Give emphasis on Christian Education that will help                              promote approaches and methodologies that are life-enhancing                              and conflict-transforming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">For Church Women&#8217;s Organisations and Movements to<\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<ul>\n<li>Provide spaces for women towards self-awareness                              and self-discovery, which should lead to the empowerment                              of women towards peace-building and conflict transformation.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Facilitate community-building processes among women                              for mutual support.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Seek to network with other women&#8217;s organisations                              and groups based on a common vision of justice and                              peace in the world.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Organise consultations, conferences, encounters                              and other learning opportunities for women on existing                              forms of violence against Indigenous, Dalit and Aboriginal                              women.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Document experiences and struggles of women against                              all forms of violence.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Promote the concerns, aspirations and struggles                              of women especially in ways women overcome violence.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Celebrate new knowledge, new discoveries, new commitments                              in rituals and liturgy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">For the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) to<\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<ul>\n<li>Continue to provide spaces for churches in Asia                              and the Pacific to share, reflect and analyse issues                              and concerns surrounding women, particularly Indigenous,                              Dalit and Aboriginal women who suffer from and resist                              the varying expressions and manifestations of racism,                              sexism, casteism, and classism.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Encourage member churches and affiliate institutions                              and organisations to include the concerns of Indigenous,                              Dalit, and Aboriginal communities in their agenda                              as integral to the fulfillment of the ecumenical vision                              of justice and peace and as a critical component of                              CCA initiatives towards peace-building and conflict                              transformation.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Support the efforts and initiatives of churches,                              institutions, movements and groups in building peace.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Facilitate the documentation of the experiences                              of Indigenous, Dalit and Aboriginal women in resisting                              and overcoming violence, and in transforming conflict                              situations.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Ensure the participation of Indigenous, Dalit and                              Aboriginal women in CCA meetings and consultations,                              and thus draw knowledge and wisdom from the richness                              and diversity of their experiences, values and traditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h5 align=\"justify\"><strong><strong>Statement from Indigenous                            Women&#8217;s Conference, Thailand, 2003.<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n<div align=\"justify\">                         <\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are 29 women who have gathered on 8-14 September 2003 in Chiang Mai, Thailand in a Workshop on Asian Indigenous\/Dalit\/Aboriginal Women Overcoming Violence organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and the World Council of Churches (WCC), hosted by the Women&#8217;s Department of the Church of Christ in Thailand, and sponsored by the Fellowship of the Least Coin, the World Day of Prayer-German Committee and the United Church of Christ in Canada. <\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">We are from indigenous communities in Asia and the Pacific &#8211; Aborigine, Bunun, Dalit, Ibanag, Igorot, Kachin, Karen, Lahu, Lawa, Naga, Orang Asli, Papuan, Rungus, &#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/?p=362\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-morsels"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/church-mouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}