January 2008

  Special session of the UN General Assembly commemorating the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the document A WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN

 As Megan Larkin and Audrey Campbell and I sat at the opening session and listened to the story of a child soldier from Sierra Leone describe the horrors that still haunted him from his years of fighting, Megan turned to us and said, “Canada and the United States may not have child soldiers like this but the gangs recruit like this and they treat their recruits just exactly the way he’s talking about.”

Megan Larkin (left) and Audrey Campbell from Rossbrook House, Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the opening session of A WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN +5.

 Megan is a member of the senior staff at Rossbrook House in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was UNANIMA International’s representative at the commemorative session examining the situation of children throughout the world five years after the document was signed where governments committed themselves to ensure that we would have a “WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN.”  Audrey is her boss at Rossbrook House and they both have more experience than they would like about a world that is not fit for children.

 At one of the sessions where she spoke Megan shared parts of her life story that were too familiar to many young people today.

 “When I was nine years old I used to run around on the streets and get into trouble.  One time a girl friend of mine who had a nice jacket was knife-pointed by some of those that I ran around with.  I asked them why they did that- she was a friend of mine.  They told me that’s just the way it is.”

 When I was twelve I hang around with some girls who were getting into interracial relationships. One time I was at a party with them and they all left to get something.  I was all alone with about six or seven guys and I was afraid.  I used to dress like a boy so they wouldn’t look at me.  This time one of the guys asked me why I was there… “You don’t drink, you don’t party.  What are you hanging around for?”

 “I told him I was a lesbian and when he realized this meant that I was still a virgin he offered me $500 for my virginity.  Just then my friends came back.  I was so glad they were back.  I could have been raped or even killed.  It’s happened to others.”

 “I used to say I never wanted to have children. Now I am a single mom and I love my daughter very much.  I won’t ever leave her with a man I don’t trust.  I was touched once by a man when I was six years old. I don’t ever want anything like that to happen to my daughter.”

 But for Megan, because others had confidence in her, she was able to make good choices which turned her life around.

 “The best thing that happened to me was that when I was thirteen, a friend of mine who worked at Rossbrook House in Winnipeg offered me a job as a white sash keeper – to help with a group of younger children at Rossbrook.  Then as I got a little older I was offered the job of junior staff and now I am senior staff.  The trust of my friend helped me.”

What can we offer at-risk young people who are vulnerable to being recruited as the child soldiers of gangs?  What can we do to ensure A WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN?

 Looking Ahead

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 7 January        New York office reopens after the New Year.

 22 -30 January            Catherine will travel to Tournal, Belgium. While there she will speak about UNANIMA International to the Holy Union Sisters and the Daughters of Jesus.  The purpose of her trip is to meet with four other steering committee members of INRATIP in Amsterdam.  INRATIP is a group of international religious against trafficking and the steering committee is laying some ground work to develop an effective international network against trafficking.

Preparation for the Commission on Social Development with the theme of Decent Work for all continues.  The session begins on 6 February and UNANIMA International will have two students from the Wagner School of Business at New York University as a part of its delegation.

 At the beginning of February Louise Cleary, CSB, returns to work with us at UNANIMA International for several more months.  Thanks to the Brigidine Sisters for such support.

 MATERIALS for the STOP THE DEMAND CAMPAIGN on their way to press in early January.  A special note of thanks to those who have provided so far provided special financial  assistance to aid in the campaign:  the Congregation of Notre-Dame, the Sisters of Providence, the Sisters of the Holy Names, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. We are very grateful.

 Thank you too to all of the UNANIMA International board members for their assistance and for special contributions from Rita Larivee, SSA and Erin Ryan at the National Catholic Reporter for copy editing, from Pierrette Boissé, CND, for proof reading the French materials, for Tom Brennan, SDB, for preparation of a prayer resource for the campaign. 

 We will let you know when the materials are ready for distribution.

 At present we plan to formally launch our campaign Thursday, 13 March 2008, during the board meeting in New York