wfn.org | Social Justice and Witness Committee Passes Resolutions

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

17-June-1997 
GA97050 
 
         Social Justice and Witness Committee Passes Resolutions 
 
                          by Nancy Rodman 
 
SYRACUSE--The Assembly Committee on Social Justice and Witness on Monday 
approved for action by the General Assembly resolutions on antiracism 
training, women's advocacy training, issues of professional sexual 
misconduct, international prostitution, and the girl child. 
 
    The committee will recommend to the Assembly that all governing bodies 
be encouraged to provide antiracism training for staff and that the General 
Assembly Council be commended for having undergone an introduction to 
racism training and having mandated that the National Ministries Division 
Staff participate in a full program of such training.  The resolution, if 
approved by the Assembly, will instruct the National Ministries Division to 
develop a churchwide strategy for antiracism training in partnership with 
the governing bodies for implementation across the church by the year 2005. 
The committee took no action on the closing of the Office of Racial Justice 
Leadership and Diversity Training, but requests monitoring of racism 
issues. 
 
    A resolution directing the Women's Ministry program area to hold a 
national advocacy consultation or training event every four years before 
the presidential election beginning in the year 2000 in partnership with 
other program areas related to issues of justice for women, was approved. 
One focus of the proposed consultations will be economic justice for women. 
Presbyteries and synods will also be encouraged to sponsor regional women's 
advocacy consultations and/or training events at least every two years. 
The committee will recommend that the Women's Ministries program area be 
commended for the Women's Advocacy Consultation held in Louisville in 
October 1996.  This resolution is a response to a resolution of the 187th 
General Assembly (1985). 
 
    The committee will recommend that training in the issue of professional 
sexual misconduct be included in the next stated clerk's conference and 
that all levels of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) be deliberate and 
pastoral in meeting the needs of all persons involved in sexual misconduct 
cases. 
 
    The committee acted to recommend that the Assembly direct the stated 
clerk to urge the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to monitor 
child prostitution in countries that receive their funds and to urge the 
United States Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights 
of the Child.  The committee will also recommend that a day of prayer be 
declared on November 20, the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of 
the Child, for children involved in commercial sexual exploitation. 
 
    If the Assembly approves the resolution, the Office of the Stated Clerk 
will be requested to urge the United States Department of Justice to step 
up enforcement of the Child Sex Abuse Enforcement Act and the Mission 
Responsibility Through Investment Committee will be encouraged to address 
the issues of child pornography and sex tourism as appropriate with the 
corporations in which the church has investments.  Presbytery resource 
centers will be encouraged to obtain a copy of the U.S. Department of Labor 
publication on prostitution entitled "By the Sweat and Toil of Children, 
Volume 2" and "Forced labor: The Prostitution of Children". 
 
    The committee approved for the Assembly's action a resolution on the 
girl child with the following provisions: that Presbyterians assess the 
status of girls and work to end inequality and discrimination in the 
spheres of the family, congregation, school, and community; that 
Presbyterians work toward gender equality in the classroom and 
school-related activities; that congregations encourage girls' 
participation in all church-related activities; that the Christian 
Education program area continue to develop educational and leadership 
training programs that are gender sensitive, and that all men and women 
serving overseas be provided orientation and training concerning the 
challenges women and girls face in particular geographical areas. 
 
    In other action, the committee approved final responses by the National 
Ministries Division to referrals by the 208th General Assembly.   

------------
For more information contact Presbyterian News Service
  phone 502-569-5504             fax 502-569-8073  
  E-mail PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org   Web page: http://www.pcusa.org 
  mailed from World Faith News <wfn-news@wfn.org>  

--