wfn.org | LWF Council Adopts Resolution on Protection of Children s Rights

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

Churches, LWF Field Programs Urged to Address Female Genital
Mutilation

LWF Council Meeting, Wittenberg, Germany, 10-17 September 2002

Press Release No. 18

WITTENBERG, Germany/GENEVA, 17 September 2002 (LWI) * The Council
of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) adopted a resolution on the
protection of children's rights that endorsed the United Nations
General Assembly Special Session on Children and the Convention of
the Rights of the Child.

Receiving the report of the Standing Committee for International
Affairs and Human Rights, September 17, the Council asked the LWF
General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, to work with Lutheran
churches in reflecting the priorities of the UN special session -
promoting healthy lives and quality education, combating HIV/AIDS
and protecting against abuse, exploitation and violence - and in
"interpreting the Convention of the Rights of the Child from a
theological and ethical perspective." The Council called upon the
two remaining governments that have not ratified the Convention
(the United States of America and Somalia) to do so.

Female Genital Mutilation

In light of the findings of an LWF mission to Mauritania in
January 2002 to examine the issue of female genital mutilation,
the Council asked the General Secretary, LWF member churches,
ecumenical partners and related agencies to take active measures
to addres the issue of female genital mutilation in all affected
countries. The Council called for awareness raising and education
in relation to relevant health and human rights issues.
Appreciation was made for Council's action on this issue, and
emphasis was also made on the need to provide alternatives
including income-generating and ritual-substituting activities for
traditional practitioners of circumcision.

Discrimination Based on Caste

The Council also affirmed that discrimination based on caste and
similar forms of social hierarchy is a denial of the God-given
dignity of every human being and a violation of human rights. The
LWF governing body regretted the failure of the international
community to acknowledge this issue in the 2001 World Conference
Against Racism, held in Durban, South Africa. It declared its
appreciation and support for the initiative by the United
Evangelical Lutheran Church in India in proposing Dalit liberation
as a new agenda for the mission of the church in India. The
Council welcomed plans for an international conference on this
issue to be held in India in February 2003.

Civilian Protection in Conflict Situations

The Council affirmed the principles of International Humanitarian
Law (IHL) to protect civilians in time of war. The LWF resolution
noted "the increasing extent to which these principles are being
disregarded and civilians attacked by parties to armed conflict,"
and asked the federation, its field programs and its member
churches to advocate for enforcement of IHL at times of
international and domestic conflict.

The LWF Council welcomed the International Criminal Court, which
was instituted this year. It called the court "an important
institution for the enforcement of international humanitarian and
human rights law," deploring any action that may undermine its
jurisdiction.

Appeal for Further Diplomatic Means to Reduce Tensions between
Iraq and Other Nations

The Council asked the General Secretary to urge the government of
Iraq to comply fully and withot delay with the relevant UN
resolutions and to work with U.S. churches to appeal to the U.S.
government and other governments to refrain from considering
intensified military action against Iraq. The Council resolution
was passed before Iraq's September 17 announcement that it would
allow nuclear weapons' inspectors into the country. Under this
resolution, the Council called on "LWF member churches and all
people of good will to pray for peace, to promote mutual
understanding and global solidarity with a view toward restoring a
sense of security to all of humanity." It also appealed to "the
international community to continue to seek further diplomatic
means of reducing the tensions between Iraq and other nations."

Staff of the LWF Office for Communication Services at the Council
meeting can be contacted at German mobile telephone No., +49-(0)
170-8345 177.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 75 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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