* JUST A THOUGHT - If you want the oil of blessings to keep flowing you must keep pouring.
(by Fano Sibisi, 29 December 2009, www.cft.org.za) (to index)

* MEETING WITH ANC WOMEN’S LEAGUE RE PROSTITUTION - Dear Members and Friends,
Last week we had the opportunity to make a presentation on the legalisation of prostitution to the Executive Committee of the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the ANC Women’s League. Our team consisted of Prof Willi Sieling (Infectious diseases specialist), Dr Prema Laban (psychiatrist), Dr Albu van Eeden, Dr Tseliso Nkuebe and two ladies who had exited prostitution.

Our presentation ended up going more than an hour over the allocated time. Most members of committee were deeply touched (especially after the testimonies of the two ladies). The chair person of this committee, Barbara Thompson is also the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee On Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities in the National Assembly. Even though our approach was cold and clinical, Prof Sieling remarked afterwards that it was the meeting that had the strongest emotional impact of all those he had attended. The testimonies of the two ladies who had come out of prostitution seemed to touch them most. Barbara Thompson jumped up halfway through, apparently overcome by emotion, and stayed away for a few minutes.

At the end she stated that DFL could from now on consider themselves partners in the battle against the decriminalisation of prostitution. She also indicated that she would like DFL to come to National Parliament in 2010 to make similar presentations.

We hope to make more presentations to other influential groups. We will keep you posted on these developments.

Kind regards,

Doctors for Life Head Quarters
(Doctors For Life International Press Release, 18 Dec 2009) (to index)

* HUMAN TRAFFICKING: SA FACES MAJOR PROBLEM - South Africa faces a major problem with human trafficking and smuggling before the World Cup and it is exacerbated by the country's inexperience in dealing with this, according to Deputy Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba.

Gigaba, briefing journalists in Pretoria yesterday, admitted that South Africa had not anticipated the scale of the problem and had woken up to the reality only recently.

"The fact (is) that we don't have much experience in combating human trafficking. For quite a long time we thought it was a problem that had nothing to do with us... a problem existing in Europe and the US."

The deputy minister announced new measures to prevent paedophiles, soccer hooligans and other "undesirable" visitors from entering the country during the World Cup.

Experts have warned that human trafficking will surge during the soccer showpiece, as has been the case in previous world cup tournaments.

"Human trafficking is a major area of concern. Even before the World Cups starts, human trafficking is receiving a lot of attention from the department. We are worried that there is a lot of human trafficking to and from Africa especially within our (Southern African) region. We are going to pay great attention to it during the World Cup," Gigaba said.

He added that the department would train immigration officers in detecting cases of human trafficking and smuggling.
(IOL, 3 Dec 2009) (to index)

* ‘MORAL VALUES’ OF ABORTION LAW DEFENDED, IRELAND – The Government robustly defended Ireland’s abortion restrictions at the European Court of Human Rights yesterday, insisting they are based on "profound moral values embedded in Irish society".

The case involves three women, known as A, B and C, who say their inability to get an abortion in Ireland jeopardised their health and violated their human rights. In a hearing which could have implications for Irish abortion law, Attorney General Paul Gallagher insisted the country’s legal position on abortion had been endorsed in three referendums, as well as safeguarded in protocols attached to the Maastricht and Lisbon treaties.

Mr Gallagaher said the European Convention on Human Rights has recognised the diversity of traditions and values of countries which are signatories to the convention over the past six decades. The convention also extended protection of human rights to unborn children.

However, Mr Gallagher said this challenge sought to undermine these fundamental principles and align Ireland with countries with more liberal abortion laws.

Criticising the nature of the case taken by the three women – who are supported by the Irish Family Planning Association – Mr Gallagher said their case was based on "legal and factual propositions which, when analysed, cannot be supported." The fact that the women’s cases had not been heard before the domestic courts meant key facts relating to their case – many of which were of an assumed and conditional nature – had not been properly tested. "Many of these facts are of an assumed nature … if these issues are to come before this court, it should be on the basis of established facts."

He also questioned the women’s claims that their rights were violated due to poor provision of post-abortion counselling and medical support. This amounted to a "significant attack on the Irish system, on the medical treatment available, on the advice available and the support available to people" in crisis pregnancies.

The State-funded Crisis Pregnancy Agency provided a unique service in Europe and it was unfair to have its reputation denigrated, senior counsel Donal O’Donnell, also for the State,told the court.

The State rejected suggestions by the women’s legal team that abortion law was unclear and insisted the Constitution clearly stated that abortion was lawful in the circumstances of the X case, where the life of the mother is at risk.

"These grounds will rarely arise, but where there is a possibility of a risk to the life of the woman, physically or medically, there is a clear and bright line rule [provided by the Constitution] that is neither difficult to understand nor to apply," Mr O’Donnell said.

There were detailed Medical Council guidelines available to doctors which set out the proper response for women presenting in these circumstances, he added.

Mr O’Donnell rejected assertions in legal submissions for the women that there was a move toward greater public support for liberalising Irish abortion law, and insisted such claims were based on the "fragments of opinion polls."

On the failure of the Government to legislate for the provisions of the X case, he said the Government has taken the issue of abortion extremely seriously, as evidenced by a total of five referendums over 25 years, as well as Oireachtas committee reports and a constitutional review group. In conclusion, he said, the "law may be restrictive, but the law is clear, it is well-known and it is applied. What is not clear is how the situation will be improved if we had permanent and rigid legislation."
(Irishtimes.com, 10 Dec 2009) (to index)

* SCOTS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO END PROSTITUTION DEMAND – A new campaign to stamp out prostitution in Scotland by targeting those who purchase sex was launched.

Glasgow City Council is behind the End Prostitution Now campaign which is pushing for a change in the law to ensure there is "no hiding place for the pimps, punters and brothel keepers who prey upon others".

The campaign features a series of hard hitting posters to raise awareness of the harmful effects of prostitution. And for the first time the focus will be on men who purchase sex rather than the prostitutes themselves.

The posters show actors playing ordinary men in everyday situations, such as at work or a football match, reflecting on the consequences of using prostitutes.
One poster shows a dad with his son on his shoulders musing about how men can "go to a prostitute then still go home to their wife and family".

A dedicated website endprostitutionnow.org has also gone live asking for public support for changes to the law.

Those behind the campaign say they will propose changes to new and existing legislation which would affect men who buy or seek to buy sex, those involved in arranging or advertising the sale of sex, and those who provide accommodation where the sale of sex takes place.

The bid is backed by MSPs, councillors, unions and faith groups.

The basis of the campaign is a proposed amendment to section 72 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill, which is currently before the Scottish Parliament.
If successful the amendment would force the closure of premises involved in the "facilitation of the sale of sexual services".
An amendment to the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 would then be used to create and define the offence of "facilitation of the sale of sexual services".
If accepted Scotland would become one of Europe’s toughest legislators on prostitution.
Trish Godman MSP, who is tabling the amendments, said: "We believe these amendments present a simple but devastatingly effective means of challenging demand for prostitution.

"Introducing these amendments as law would ensure that anyone involved in the purchase, marketing or facilitation of sexual services would be criminalised whether these acts took place on the street or indoors.
She continued: "Every shred of evidence indicates that prostitution is inherently harmful.
"It is incredible that something which so clearly breaches an individual’s right to dignity, equality, respect and physical and mental well-being has gone unhindered for so long.
"We must end prostitution now and these amendments will give us the power to make that happen."

Kerb crawling in Scotland is a criminal offence but it is still legal to pay for sex in a brothel or massage parlour.

Research shows that nine out of ten prostitutes surveyed would like to leave prostitution. Over 50 per cent of women in prostitution admitted to having been raped and/or seriously sexually assaulted and at least 75 per cent have been physically assaulted.
(The Christian Institute, 9 Dec 2009) (to index)

* PRO-ISRAELI LOBBY SUES HAMAS IN BELGIUM - The European Initiative, a European pro-Israeli lobby, has filed a lawsuit in Belgium against Hamas leaders, demanding that they be brought to justice for war crimes.

The lawsuit is intended as a response to Palestinian legal warfare against Israel and the various lawsuits filed against Israelis in international courts. It was filed on behalf of 15 Israeli citizens who live in the Gaza periphery and who hold Belgian citizenship.

Among the Hamas leaders targeted by the lawsuit are Hamas's Damascus-based leader Khaled Mashaal, Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh, former foreign minister Mahmoud Zahar and Ahmed Jabri, who heads the group's military wing.

"The request for arrest warrants was submitted after six months of legal preparation and is based on strict evidence which ties Hamas leaders to terror attacks in which Belgium citizens were harmed," the Israelis' attorney, Roel Coveliers, told AFP.

"The Goldstone report says, among other things, that the rocket attacks by Hamas constitute a violation of international humanitarian law, so as a member of the United Nations, I don't believe Belgium will ignore the complaint," Coveliers said.

It marks the second lawsuit in recent months filed against a terror organization for its attacks on Israelis.

In April, 30 Israelis who were hurt during the Second Lebanon War filed a lawsuit against North Korea and Hizbullah for more than $100 million in Washington District Court.

The plaintiffs, all of whom hold US citizenship, charged that North Korea trained senior Hizbullah officers and built a series of bunkers in south Lebanon to store Katyushas and other rockets that the Hizbullah used against Israel during the 2006 war, thwarting IAF efforts to locate launching pads.
(The Jerusalem Post, 24 Dec 2009) (to index)

* FAST-GROWING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES CRUSHED IN CHINA – Towering eight stories over wheat fields, the Golden Lamp Church was built to serve nearly 50,000 worshippers in the gritty heart of China's coal country.

But that was before hundreds of police and hired thugs descended on the mega-church, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries, members and activists say.

Today, the church's co-pastors are in jail. The gates to the church complex in the northern province of Shanxi are locked and a police armoured personnel vehicle sits outside.

The closure of what may be China's first mega-church is the most visible sign that the communist government is determined to rein in the rapid spread of Christianity, with a crackdown in recent months that church leaders call the harshest in years.

Authorities describe the actions against churches as stemming from land disputes, but the congregations under attack are among the most successful in China's growing "house church" movement, which rejects the state-controlled church in favour of liturgical independence and a more passionate, evangelical outlook.

While the Chinese constitution guarantees freedom of religion, Christians are required to worship in churches run by state-controlled organisations: The Three-Self Patriotic Movement for Protestants and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association for Roman Catholics.

But more and more Chinese are opting to choose their own churches, despite them being technically illegal and subject to police harassment. Christians worshipping in China's independent churches are believed to number upwards of 60 million, compared to about 20 million who worship in the state church, according to numbers provided by scholars and church activists.

House churches have been around for decades, but their growth has accelerated in recent decades, producing larger and larger congregations that are far more conspicuous than the small groups of friends and neighbours that used to worship in private homes, giving the movement its name.

The Golden Lamp Church was built by husband and wife evangelists Wang Xiaoguang and Yang Rongli as a permanent home for their followers, whose numbers had soared to more than 50,000.

The couple, administrators at the provincial teachers' college, had been preaching in the region around the city of Linfen since 1992, establishing a network of three dozen communities meeting in improvised spaces such as factory dormitories and greenhouses. They also attracted thousands to tent revival meetings.

According to Bob Fu, Shanxi authorities grumbled as the church was being built last year, but did not try to stop work and offered few, if any, signs of an impending crackdown.

On a rainy Sunday in mid-September, some 400 police officers and hired thugs descended on more than a dozen church properties around Linfen, smashing doors and windows and hauling off computers, Bibles, and church funds, according to accounts posted online by church members and their allies.

Those accounts said worshippers who resisted were beaten, with dozens hospitalized with serious injuries.

Wang, Yang, and three other church leaders were convicted on Nov. 25 on charges including illegally occupying agricultural land and assembling a crowd to disrupt traffic. Yang, 51, received a seven-year sentence, while Wang, 56, and the others received terms of three to four years. Five others were sentenced without trial to two years in a labour camp.

Other church leaders have gone into hiding.

Courts, police and government officials in Linfen refused to comment on the claims of violence and persecution. A local Communist Party spokesman said only that the case centred on the mega-church's lack of planning approval.

"We have always supported and allowed everybody to believe in religion. But the church itself is an illegally constructed building," said the spokesman, who would give only his surname, Wang.

A lawyer for Wang and Yang, Li Fangping, said the church had applied for permits to build the church from the local religious affairs bureau and the land use authority, but received no reply.

Almost three months after the crackdown, people in and around Linfen refuse to discuss the church, and police vehicles remain parked on virtually every corner of the neighbourhood where the Golden Lamp is located.
(3news.co.nz, 11 Dec 2009) (to index)