Category: Frontiers

Frontiers

A Day in the Life of Anna Maria

Anna Maria, 15, is recovering at the PREDA Center. She goes to school and loves to learn. She travels to school with 35 other children who are also recovering and overcoming the trauma of abuse. Given care, affirmation support and good therapy, victims are not damaged forever. They can recover and make a success of life. That is the goal of the Childhood for Children Life Recovery Program. There are 53 children recovering in PREDA at present, not all are ready for school.

Frontiers

Priest, Prophet Or Politician

Is he a prophet, priest, politician or a popular uncorrupted elected leader? These are the questions that run through everyone’s mind when they hear that Father Ed Panlilio, 54, a Catholic priest on a leave of absence from regular priestly duties, is now the elected governor of Pampanga Province in the Philippines. Father Ed, as he is affectionally called by the hundreds of thousands who supported his bid for election last May, won against the traditional dynastic families that have ruled for generations. It was a powerful message from the people who had almost despaired of finding an honest independent candidate to oppose the elite. The people want to end the corruption and the culture of vice that the traditional politicians had fostered. Father Ed Panlilio has been named Filipino of the Year 2007 by a leading daily.

Frontiers

The International Criminal Court

It is good news that The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has put several high level political and military suspects on trial for the abuse and exploitation and torture of children. This is a very new and welcome development for victims of violence, abduction, exploitation, abuse and trafficking. “Child offenders, beware; your days are numbered” is the slogan of the children’s rights defenders. Investigations, still secret, are targeting Filipino officials and eventually international arrest warrants could be issued according to human rights campaigners.

Frontiers

Abused Children Can Become Violent

I see from 35 years of experience helping young people overcome the traumatic effects of childhood violence – be it psychological, verbal, physical, economic, military, emotional and sexual abuse – that it seriously damages lives, restricts full human development, reduces potential and can lead to childhood psychosomatic illness. It causes teenagers to become violent, bullies, teenage shooters, indulge in criminal behavior and suffer from adult neurosis. In others, children grow into aggressive and violent teenagers and adults. The absence of parental and family acceptance, understanding, nurturing, and affirming love creates a vacuum and vulnerability for negative and violent influences to dominate the lives of these children and youth.

Frontiers

The Political Power Of GM Seeds

Chairman Mao once said that all political power grows from the barrel of a gun, another said it grows from a barrel of oil, and now it looks like it is going to grow from a barrel of seed. For a generation, many believed that “they who have the oil will rule the world, and if not, they will kill for it.” The thousands of dead women and children, soldiers and civilians in Iraq is strong evidence that it is true indeed.

Frontiers

Pope’s Islamic Stumble

Pope Benedict is learning the hard way that interreligious dialogue these days is a complex and delicate business. Though he has affirmed his respect for Muslims, in a long quotation from the official policy enunciated forty years ago by Vatican II, his decision to quote a polemical medieval text against Muhammad and the Qur’an during a lecture remains puzzling.

Frontiers

God Was With The Poor

When I first went to Calcutta to work in the houses for the dying of Mother Teresa, among the lepers and with the hungry street kids that populated the railway stations, I was a temporary chaplain to the Brothers of Charity founded by Mother Teresa.

Frontiers

The Trafficking Of People

The trafficking of women and children and men, too, as modern slaves is the third biggest earning illegal business in the world today after illegal arms trading and drug. It is a problem that is getting worse as global poverty grows in poor countries and millions more are vulnerable to any kind of false promises of a good job.

Frontiers

A Different Law For The Poor

If ever there is any single piece of evidence that illustrates the gross inequality in the Philippines, it is the treatment of those innocent children accused of crimes and rich politician behind bars. It is a rare once-in-a-life-time event when a rich politician is convicted and jailed for child sex abuse or any other serious crime. Thousands of innocent young people have been arrested, jailed and left to languish in prisons and police station jails with adult criminals and pedophiles in filthy conditions. So just to get one powerful Philippine politician behind bars to serve his sentence gives hope to victims.

Frontiers

Passing By On The Other Side

There has been one more G8 summit, gathering the world’s most powerful leaders. Some more rhetoric moments.

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