Communiqués

BILL C-268 BECOMES LAW

This is the day that the Lord has made (Ps. 118: 24).  The Human Trafficking Bill C-268 has just become Law.  Manitoba MP Joy Smith, together with the help of tens of thousands of citizens like you, has worked tirelessly towards this goal.  Previously Canada carried a prison term of exactly zero years as a punishment for victimizing women and children.  Violence against women is one of the most wide spread violations of human rights; one third of all women will suffer some form of violence in their lifetime.  (Source: United Nations: UN Development Fund for Women).  Today this has begun to change.

The Senate of Canada adopted at Third Reading Bill C-268, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years). The legislation will now be sent to the Governor General of Canada for Royal Assent. Bill C-268 will amend Canada’s Criminal Code to introduce a new human trafficking offence specifically addressing child traffickers.  The new law will provide a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment for anyone convicted of trafficking a minor in Canada and a minimum of six years imprisonment for cases with aggravating factors.

The demand for Bill C-268 arose from a number of human trafficking convictions involving minors where the offender received insignificant sentences. For example, Michael Lennox Mark was convicted on November 10, 2008, for selling a 17- year-old girl for sex. He received a two- year sentence but only spent a week in jail following after his conviction due to the credit of pre-trial custody.

MP Joy Smith has been recognized as a leading expert and speaker on the issue of Human Sex Trafficking and is working at both national and international levels to end human trafficking. Since being elected, MP Joy Smith has advocated for a national action plan to be implemented to combat human trafficking in Canada. In 2007, MP Smith saw her motion M-153, which urged the development of a comprehensive national plan, unanimously passed by the Parliament of Canada.

For more information please visit http://www.joysmith.ca/main.asp?fxoid=FXMenu,7&cat_ID=27&sub_ID=96

A Letter of Condolence from Eileen King

World Day of Prayer International Committee

April 16, 2010

World Day of Prayer Committee of Poland

Johanna Kaminski

ul.Mokotowska 12/10

PL 00-561 Warszawa

POLAND

Dear Sisters,

During this week of national mourning in Poland, we want to assure you that your sisters worldwide are remembering you in their prayers.

Since the WDP worship service in 2005 and the theme, Let Your Light Shine, we have come to know and appreciate how you have shone the light of Christ in difficult circumstances. And it is evident again that the light of Christ is there with you now. 

It was so moving to see all the candles that people brought to the public places and churches all over Poland. Lighted candles were also carried by Polish communities in many parts of the world. Here in New York candles were lit and shining in Greenpoint, a Polish neighborhood in Brooklyn, and also in Chicago.  There were many who gathered with you in this time of darkness, adding their light to yours. 

May your fortitude rooted in faith and love carry you through the devastating loss of your President, Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and 94 other people: leaders across the political spectrum, clergy, relatives of those who died in the Katyn massacre, military officers, and the flight crew. Among those who were killed we recognized the name of Anna Walentynowicz. In the Poland slide series we learned that she was a crane operator and a key activist in the independent labor movement, “Solidarnosc.”

Another link between WDP 2005 and this tragedy is the death of the Lutheran Pastor, Rev. Adam Pilch, husband of Kornelia Pilch. We recall how Kornelia was the preacher during the main WDP service of WDP 2005 in Warsaw and we will continue to pray for her and her children.

May your long tradition of lighting a lamp in the darkness sustain you in the weeks ahead. The light of Christ is with you.

On behalf of Annette Poitier, the Executive Committee and the WDP Committees everywhere.

Sincerely,

Eileen King, Executive Director

WICC welcomes Janet Anstead as new President

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Quadrennial 2007

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