On January 7th, 2016, Nilce Magalhães de Souza disappeared from her home, never to be seen again. Nicinha, as she was known locally, was a leader in the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) in Brazil, which is a Development and Peace partner. She was actively protesting against the Jirau Hydroelectric Plant in the northern province of Rondônia in the Amazon.
After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the nation received a massive influx of humanitarian assistance. However, assistance was not always allocated in such a way as to respect human rights. In some cases, it was distributed in poor conditions, where people had to line up for hours to receive food assistance, or without taking into account the real needs of communities.
It doesn’t take much to get a game of soccer going. A ball and some makeshift goalposts are all that are required for anyone to start a match. Its accessibility is surely one of the main reasons why the sport is so popular and can be seen played in even some of the remotest corners of the world. Yet, this summer’s 2014 World Cup, currently taking place in Brazil, has raised many questions as to whether soccer is still every person’s sport.
Pope Francis is currently on a pilgrimage in the Holy Land and has brought with him a message of peace. While travelling towards Jerusalem, he passed through Jordan, Palestine and Israel, and took the opportunity to highlight the work of the local Caritas offices in the region, which are helping victims of the conflict in the Middle East, mainly refugees.
On the first leg of his trip in Jordan, the Pope told dignitaries at the Royal Palace about the work of Caritas Jordan and how it is helping Syrian refugees who have been driven from their homes.
An era of systematic violations of human rights came to an end in Paraguay following the fall of the dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner (1954-1989), who headed one of the most brutal regimes on the continent. After the first elections were held, the peasant movement quickly mobilized to address unequal land distribution in the country, where only 400 families own 90 percent of the land, even though most of the population makes its living from agriculture. Since that time, peasants have been working for land reforms to change this situation.
Who knew that a cookie could teach so much! This year, as part of our campaign A Voice for Justice calling for an ombudsman for responsible mining, we gave students the opportunity to understand the realities faced by communities in the Global South when a mining company doesn’t respect their rights. How? By mining cookies!
As violence continues to escalate in the Central African Republic, the Catholic Church in the country is calling for an immediate ceasefire.
"We're deeply concerned about the crisis in Central African Republic (CAR). The situation in Bangui is chaotic. Many people have been killed. The fighting must stop immediately," said Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of the capital Bangui.
In the run up to general elections in Honduras on November 24, Development and Peace has challenged the government of Canada for signing the Canada-Honduras Free Trade Accord (FTA).
23 Canadian organizations issued a call to action to Members of Parliament and all Canadians this week, to ensure that victims of abuse by Canadian extractive companies abroad can access justice in Canada.
