Media Advisory- KAIROS Global Partners Attend Truth and Reconciliation Commission

SASKATOON and TORONTO, June 21, 2012 /CNW/ - KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (KAIROS) staff and Southern partners are attending the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan this week.  Their presence is in response to calls from Indigenous communities in Canada for international witnesses to the TRC hearings.

The partners, who are from Colombia and Palestine, are in Canada as part of KAIROS' Living Courage Tour, visiting Canadian communities to share their experiences of gender violence, conflict, militarization and colonization.  These courageous women are also describing their roles in building peace in their communities and beyond.

WHO:

• Claudia Castellanos Roncancio, a human rights lawyer and advocate from the Popular Feminist Organization (OFP) in Colombia
• Lucy Talgieh, Women's Project Coordinator at Wi'am: Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center in Bethlehem, Occupied Palestinian Territories
• Jennifer Henry, KAIROS Executive Director
• Alfredo Barahona, KAIROS Migrant Justice Program Coordinator
• Julie Graham, KAIROS Education and Campaigns Coordinator

WHAT:  Participation in Truth and Reconciliation hearings in Saskatchewan

WHERE:  Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - see KAIROS website for various venues and locations.

WHEN:  June 20 to 25, 2012

WHY:   Women bear the often-hidden brunt of violence in any society facing conflict or colonization. The Government of Canada and Canadians have much to contribute to ending practices that fuel violence.  By sharing their courageous stories and strategies for change as well as bearing witness to the experiences being shared during the TRC process, it is hoped the women participating in the Living Courage Tour will inspire concerned Canadians to call for change in Canada and in the global South.

In Canada, Indigenous women and girls are five times more likely to face violence and disappearance than non-Indigenous women. There are more than 600 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and in over 80% of these cases the perpetrators have never been brought to trial despite the continuous work of national and provincial Indigenous women's groups.

KAIROS unites eleven churches and religious organizations in faithful action for ecological justice and human rights, including Indigenous rights. It works with 23 partners from around the world. The Women of Courage program conducts visits and research with women's organizations to promote human rights and end violence and impunity, especially in areas of conflict. For more information on the Living Courage Tour and Women of Courage program visit
http://www.kairoscanada.org/dignity-rights/women-of-courage/kairos-2012-living-courage-tour/

Media contact:

Adiat Junaid
Communications Program Coordinator
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
[e-mail]
416.463.5312 x 223