#224 Nairobi Indaba on Child Protection; Terrorism and Extremism during COVID-19 Emergencies
Among the many COVID-19 repercussions are child abuse and a heightened focus on child protection. A report from the Indaba on the Theology and Practice of Child Protection—a Jesuit-led East and Southern African gathering in Nairobi from May 23 to 24—highlighted the “roundtable dialogue action building on Pope Francis’ call to unite leaders and people from all sectors to fully participate in the mission of safeguarding children and ensuring their wellbeing post-COVID-19.” The report also noted how “Pope Francis has stated several times that the COVID-19 pandemic is the defining crisis of this generation, from which we can either emerge for better or for worse.” The Indaba, therefore, focused on ensuring that “the cures for the immediate crises are steppingstones to a more just, inclusive, and integrated set of systems,” as well as that “a global, regenerative healing takes place to transform societies and our planet so that we can prepare the future we want. Imagining and creating the future we want through good child protection interventions is good economics, but it is fundamentally an ethical imperative.” This Indaba centered on child protection “aligns with the call by Pope Francis for re-imagining and building a healthy and just world in the post-COVID-19 global order. Notably, he reminded the participants that protecting children is an ethical imperative as children needed protection to live with human dignity.”
Another COVID-19 danger signal is radicalization. A report from the Leimena Institute in Indonesia warns that “the Covid-19 pandemic situation, which has caused individuals to be isolated from their social circles and to spend more time surfing online, has also caused young people to become more vulnerable to radicalization and recruitment to join extremism.”
The rhythm of court cases on religious rights and public health continues, most recently with a New Zealand decision: “24 Pastors, Imam Lose Religious Rights Case As NZ Court Declares COVID-19 Church Restrictions ‘Legal.’”
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