Know Your Human RightsVancouver Human Rights Day Vigil for Darfur
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Vancouver, 10 December 2006: United Nations Human Rights Day in Vancouver was marked by a special human rights vigil held at Simon Fraser University's downtown campus. The vigil focused on the continuing tragedy of genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan in Africa. A series of human rights experts, including Reverend Susan Kerr of the Church of Scientology, spoke on the deadly challenge of Darfur which was highlighted by an emotion-packed slide show depicting the rape and brutilization of women and children in the area. A moment of silence with candlelight was held.The vigil was organized by Clement Apaack, president for the Canadian Students for Darfur and Student Council president for Simon Fraser University.
In her speech, Reverend Kerr reminded the audience that Sunday marked the 58th anniversary of the 1948 signing of Universal Declaration of Rights by the member states of the United Nations. The thirty articles of the Declaration, she said, are not being promoted nor enforced in any meaningful way in many areas of the world and that this leads to atrocities such as Darfur. Kerr urged the participants to take action by writing to government, donating to Oxfam and spreading the word.
Following her speech, the award-winning human rights music video "United" played along with one of the human rights public service announcements produced by Youth for Human Rights International with the assistance of the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology International.
