Story on Quebec Duplessis Orphans Atrocities Wins National Award
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Denver, 16 September 2006: At the National Federation of Press Women's annual conference and awards presentation, Freedom Magazine, published by the Church of Scientology International, was awarded as the 1st place winner in the category "Writing for the Web" for its feature article, an exposé on thousands of the "Duplessis Orphans" who died or disappeared in Quebec's psychiatric institutions.
"Naming themselves after former Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis," Freedom Magazine states, "many of these individuals were not orphans at all, but had been born to poor families which had difficulty caring for them, or to unwed mothers. Although no official tallies were kept, over a span of several decades, it has been estimated they numbered in the tens of thousands and perhaps as many as 100,000. Duplessis was Quebec's premier from 1936 to 1939 and from 1944 to 1959. Due to human rights violations, electoral fraud, use of state powers against critics and other abuses, Duplessis' tenure has been called 'the Great Darkness.'"
As many as 50,000 innocent children may have died or disappeared in Quebec's psychiatric institutions, and the article reveals the sordid story to prevent any abuse of this character from ever happening again.
Described in the awards ceremony as "mesmerizing," the story was co-written by Canadian freelance journalist, Christine Hahn and Thomas G. Whittle, Editor of Freedom Magazine.
The National Federation of Press Women is a dynamic nationwide organization of professional women — and men — pursuing careers across the communications spectrum, and committed to "highest ethical standards in communications and protecting First Amendment rights."
Freedom Magazine, published by the Church of Scientology International in the United States and with 20 affiliated editions of magazines and journals published by Scientology churches in 16 more countries, has been carrying out investigative reporting in the public interest since 1968, giving a voice to those who might never otherwise be heard.
To read the
full article on the Duplessis Orphans, visit the
Freedom Magazine web site.
Ground breaking audio-visual presentation in Geneva
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Geneva, 19 September 2006: Presented today at the International Conference Center of Geneva was the European premiere of a unique new human rights education tool - 30 short films which are part of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights awareness campaign implemented on five continents, produced by Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) and the Human Rights Office of the Church of Scientology International.
The premiere was organized by Youth for Human Rights International and Peace and Cooperation [ECOSOC Special Consultative Status since 1999] with the support of European Human Rights Office, Church of Scientology International and the European Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance.
Translated in 17 languages, these short films are part of a global effort to bring a new age of understanding and implementation of human rights standards around the world. “The PSAs [Public Service Announcements] are something entirely new,” said Taron Lexton, the director of this human rights production. “They bring to life the very human rights you actually have right now.”
Today’s event comes a few days after an historic Day of General Discussion, organized by the UN Child’s Rights Committee where 30 young human rights advocates from all over the world officially met with members of the UN body to discuss their right to be heard, as laid out in article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
One of the key recommendations of that day was the need for a significant increase in the implementation of human rights education. “These new 30 PSAs are timely and effective,” said Angelo Kreuzberger, YHRI delegate who was selected to attend the Discussion Day at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “the demand for them by attendees of the conference was amazing. Right after I showed them people were requesting copies so they could use them in their campaign.”
The need for broad-scale human rights education could not be more urgent. Across the globe today, an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year as a commodity for exploitative labor or sex slavery, over 300,000 child soldiers – some as young as 8 – are exploited in armed conflicts at any given time, and 115 million primary school-aged youth are out of school.
Some 450 actors and actresses appear in the short films. The time and effort involved in shoots was equivalent to what it takes to shoot a full, feature length film; five months of post production followed and, in the end, the 30 short films were produced – start of scripting to finish – in seven months.
YHR Canada adds voice to end Darfur conflict
Monday, September 18, 2006
Toronto, 17 September 2006: To mark the Global Day for Darfur, representatives of Youth for Human Rights Canada attended the Ramsden Park rally and concert in downtown Toronto adding their voices in calling for an end to the ongoing ethnic violence in the western Sudan. The Toronto concert was one of 60 such rallies world-wide and attracted 3,000 supporters.
Judith Schwyter, Samantha Cirillo, and Marg Dolbaczuk met with event organizers Senator Romeo Dalliaire and Justin Trudeau to brief them on the YHRI campaign to promote planetary awareness of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Senator Dallaire was outspoken at the rally. He called on Canada to take a leadership role in ending the Darfur conflict. "Our responsibility is clear. We have the capacity. What is lacking is the political will. It now falls to Canada, as a leader of the world's middle powers, to take charge of the mission, prepare for deployment of Canadian Forces and rally other middle powers-such as Japan, Germany, India, Brazil and Scandinavian countries-to commit the resources and troops needed to stop the slaughter."
Besides Senator Dallaire and Justin Trudeau, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations including KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, the Canadian Jewish Congress, and War Child Canada organized the rally.
Historic Audio-Visual Presentation of World’s Foremost Human Rights Charter Released at United Nations
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Fifty-eight years after adoption, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights comes to life in 30 PSAs.New York, August 28, 2006: United Nations officials, embass
y representatives and celebrities joined 120 youth delegates from 25 nations at an international youth summit honoring human rights heroes and featuring the world premiere of a unique new human rights education tool. United Nations officials, embassy representatives and celebrities joined actress Anne Archer and 120 delegates from 25 nations at an international youth summit honoring human rights heroes. The event featured a unique new teaching tool – 30 public service announcements for TV, each portraying a different article of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The “Summit on Making Human Rights a Global Reality”, held in Assembly Room One at the United Nations headquarters in New York, drew human rights activists from countries including the United States, Britain, France, Uganda, Liberia, Egypt, Nepal, Guyana, Colombia and Mexico.
Organized by the Church of Scientology International in coordination with Youth for Human Rights International and the International Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance, the event also featured the presentation of International Human Rights Hero awards at a ceremony MC’d by Anne Archer.
Delegates to the summit were welcomed by Mr. Enzo di Taranto of “United Nations Action Two” and Mr. Hans Janischek, President of the United Nations Society of Writers.
The new PSAs, produced by the Church of Scientology International and Youth for Human Rights International and directed by 22-year-old Taron Lexton received a standing ovation from the 450 attendees.
Joseph Jay Yaseriah, founder of the Youth for Human Rights Liberia Chapter, was awarded as a “Human Rights Hero” for his work to bring peace to his country. Honored with International Human Rights Hero Awards were Iranian-born Nazanin Afshim-Jam, a former Miss Canada who has become a prominent advocate for the rights of the disadvantaged; Joseph Jay Yaseriah, founder of the Youth for Human Rights Liberia Chapter who grew up during the horrific genocides of the 1990s and was twice forced to flee his country before returning to bring reconciliation and reconstruction to his fellow Liberians; Luse Berking, a native Samoan who works with at-risk youth in New Zealand; Chinese-born Teresa Chung, a writer and advocate for women’s rights; and Maxim Weithers who campaigns for human rights education in Canada.
“L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology religion, stressed the importance of human rights, writing: ‘Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream,’" said Leisa Goodman, Human Rights Director of the Church of Scientology International. “With the tremendous popularity of these PSAs, the work of Human Rights Heroes such as those who were awarded here today and the grassroots movement to implement human rights education for all youth around the world gaining such momentum, we know we will make this ‘dream’ come true.”
Know Your Human Rights