“Human trafficking should be a major concern of Asian Churches,” says CCA General Secretary

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

18 November 2015

Group-Photo“Human trafficking should be a major concern of Asian Churches”, says CCA General Secretary

“In a situation where trafficking of human beings becomes an increasing trend in Asia, the theological and biblical bases and our Christian value and principle of love of Christ for the stranger, the alien and the suffering one in our midst should be the motivating factor for Churches to be concerned on the rights and dignity of the victims of human trafficking”, said Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).

Delivering the thematic address at the Opening Session of the Asia regional consultation of CCA on the theme “Churches Together for Joint Action against Trafficking of Women and Children”, the CCA General Secretary said: “As transnational migration increases, migrant smuggling and human trafficking also are on the rise. The impacts of human trafficking on human rights are multifaceted. Combating human trafficking should be everyone’s responsibility in this world today and it requires a collective effort. Although international law is a powerful conduit for combating human trafficking, the issues of compliance and enforcement of anti-trafficking laws are problematic, but not impossible to overcome”.

“More public opinion should be mobilized and more coordinated action of ecumenical advocacy needs to be initiated with the active participation of Asian churches”, he added.

The consultation is being held at the Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand from 17-20 November 2015 and attended by about twenty participants from different Asian countries.

While speaking about “Migration and Trafficking in Person; Trafficking in Thailand’s Fishing Industry”, Dr. Krisanaphong Poothakool described the plight of the trafficked victims from Thailand’s neighbouring countries. He said that “human trafficking is rife in Thailand’s fishing industry and most of the victims trafficked to fishing industry sector in Thailand are men and boys from poor, rural areas in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The trafficked persons crossing the border are totally controlled by organised team of traffickers.

He explained that, once on board, they are forced to work in the fishing vessels on the sea for long hours, up to 17 to 20 hours continuously without break for weeks or months in dangerous environments leaving them physically and mentally tortured”.

Several other issues including Trafficking of Women and Children in South Asia, North East Asia, Cambodia, Women and Children in Sex Industry in South East Asia, International and Regional Instruments and Mechanisms for Combating Trafficking also are being dealt at the consultation.