world council of churches

Religions unite for children (excerpt from WCC News)
Sara Speicher


The faces of children appear daily before us on our television screens and in magazines and newspapers, illustrating innocent victims of violence and tragedy. Child soldiers and child prostitutes, victims of poverty, hunger, and domestic abuse, orphans because of HIV/AIDS, homeless on the streets or in refugees camps, victims -- and now more often perpetrators -- of crime, children are prey to the worst forms of violence and abuse and often deprived of the assistance and resources necessary to help them recover and grow into a healthy and fulfilling life. Many international organisations and NGOs have formed over the years to address children’s issues. Now a new network has been launched, one with a vision of mobilising millions of people all over the globe around the common concern of the welfare of children. The Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) aims to be "a child-focused network dedicated to the sharing of information and the building of action coalitions."

The GNRC is the dream of The Arigatou Foundation, a Buddhist peace organisation based in Japan. The first forum and launch of the GNRC was held in Tokyo, 16-18 May, with 200 participants from all continents and from seven different religions. Keishi Miyamoto, representative of the Arigatou Foundation, noted the impetus for forming the network: "During my 10 year work with The Arigatou Foundation, I found that there were so many religious persons or organisations dedicated to the activities for children and trying to improve the environment surrounding children of the world. I also found that there was less communication and co-operation among those people or organisations because of the lack of places for information exchange and opinion sharing. It seemed possible for me that Arigatou Foundation of Myochikai could facilitate that religious co-operation through common activities to save children."

The World Council of Churches was contacted in the early stages of the development of the Network and assisted in the planning for the GNRC. Hans Ucko, staff for WCC Inter-religious Relations and Dialogue, and Marta Palma, co-ordinator of the WCC’s Global Ecumenical Children’s Network participated in the first Forum. Two children from the WCC network also spoke at the Forum, Arnold Engel from Canada and Patricia Cruzado Munoz from Peru.

The WCC’s work has been focused on children rights and empowerment. Since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was accepted by the UN General Assembly in 1989, the WCC has advocated for effective implementation of the recommendations. The WCC has also sought to empower children and children’s networks to allow for the active participation and leadership of children in the activities affecting their welfare. As one member of the Global Ecumenical Children’s Network has said, "Children need to be given the means to face the future." In supporting the GNRC, Palma states, "It is important for Christians to co-operate with other religions not only because we share a common concern and vision but because many children live in an inter-faith society, even one in which Christians are a minority." In a preliminary group report from the Forum, it was noted "At a time when the world in many regions is torn apart by differences in religion, the GNRC has brought all the major religious of the world on one platform, in harmony and goodwill, and with a resolve to work for the dignification of the life of the children of the world irrespective of nationality or religions."

The GNRC will focus on developing platforms for the sharing of information and developing common action at the grassroots level. Recommendations coming from the working groups of the first Forum (soon to be made public) will be the basis for the next actions of the network. In reflecting on the role of the WCC, Ucko noted that "The WCC has been and will continue to be involved.... It is important for us as Christians to support this initially Buddhist initiative, which wants to bring religious people from all religions in common action for the dignity of children."

Information is available on the website of The Global Network of Religions for Children www.gnrc.ne.jp.

Sara Speicher is Coordinator of Communications for Interreligious Relations in the World Council of Churches.


Go to A statement from the first forum of the Global Network of Religions for Children
Return to Current Dialogue (35), July 2000

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