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Remembering our humanity, Maureen O’Neill, Director, Faith in Older People writes this week's Justice and Peace Scotland blog.  

Malcolm Goldsmith founded Faith in Older People because he was very aware that not only do older people have specific needs but that quite often, they cease to attend their church without anyone really knowing why. 

He developed a deep knowledge of the impact of dementia both on those experiencing it and on their carers, as well as the need to ensure that churches enable their continued inclusion in worship and the companionship of members of the congregation.  Faith in Older People is a response to the needs of older people and the importance of providing practical support to clergy, pastoral carers and others. 

FiOP has picked up his challenge:

“…to face up to the presence of dementia within our midst is to discover opportunities for service and growth that are entirely consistent with the church’s distinctive mission and role within society. To ignore that challenge is to raise serious questions about our understanding of what it means to be a church but also about our understanding of what it means to be human” (In a Strange Land- Malcolm Goldsmith).

Whilst dementia has been a key focus for FiOP, as we developed and consulted upon a learning resource for faith communities we have taken the challenge to look beyond dementia. We need to confront the difficult issues facing all individuals and communities, and we must strive for the inclusion of those who are vulnerable, lonely and isolated, bereaved, experiencing physical and mental distress and those who need the support and comfort that the church brings. 

FiOP works with those of all faiths and none to celebrate the lives of older people and to recognise and appreciate the vital contribution that faith communities play in supporting people in their place of worship, in their own homes, or in a care setting.

We want to help people feel confident, competent and comfortable in including those who have different needs, abilities and capacity.  We must say ‘hello’ and not shrink from conversations around loss, whatever kind, because we feel we don’t know what to say.  We need to remember that this could be us at some time.

FiOP works collaboratively with a range of individuals and organisations that enables us to benefit from the skills, knowledge and expertise of those who can develop and promote our work. Whilst dementia will continue to be a critical issue, we also focus on loneliness and isolation, mental health, spiritual care, education for health and social care staff, and always with an ecumenical and inter faith approach.

Perhaps we just need to remind ourselves of St Paul’s words “faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love”.

Faith in Older People website: https://www.faithinolderpeople.org.uk/
February 2020

St Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped into slavery at the age of 7 and Saturday 8th February marks the anniversary of her death which is also a day of prayer for victims of human trafficking and those who work to combat it.  Alister Bull of Hope For Justice is one such dedicated person working to end slavery and he writes this week's J&P Scotland blog.

Vietnam and Scotland have become inextricably linked through the rise of human trafficking. Who would have thought that Scotland, a nation that rid itself of historical slavery, is fettered by modern slavery. We may well come to terms with our past in restitution by Glasgow institutions but that is only half the story.

Slavery is still a problem today in Scotland and the numbers are rising rapidly. It has been nearly a 75% increase in the last year. The only means available to determine numbers are through figures produced by the National Crime Agency.

It has shown that from 2018 to 2019 the numbers of Vietnamese victims of human trafficking have astonishingly tripled. It makes Scotland not just top in figures, in the domestic nations of the UK for this nationality, but also Europe.

Understandably, such an escalation has stretched the Scottish statutory agencies. A perfect storm wreaks havoc as marginalised, pressurised and persecuted youth of certain sectors of Vietnam opt for the deceptively dangerous journey to seek a better way of life in the UK. What a desperate choice, when unaware of the pitfalls, they are exposed and vulnerable to the cruel hands of serious organised crime groups who have the pretence to offer a helping hand promising a better life. All it is, is to have a firm criminal grip on their future. The sad reality for these young people is that their dreams are fuelled by lies and they only discover this until it is too late. We need only think of the tragic texts goodbye to their loved one of the 39 Vietnamese victims suffocating in the back of a lorry in 2019.

It is one thing to try and resolve the presenting problem in Scotland but more needs to be done at the country of origin where government funded agencies unscrupulously encourage mass immigration of its younger population to generate returning income. It is a shocking culmination of factors but the net result is that slavery is happening here in Scotland.

There may well be debate that surrounds immigration but that should not deflect from the sordid and dark underbelly of Scottish society where serious organised crime groups, numbering over 400 in Scotland, run amok on human trafficking victims.

We may feel disempowered and resigned to a new trend and phenomenon but that response is not a moral option. This is why, over the past 2 years, I’ve sought to train face to face, #unlockingfreedom in Scottish communities so we can spot the signs and know what to do.

Hope for Justice has invested resources for this to be achieved and charities working in Scottish communities have benefited from this funded training. The challenging part is that the numbers of victims have only increased. I know that might be accounted for by an increase in numbers of incidences but I also hold out for that thought, that we are also raising awareness.

If you have reached this point in my blog, then my ask is to reach out to me directly to arrange training, receive information or recommend our training to organisations in your community so we can be the eyes and ears and spot the signs. Why? So we are #changinglives and #endingslavery.

This week in our blog, Danny Sweeney reflects on Holocaust Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps.