A recent visit by family and supporters to an Indonesian prison sparked renewed optimism that Mary Jane Veloso, a domestic worker and trafficking victim who at one time faced a death sentence may eventually secure her release.
A recent visit by family and supporters to an Indonesian prison sparked renewed optimism that Mary Jane Veloso, a domestic worker and trafficking victim who at one time faced a death sentence may eventually secure her release.
Last week, migrants and migrant advocates, working together as Churches Witnessing with Migrants (CWWM), met for its 11th annual international consultation in New York City.
On Wednesday night, people of faith from around the world gathered by Zoom to pray for the dignity of the Filipino people, including that a just and fair election will be held throughout the Philippines on Monday. Mission co-worker the Rev. Cathy Chang was among the featured speakers.
Migrants are one the most vulnerable groups identified in the COVID-19 crisis, but especially so in the Philippines, where about 10 percent of the 100 million total population lives or works abroad because of poverty and lack of employment.
Mary Jane Veloso has 26 days to provide testimony against her traffickers who are currently on trial in the Philippines. She is the last witness for the prosecution. If she successfully testifies, she may be released from prison in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. If she doesn’t, she will remain on death row, awaiting execution for a crime she did not commit.
Ecumenical collaboration is the core of my service as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-worker. That collaboration includes partnering with Churches Witnessing with Migrants (CWWM), a grassroots network of migrants, migrant-serving groups and faith-based institutions. Through ecumenical collaboration, CWWM’s mission is to claim the God-given dignity of migrants in a framework of human rights, sustainability and development justice.
