AMECEA: Forum of Catholic Women Association Leaders on Protecting Children from Radicalization
Dalphina Rubyema
The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) has conducted a forum of Catholic Women Association leaders in order to discuss the challenges faced by children as well as to find solutions on how to prevent religious extremism.
The three-day workshop held at Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), has involved Catholic women the leaders from Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Zambia and Tanzania as the host country.
Opening the workshop, the Secretary General of AMECEA Fr. Anthony Makunde, said that the solution to the cruel challenges facing the children lies in the hands of women who are in the front-line to overcome challenges due to their wisdom and prudence which is a gift from God to mothers.
He said almost the entire AMECEA region is faced with similar challenges regarding to violence against children, so collective efforts are needed not only from Catholic Women but also Catholic Men Associations and other stakeholders.
“Women are always invincible and a backbone of the family and the Church in general. Your courage is a gift from God because you are doing great things that you do not even learn about anywhere else…you are caring, patient, compassionate enough to even risk your life to save others,” he said.
Fr. Makunde said that with the gift given to women, it is easy to advise youth and not to be persuaded to fall prey to religious ideological extremism because radicalization has been a cause for crime and extreme cruelty against fellow human beings.
He used the opportunity to convey the greetings of the AMECEA Chairman, Bishop Charles Kasonde who, among other things, promise to the Catholic Women’s leaders, that they are a strong pillar in the African Church and so he has great faith in them.
Speaking on the overall objectives of the forum, the Coordinator of the Department of Social Communication AMECEA, Father Andrew Kaufa, said expects that by the end of the forum, participants would understand the different factors contributing to radicalization and religious ideological extremism among children in their contexts whereby, at the end, they would discuss the role Catholic women can play to protect their children and develop some key action points with specific outcomes, outputs and timeline.
On his part, the facilitator of the workshop Mr. Okok Obuoga, said that the expectation of AMECEA is for participants to use the knowledge they have acquired to bring about positive changes in their conferences, including the issue of bringing parents closer to their children so that they are able to notice in a timely manner signs of radicalization in children, including in war zones.
Speaking about the workshop, the Coordinator of the Catholic Women in Union in South Sudan, Mrs. Dominica Anthony Olum, said that the forum has opened her eyes and given a new light where she said despite her country being faced with various challenges, but through this workshop, in collaboration with other groups of women in her country will continue to create a good environment for children to overcome violence.
“We will create an environment for young people to generate income in a positive manner that to continue to be agents of violence and causing death or permanent disability without even benefiting from what they are fighting for,” she said.
The workshop has been organized by AMECEA through its Project ‘Empowerment of Women to Protect Children from Radicalization’.
