“Millions of people live in substandard living conditions without human dignity with
the violations of their basic rights. Asian countries have both incoming and outgoing
migrants. The original people of our continent, the Indigenous people are exploited
in every way. As a responsible mother, the Church plays a vital role in responding
to their cry”, says Fr. Nichiy Sagayam, OFM Cap. executive secretary of the Federation
of Asian Bishops Conference’ Office for Human Development.
The FABC held a
special workshop on the Church’s Response to the Issues of Migrants and Indigenous
Peoples in the light of Catholic Social Teaching with special reference to Caritas
in Veritate from 26th to 29th July, 2011, at the Redemptorist
Centre, Pattaya, Thailand. The main focus of the workshop was “the Church’s response
to the struggles of migrants and indigenous peoples in the light of the Catholic social
teachings”.
Over half the world's population lives in the Asia-Pacific region
and Asia alone hosts around 53 million out of the world's 191 million migrants. Speaking
to Emer McCarthy, Fr Nithiya points out “More than half of the Christians in Asia
is of the indigenous peoples; the majority of them are from the rural areas that are
filled with poverty and deprivation leading them to migrate into towns and to other
countries for job and survival. The migrants are easily exploited, less paid, trafficked
and marginalised. Their rights and dignity are neither upheld nor protected”.
The
Church in Asia has drawn up a list of proposals at global, national, diocesan and
parish levels. One these is to create a support network between parishes so that
migrants from one country to the next – or even from the country to the city – have
a contact base. In this way they can become informed of the living and working realities
in their host countries, their rights and obligations under law, or even more simply,
have a friendly face and word of comfort and encouragement. Listen to full
interview: