Bishops join white-ribbon campaigners
MORE than 60 bishops wore a white ribbon this week to show their
support for a global campaign against gender-based violence. The 16
Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international
campaign that starts on 25 November, International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December,
Human Rights Day. The Bishop of Aston, the Rt Revd Andrew Watson,
is leading the Church of England's campaign.
Pakistani Christians denied asylum
OF THE 309 asylum claims made by Pakistani Christians to the UK
between 2010 and 2013, fewer than half (126) were granted, the
British Pakistani Christian Association (BCPA) has found. The
figures, published on Tuesday, were obtained under the Freedom of
Information Act. The chairman of BPCA, Wilson Chowdhry, said: "We
strongly believe the proportion should be much higher, and we call
on the UKBA and Home Office to better understand the situation of
Christians in Pakistan."
Cryptic crossword setter dies after a few final
riddles
THE Revd John Graham, who compiled crosswords for The
Guardian for more than 50 years, under the pseudonym
Araucaria, died on Tuesday, aged 92. Mr Graham revealed that he was
dying of cancer in a cryptic crossword in January (News, 18
January). Ordained in the Church of England in 1948, he also
set crosswords for the Financial Times and the Church
Times. His final crossword for The Guardian
in November included clues with the solutions "time to go" and
"cottage hospital". Obituary to follow.
Teach about relationships, says Children's
Society
SCHOOLS and health and youth services must get better at
teaching children about healthy relationships, the chief executive
of the Children's Society, Matthew Reid, said on Tuesday. He spoke
after the publication ofa report, If Only Someone Had
Listened, by the Children's Commissioner, Maggie Atkinson,
which found that young people "have a very limited understanding of
how to get consent to have sex". On Tuesday, Mrs Atkinson said:
"Children associated with, but not necessarily in, gangs, are
subjected to appalling levels of sexual violence; pornography, to
which most children are exposed, affects their behaviour,
attitudes, and beliefs about sex; and too many children and young
people are still being failed by the agencies charged with their
protection."