Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
organisation which specialises in
religious freedom
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...
and works on behalf of those
persecuted for their Christian beliefs, persecuted for other religious belief or persecuted for lack of belief. Its current president is
Jonathan Aitken
Jonathan William Patrick Aitken (born 30 August 1942) is a British author, Church of England priest, former prisoner and former Conservative Party politician. Beginning his career in journalism, he was elected to Parliament in 1974 (serving unt ...
, who succeeded
Baroness Cox in 2006.
CSW's team of specialist advocates work on over 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, to ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is upheld and protected.
Their vision is a world free from religious persecution, where everyone can practise a religion or belief of their choice.
Independent advocacy
CSW indicates that it is independent of any government or political persuasion, but as an
advocacy
Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...
organisation, CSW also aims to influence governments and other bodies on religious freedom issues in the
international arena. The CSW strives to influence attitudes and behaviours,
legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...
and policies that lead to
religious discrimination
Religious discrimination is treating a person or group differently because of the particular beliefs which they hold about a religion. This includes instances when adherents of different religions, denominations or non-religions are treated u ...
and
religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within soc ...
. They try to achieve lasting change in culture, politics and society.
Through its various resources, events, and initiatives, CSW also aims to mobilise the general public to
pray
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...
, protest and provide on behalf of persecuted Christians, persecuted non-Christians and persecuted people with no
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people often ...
.
Key Strategies
CSW's current Annual Report (2010/11) states that its purpose is to be a voice for justice, pursuing religious freedom for all. To accomplish this, they use four key strategies:
#Documenting and raising awareness of religious persecution.
#Influencing key decision-makers whose policies or actions affect the oppressed.
#Empowering victims of human rights violations.
#Offering support and solidarity to the persecuted.
CSW Annual report 2010/11.
See also
*Persecution of Christians
The persecution of Christians can be historically traced from the first century of the Christian era to the present day. Christian missionaries and converts to Christianity have both been targeted for persecution, sometimes to the point of b ...
*Stefanus Alliance International Stefanus Alliance International (SAI) is a Norwegian mission- and human rights organization, dedicated to defending freedom of belief and religion as expressed in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The organization is based in ...
* Compass Direct
*Forum 18
Forum 18 is a Norwegian human rights organization that promotes religious freedom. The organization's name is based on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Forum 18 summarizes the article as:
*The right to believe, to worship a ...
*Anti-Christian sentiment
Anti-Christian sentiment or Christophobia constitutes opposition or objections to Christians, the Christian religion, and/or its practices. Anti-Christian sentiment is sometimes referred to as Christophobia or Christianophobia, although these terms ...
*International Christian Concern
International Christian Concern (ICC) is an ecumenical, non-governmental organization, non-governmental, Nonpartisanism, non-partisan Christianity, Christian organization, located in Washington, DC, whose concern is the human rights of Christians ...
, a Christian human rights NGO
References
External links
*
Freedom of Religion or Belief in full
CSW's official blog website
Christian advocacy groups
Persecution of Christians
International human rights organizations
Human rights organisations based in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in Surrey
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