Australia: LGBTI loses out to faith-based schools
Peter Riddell
Date posted: 1 Jul 2018
In an ironic turnaround, the LGBTI lobby in Australia is proving to be a significant source of support for faith-based schools, including Christian schools.
In 2010, the government of Victoria rolled out the Safe Schools programme. The purpose of Safe Schools, according to official government speak, was to develop a mechanism to limit bullying within schools of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) students. This programme included professional development activities for school teachers accompanied by materials for the training of students to eliminate discrimination against LGBTI students.
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Cameroon: attacks
On 23 February, Boko Haram insurgents carried out attacks outside the borders of Nigeria and began attacking two villages in northern Cameroon, leaving one person dead and many homes destroyed by fire.
Militias set fire to more than 100 huts, and a Catholic church and school. The fires claimed the life of one person. According to a survivor, militants arrived in the villages ‘and simply did as they pleased’. There was no resistance from security forces.
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Belarus: library fined
Lepel town police arrested members of a church library ministry for singing and offering Christian books and magazines to passers-by at the entrance to the town market, it was reported in December.
The local court repeatedly fined one of them to the total equivalent of double his monthly wage. ‘I’ve been conducting the street library ministry for 16 years, offering Bibles, children’s literature and magazines for people to read and return,’ said a church member. ‘Over the last ten years we never had any conflicts.’