|
Government accusations
Vaz recently completed an investigation into Youth With A Mission. His report accuses the group of "hiding their intent to evangelize" and bribing tribe members with tools and medicine to get them to listen to the Gospel.
The report, without elaboration, accuses the missionaries of slavery, illegally taking blood samples from Indians and illegally removing Indian children.
Braulia Ribeira, who runs YWAM's operations in the Amazon, denies the allegations. "I think they threw as many accusations as they could, hoping that at least one of them would stick," she says.
"They are trying to take the focus off the problems," Marcia Suzuki says. "Children are being killed, hundreds, in very cruel ways … but the government is trying to distract people and say, 'No, it's not the problem. The problem is the missionaries.' "
The missionaries deny that they are using infanticide as a smokescreen for efforts to convert Indians. YWAM members, including Marcia and Edson Suzuki, often live with tribes for decades, learning their ancient languages and providing health care and education. Despite their religious orientation, Ribeira says, they do not proselytize. "Our main mission," she says, "is to provide access to means of survival."
At one site where YWAM works, deep in the jungle near Porto Velho, an Indian girl wears a Jesus T-shirt.
Francisca Irving, one of the missionaries working there, admits preaching the gospel to Indians. "Yes, we teach Jesus," she says. "I would lie if I told you we didn't talk about Jesus."
The legislative push against infanticide is gaining steam in the Brazilian legislature. One house of the Brazilian legislature has passed a bill that would allow children whose lives are "at risk due to cultural practices" to be removed from their homes.
Vaz says the Department of Indian Affairs is developing a policy.
"Infanticide is a serious issue, which needs to be discussed," he says. But "this is not a discussion that must only be seen through the Christian perspective."
Dan Harris is an anchor/correspondent with ABC News
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-09-22-infanticide_N.htm |
|