Unstable conditions give rise to violence and crime. Developing countries have a high rate of youth unemployment, causing young people to be more easily lured into extremist movements for religious, political or financial reasons.
The Church’s objective is to relieve this tension. With the help of our international agencies, we aim to change attitudes by increasing dialogue and fostering understanding. This helps prevent the violent radicalisation of extremist movement members in Finland and abroad and to create hope in the future.With our work, we aim to promote stability and peace so that everyone can live in a safe environment. To eventually reach peace agreements with lasting results, it is essential to increase trust between various parties at a grassroots level. As a result, working with local people is the key tenet of our mission agencies.
The Church defends the poor and the excluded and promotes human rights both locally and globally. Human rights belong to everyone, regardless of gender, religion, minority or language. The purpose of human rights as laid down in international human rights agreements is to guarantee everyone a life of human worth and value.Literacy, written language, education and a strengthening of the community’s own readiness are key in understanding and defending our own and our community’s human rights. The Church’s agencies have helped set up and develop the foundation for these keys from the very start.“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12)