FREEDOM Ministry Director Fr. Peter Spiro undergoes human rights advocacy training in Geneva, Switzerland – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Rev. Dr. Peter J. Spiro, director of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese National FREEDOM Ministry, recently participated in the Human Rights Advocacy Training in Geneva, Switzerland. The weeklong training was organized by the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. During part of the training, Father Peter served as a panelist and spoke on “How to Impact Human Trafficking, and the Ripple Effect of Small Changes That Make a Big Difference.” The more than twenty participants came from more than a dozen countries around the world.

Fr. also attended the United Nations CEDAW meeting in Geneva (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) held during his stay in Switzerland. CEDAW is an instrument that aims to ensure that women have equal human rights as men, and is adopted by almost every country in the UN. The United Nations CEDAW meetings allow a country to produce a report on women’s human rights, which also includes information about their anti-trafficking work. It also provides an opportunity for the UN CEDAW Commissioners to submit their recommendations to the country’s development representatives.

Fr. Peter was able to speak with Nigerian CEDAW Commissioner Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia during a special dinner meeting. Nigeria is one of many countries with significant human trafficking problems. The Commissioner expressed interest in working with Father Fr. on a future conference on human trafficking in Nigeria.

At the end of the conference, Fr. was also asked to make recommendations on how to combat human trafficking to a special committee within the World Council of Churches. These recommendations will be submitted to the UN Commissioners for consideration in their presentations to various countries at upcoming UN meetings that will address women’s rights and human trafficking.

If you have questions about human trafficking or would like to schedule a FREEDOM Ministry training for your parish community, please email Father Peter at (email protected).

Pictured: Father Peter Spiro with Rev. Nicole Ashwood, program director of the World Council of Churches.

Photo: GOARCH/FREEDOM.