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Becket Fund Oral Intervention THE RIGHT TO GIVE AND RECEIVE CHARITABLE AID The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Mr. Chairman, In 1948, a young woman from Albania went to the slums of Calcutta with a simple mission--to care for the "unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." For almost 50 years, she tended to their most basic needs: the need to receive medicine for sickness, the need to be fed, the need to be cleaned, and the need to be part of a community. That woman was Mother Teresa and her years of service eased countless hours of human suffering and brought hope to those who had none. Today, the region that Mother Teresa served in stands devastated by last year's tragic tsunami. Millions of individuals and families suffered paralyzing losses and now struggle daily to rebuild their lives. However, Mother Teresa's order and the people whom they care for are in grave danger in Sri Lanka. In fact, all religious believers who provide charitable aid are in jeopardy. Incredibly, the government of Sri Lanka is considering legislation this month that will block any person of faith from offering aid to someone of another belief. Radical Theravada Buddhist politicians who do not tolerate any religion other than their own have pressured the government to pass this legislation as a method of ostensibly curbing "unethical conversions." This radical minority would sooner see their neighbors suffer than accept a glass of water from someone of another faith. If Sri Lanka's Parliament passes this legislation, it will only undermine its people's economic and social recovery. Of American tsunami relief groups alone, 30 of 67 are faith-based, including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim organizations. World Vision, whose offices were bombed by Buddhist extremists, has stayed in Sri Lanka and provided over 200 million US dollars of tsunami aid. Yet, the proposed legislation would put faith-based aid workers in jail for up to seven years if they are found "guilty" of providing assistance to someone of another religion. In the face of both physical imprisonment and staggering financial penalties, what will happen to the stream of aid that people of faith from around the world have extended to Sri Lanka? What will happen to the child who needs a home, a dose of medicine, or a meal? Sri Lanka ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) on June 11, 1980, thereby agreeing to protect every person's right to give and to receive aid. See ICESCR Article 1(2) (protecting the right to "freely dispose of . . . natural wealth and resources"); ICESCR Article 11(1) (protecting the right to "continuous improvement of living conditions"). Sri Lanka should fulfill its commitment to promoting the economic and social well-being of its citizens by allowing all aid providers, regardless of religious conviction, to give freely, generously, and openly to all Sri Lankans. Last year, the Sri Lankan government told this assembly that it could be trusted to honor its international commitments. However, the government's persistent efforts to criminalize faith-based aid over the course of the past year tell a different story. Therefore, we again call upon this Commission to ask the government to withdraw the proposed legislation. Finally, we appeal to all members of Sri Lanka's Parliament to act in the best interests of their people by opposing passage of this law.
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