Lima, Peru—Congressman Moises Mamani invited UPF-Peru president, Dr. Trevor Edward Jones, to speak at a forum on human rights that was held at the Congress of Peru in Lima on October 4, 2017. Among the guests at the event were the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates and the Ambassador of Indonesia of Peru, several congressmen and representatives of NGOs.
A panel of experts gave different opinions on the need for existing human rights legislation in Peru to be more widely understood by the public so that people understand how they can claim their rights when they are violated. Many women in Peru suffer abuse and attacks daily due to the “machismo” attitude of many men. The speakers also called for more action by the government to implement the laws on human rights and make sure that lawyers and police are more aware of the responsibility that they have to help such people.
Dr. Jones spoke about the vision of UPF, emphasizing two main aspects of it: “we are one family under God” and “the family is the school of love and peace,” and applied them to the topic of the forum.
Additionally, he briefly explained the history of UPF, including its founding in 2005 by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and the various work it has carried out in Peru and around the world. He also mentioned the upcoming inauguration of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in Peru, and invited the congressmen to attend.
An audience of more than 200 people listened carefully to the presentations and applauded the speakers.
After the speeches, various leaders were recognized for their work, including Dr. Jones, who was honored “for his outstanding contribution to the peace of Peru and between nations, recognizing many Peruvians as persons of peace and the social good” (Ambassadors for Peace).