Key Quotes for 2004

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March




An article from Pollsmoor Prison, Cape Town, South Africa reported that there is an horrendous backlog in the court system and serious overcrowding in prison. A significant proportion of the youngsters are from dysfunctional families, and although the re-offending rate is very similar to the UK (80 per cent plus), one must look at the overall numbers here in prison - 4 out of every 1000 South Africans. The standard of education is very poor amongst most inmates, and this exacerbates the problem of crime as their access to employment in a country with 40 per cent unemployment is very limited.
Crime	Christian Focus - June 2004



Sri Lanka has a population of 19.5 million, 4 million of whom live below the poverty line. In the country's capital, Colombo, it is estimated there are 2,000 children living and working on the streets. A further 2,500 children live on the streets in other cities across Sri Lanka.
Social Issues	Interact - July / September 2004



Four out of five people in England and Wales express a religious affiliation, and 74 per cent describe themselves as Christian, according to the latest Home Office citizenship survey. The figure for the number of people identifing themselves as Christians is slightly up on the 71.1 per cent figure derived from the 2001 census. Two per cent of those surveyed described themselves as Muslim and similar number as Hindu. However, though the headline figure of 80 per cent may be impressive, only 20 per cent of respondents said that their religious belief was an important part of their identinty - and members of ethnic minority groups were more likely to answer yes to the question.
Religion/Spirituality	Reform - July / August 2004



The latest annual figures show an average annual rise of 0.7 per cent in under 18 conceptions, and highest rises paradoxically in areas where special government programmes have been set up to address the issue: Oxfordshire (7.3 per cent), Cornwall (14.6 per cent), Torbay (22 per cent).
Sex	Christian Herald - 29th May 2004



About 15 per cent of the UK population are disabled (approx 8.6 million). Learning disability affects over 1 million people in the UK. Over 5.5 million disabled people are of working age/ Less than 8 per cent of disabled people use wheelchairs. 95 per cent of the population will experience disability at some point in their lives.
Health	Christian Herald - 29th May 2004



Japan Country Profile- Japanese name: Nihon or Nippon Capital: Tokyo Population: 126 million Area: 377,800 sq km Currency: Yen GNP: $4,190.2 billion (1997) Per Capita income: $33,319 (1997) Form of government: Constitutional monarchy Official language: Japanese Although as many as 85 per cent of the 126 million inhabitants claim to have no religion, both Shinto and Buddhism are deeply ingrained in the Japanese culture. Although many families celebrate Christmas statistics show that only around 1 per cent of the population claim Christ as their saviour.
Money	Christian Herald - 29th May 2004



In 1970 only 29 per cent of females aged 15-19 had premarital sex. By 1991, the figure shot up to 54 per cent. The greatest increase was among the youngest teens. In 1970, fewer than 5 per cent of 15 year olds had experienced sex. That soared five fold to 26 per cent by 1988." There were only 59,000 births to unmarried teens in 1950 which skyrocketed ten fold to 522,000 by 1990. And there were 364,000 abortions to teenagers in 1990, but hardly any before 1970.
Sex	Evangelicals now - June 2004



Two major studies, by Columbia University and Yale University, followed up 12,000 young people who had pledged to remain virgins until they were married, and found: 88 per cent of those who made a public pledge had sex before marriage - only 12 per cent kept the pledge. The rate of sexually transmitted diseases was virtually the same among those who had made the pledge and those who hadn't. A much higher rate of abstinence-pledging young people had unprotected sex without a condom (60 per cent) as opposed to he general population (40 per cent). Although the abstinence pledge did not seem to stop most young people from having pre-marital sex. It did mean they waited longer before becoming sexual active - by 18 months on average. When large numbers of school students made the promise together - 30 per cent or more of the student body - the failure rate was much higher than when those who made the pledge were a smaller minority.
Sex	Christian Herald - 5th June 2004



Sub-Saharan communities have one of the largest orphan populations in the world because as many as 30 per cent of adults are infected by HIV and overall more than 40 million people are living with the disease. In fact more than 95 per cent of AIDS cases occur in the poorest countries of thw world.
Health	Christian Herald - 5th June 2004



Michael Tait - "It is a great honor for me to accept a vocalist position with music legend Carlos Santana.
What famous people say	Christian Herald - 5th June 2004



In 2003, in the USA, Canada and the Pacific Rim countries Fairtrade sales increased by 37 per cent over the previous year and totalled $251 million. Sales of Fairtrade produce products in the UK in 2003 totalled £92.3 million, an increase of 91 per cent over the previous two years. Fairtrade involves the following priciples; Producers receive a fair price - a living wage. For commodities, farmers receive a stable minimum price. Forced labour and exploitative child labour are not allowed. Buyers and producers trade under direct long term relationships. Sustainable production techniques are encouraged. Producers have access to financial and technical assistance. Working conditions are healthy and safe. Equal employment opportunities are provided for all. All aspects of trade and production are open to public accountability.
Money	The Church of England Newspaper - 3rd June 2004



The survey, Churches and Children found that less than a third of churches interviewed were shown to have an established recruitment policy (31 per cent), while only slightly more (34 per cent) take up written references before appointing workers. Both were key recommendations of the Government report, Safe from Harm, issued over ten years ago, detailing guidelines for safeguarding children's welfare. Alarmingly, 9 per cent of churches had no selection process whatsoever and accept all who apply. 75 per cent of churches in England know about the CCPAS (Churches Child Protection Advisory Service) child protection manual and more than one in five use it. An impressive 83 per cent of churches supervising offenders who could pose a risk to children use CCPAS pastoral support and supervision guidelines.
Church	Joy - June 2004



The number of babies that were aborted on grounds of disability rose by approximately 8 per cent between 2001 and 2003 in the UK, according to the latest figures made available for Office of National Statistics. The shocking figures released show that 1,863 abortions were carried out for this reason in 2002, compared with just over 1,700 for the previous year.
Sex	The Universe - 6th June 2004



Footballer Linvoy Primus from Portsmouth has been quoted as saying - Immediately I took up the attitude that if they didn't want me then why should I make the effort in training. But after studying scripture for guidance I had a significant change of attitude to football and resolved to do my very best for God, honouring him in all I did, serving God with all my heart and doing everything for him. I was bent on trying to impress God, not the manager or the supporters. Everything I achieved thereafter that season was not from my own ability or strength. Through working hard in training, after an injury to one of our players, I was given the opportunity in the team and eventually secured a regular place.
What famous people say	Faith for Life - Summer 2004



A male born in England in the 1850's had a life expectancy of just over 40 years while a female might expect to live to 42. By 2000 a man's life expectancy was 76 years and a woman's 80. With advances in genetic medicine some experts believe that life expectancy will continue to increase and that children born in 2100 could expect to live for well over 100 years.
Health	Evangelical Times - July 2004

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