Dear Members and Friends,
Please accept our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones for your end of year events. We sincerely hope that the start of the New Year will be positive and that good things will come your way. Here is a brief update, all stemming from difficult contexts but where actions grounded in simple justice ceaselessly continue to mend,heal and protect. We couldn’t do this without the courage and dedication of our teams and partners on the ground, and your support!
1° Syria
While there is relief that the despised regime of dictators Hafez and Bashar al-Assad has been defeated, the future remains uncertain and fragile. The human toll is immense. Millions have become refugees or displaced due to the war. Whatever happens politically, we must keep in mind the prediction made by many Syrian survivors after so many years of war: “It cannot possibly be worse than before.” For Vivere and its team on the ground, the mandate remains unchanged: providing aid and protection to the most vulnerable and the youngest.
This photo was sent to us by our local team and shows Muhammad, a child supported by our program.
“Son of a very poor and deeply unfortunate family, consisting of the parents and three children. A family displaced by the war, originally from the area around Palmyra, with nothing but a few blankets, mattresses, and clothes. They now live in a tent in a village near T…. The father is a simple laborer who takes any work available to feed his family.”
2° Pakistan : Improving Justice for Children in Conflict with the Law
In an upcoming edition, we will present a range of results from the work conducted on-site during the second half of 2024. For now, here are two notable achievements:
Theatrical Production:
Last month,our partner in Punjab produced and performed a play in Lahore. It was the culmination of 8 months of extensive preparatory work and was the result of an idea conceived of by LAW and Vivere in order to highlight common violations of the fundamental rights of minors. Performed in Urdu and subtitled in English, you can watch the 27-minute play 8-7-24.mp4
One of the fundamental legal rules is that a minor apprehended by law enforcement must never be handcuffed. However, in practice, this protective measure for minors is rarely upheld, as evidenced by this photo:
Investigation of Minors at Risk or Convicted for Crimes Punishable by Death or Life Imprisonment in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Last August, , we completed an investigation conducted in 17 prisons across these two provinces in collaboration with our partner organisation Sanjong (in Balochistan: the prisons of Mach, Mastung, Noshki, Loralai, Ghaddani, and Quetta; in KP: the prisons of Peshawar, Abbottabad, Manshera, Haripur, Swat, Malakand, Charsada, Chitral, Bannu, Kohat, and Timergara).
The survey identified 163 juvenile detainees at risk of being sentenced to death or life imprisonment—sentences prohibited by international legal bodies to which Pakistan is a signatory.
The full report of this investigation can be obtained upon request via contact@vivere.ch. Based on these findings, we are urging local authorities to address and rectify these severe abuses of power which so devastatingly impact large segments of Pakistani youth.
3° Democratic Republic of Congo.
Compensation for Victims of Serious Crimes Committed by Uniformed Personnel: For the fourth consecutive year, we carried out this initiative, this time in Goma, North Kivu, with our partner, the women’s association Protection et Solidarité. Nine women and one man, who suffered physical abuse at the hands of soldiers and whose cases were recognized by the courts, had nonetheless received no reparations, neither from their perpetrators nor from the Congolese state.
For Vivere, this is not about replacing the culpable parties or absolving the government of its responsibilities. Rather, it is a symbolic operation aimed at mobilizing public opinion and high-level officials to acknowledge the duty of reparations for those who have been severely harmed and wronged by criminal acts.
In a public gathering, each victim is given work equipment that allows them to generate their own income afterward. The donation is valued at USD $200 per person (CHF 179 / €191). Depending on the victim’s individual choice and professional skills, the tools provided can range widely, including materials for basket weaving, a sewing machine, a bicycle for transporting jerrycans, a dynamo, poultry,etc.
Images from the October distributions:
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Our partner is also committed to supporting and following up with each beneficiary to ensure that they manage their trade or professional activity satisfactorily, or to provide guidance if needed. In the vast majority of cases, progress is positive, and the beneficiaries regain a promising outlook on life.
Images from recent impromptu visits conducted by a Vivere representative:
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Map of armed groups operating in the provinces of Sud-Kivu and Maniema, in the east of the DRCongo: the illegal proliferation of militias and armed gangs is one of the main things that has made life completely intolerable for the local population for more than twenty years. The sheer scale of brutality of the acts committed by these illegal gangs more than justify the protection and help that Vivere has been providing here since 2004. The ‘Reseau Local de Protection des Civils ‘ (local network to protect civilians)-our local partner in South Kivu has identified 41 , armed groups made up of local people and foreigners who are active in these two provinces and listed the types of activity that these groups are responsible for in the villages under their control.
- Arbitrary arrests
- Torture, inhuman and degrading treatment
- Slave labour
- Setting fire to villages
- Theft of livestock
- Setting up illegal barriers and demanding payment
- Armed robbery
- Illegal exploitation of minors
- Rounding up children and recruiting them into their armed gangs
- Incitement to tribal hatred
An example of this with regards to Fizi territory :
Similarly, the Working Group on Transitional Justice in South Kivu has published a directory for South Kivu documenting serious human rights violations that could constitute international crimes. This research is rigourous, reliable and highly recommended
The two complete documents mentioned above are available on request from contact@vivere.ch
5° Iraq: A Proposed Amendment Could Allow Men to Marry Young Girls as Early as Age 9
Our friends at AVAAZ have initiated this alert campaign, and we urge you to pay attention to this critical issue:
We must stop this bill before it is voted on, so SIGN to make the voices of Iraqi women heard.
Avaaz – Iraq: No to the Legalization of Child Rape
It is worth highlighting that the Avaaz team, as whistleblowers, is a true benchmark for anyone paying attention to the most critical issues currently shaking the world. The reliability of the information they provide and the relevance of their proposed actions have often inspired sections of Vivere’s updates. Your support for the Avaaz petitions we share undoubtedly helps make a meaningful difference in achieving greater justice.
5° Solidarity Christmas Market, Lausanne, December 12-14
Vivere volunteers took turns to volunteer throughout, and thoroughly enjoyed being able to make contact both with members of the public and activists from other organizations running the stands. We recorded a highly appreciated net profit of CHF 3,238 (€ 3,445), every single franc of which will be allocated equally to the following initiatives:
- Colombia: Nutritional and educational support for children from the communities of Magangue, within the framework of peace-building efforts (partner: Atucsara).
- Burundi: Support for ten women sex workers through income-generating activities, based on their desire to leave prostitution, which extreme poverty had driven them into (partner: Solidarity of Women for Social Welfare and Progress).
6° Date to Remember: Thursday, May 8, 2025, for Vivere’s Annual General Assembly
Please mark this important event in your calendar! It is a key moment in the democratic life of the movement. Your participation is highly encouraged and greatly valued.
Dear Members and Friends,we are forever grateful for your interest in Vivere’s work and for the trust you place in us; this means so much. We wish you a wonderful New Year and 2025!
The Vivere Committee