Missionaries of the Sacred

Sometimes, as we reflect on all the various types of injustices in the world, it is easy to become discouraged, to wonder if there is really any point to our efforts to promote justice in the face of such daunting problems. That is why hope is so important; hope keeps us going. While we are called to work to bring about the Kingdom of God (which is based on justice, peace, love and reconciliation), we also  recognize that the Kingdom will not be fulfilled until the end of time.

Keeping a balanced perspective helps us stay hopeful for the future. So, in a time when many injustices and needs are so visible, below are a few reminders of the good that has been done. On both the national and global levels, we have achieved remarkable progress in a  lot of areas. Although there is much work to do, it’s doable!

Poverty

Although the World Bank determined that there were 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty in 2005, poverty rates have decreased significantly in the past 30 years, from 52% in 1981 to 26% in 2005.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence wasn’t given much public attention as a “problem” in the US until 1973, when the first shelter for battered women was founded in Arizona and a movement started to combat domestic violence. While domestic violence continues to be a serious problem today (1 in 3 women worldwide has been beaten or otherwise abused and 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men are victims of domestic violence in the USA), the issue is given much more attention and resources. In the USA, there are now shelters across the nation, a national hotline (1−800−799−SAFE) which is open 24/7 and responds to hundreds of calls a day, as well as a separate helpline for teen dating violence (1-866-331-9474).

Child Health and Education

Since 1960, the mortality rate of children younger than five has decreased by 60%.

Worldwide, the number of children of primary school age who were out of school fell by more than 30% between 1999 and 2006, from 103 million to 73 million.

Labor Policies & Workplace Safety

100 years ago, labor policies were much different than they are today. Workplaces were less safe and injured workers had little recourse.

Child labor used to be common in the United States. In 1900, there were no national laws against child labor and children between the ages of 10 and 15 made up 6% of the labor force. Today there are much stricter regulations regarding the employment of minors and child labor in the US is rare.