Meanwhile, relative or less life-threatening poverty diminishes the possibility of human fulfilment for millions of others who, while able to survive, neither enjoy a fair share of the Earth's good nor find it possible to participate in society on an equal footing with others. Among these are the thousands of refugees in today's world - those compelled to leave their own country as well as those forced to move from their homes or towns or villages to other regions within their native land. Their plight was noted with special concern at the World Congress on the Pastoral Promotion of Human Rights. Organisations like Amnesty International draw attention to the large numbers of prisoners of conscience and victims of torture in different parts of the world. Minority groups suffer harassment and violence at the hands of racists and religious fundamentalists.
Indigenous peoples experience numerous forms of oppression.
While a third world war has been avoided, warfare at regional and local levels continues, with non-combatants invariably among those worse affected. Women and children are in the clear majority of those who suffer most from the effects of war, poverty, discrimination and other forms of injustice and abuse, including domestic violence. The benefits flowing from technology and the revolution in transport and communication are far from equitably distributed. Indeed, certain advances in technology and science themselves give rise to grave moral, human rights and justice questions. Some of these, for example in the area of genetics and with regard to euthanasia lead to a rejection of some of the principles behind the Universal Declaration.