The church is, after all, mandated to seek justice for the oppressed. In September 1997 the International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings on religious persecution around the world. Tsultrim Dolma, a Tibetan nun, spoke of the torture and imprisonment she suffered for calling for the release of monks and nuns who protested the lack of religious freedom in Tibet. Her actions are backed by an increasingly powerful bipartisan coalition in Congress. Mr. Craig's task is to promote human rights for Tibetans, to preserve their unique religious, cultural and linguistic heritage and to encourage dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama.
Women worldwide are victims of discrimination and violence.
But the Tibetan women's struggle is directed toward the stopping of genocide and reclaiming their occupied homeland. According to Tibet's Government in exile, they are first and foremost victims of forced military occupation, accounting for nearly a third of the hundreds of political prisoners held in Tibet. Under Chinese occupation, they cannot exercise their fundamental civil and political rights. They are discriminated against as a minority and tortured as prisoners of conscience. As noted above, they are subjected to unfair birth control policies, as well as exposure to life-threatening toxic materials and environmental hazards stemming from nuclear testing and dumping.