Scientology Madrid hosted a five-day Congress on Civil Rights and International Law including a human rights seminar to attendees.

Leaders of Spain’s black community organized and held a five-day congress on civil rights and international law August 1-5 at the National Church of Scientology of Spain.

The congress brought together scholars and leaders of civic and religious organizations to coordinate activities to capitalize on the Spanish Parliament’s recent public apology for Spain’s historic role in the trafficking of black Africans into slavery and its affirmation of the rights and respect due to black people.

Despite this milestone, many serious problems face the black community in Spain today—prejudice, marginalization, inadequate access to quality education, health care and housing. Congress participants discussed these issues and planned coordinated actions to resolve them.

These situations have escalated to a new level by Spain’s financial crisis, with unemployment topping 26 percent—30 percent among immigrants—and the International Monetary Fund predicting 25 percent unemployment for at least five more years.

To provide attendees with resources to counter discrimination and xenophobia, on August 3 the Public Affairs Director of the Church of Scientology Madrid conducted a human rights seminar featuring the human rights curriculum of United for Human Rights, a Church-supported initiative.

The award-winning educational film The Story of Human Rights was shown and attendees were introduced to the booklet What Are Human Rights? and 30 short informational videos that illustrate each of the 30 articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Church of Scientology makes the United for Human Rights educational materials available free of charge to educators, officials and community and religious leaders.

The National Church of Scientology of Spain is an Ideal Scientology Organization. Its facilities are configured to service Scientologists in their ascent to spiritual freedom and serve as a home for the entire community—a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift citizens of all denominations.

The Church of Scientology has published the brochure Scientology: How We Help—United for Human Rights, Making Human Rights a Global Reality to meet requests for more information about the human rights education and awareness initiative it supports. To learn more, visit www.Scientology.org/humanrights.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream,” and the Scientology religion is based on the principles of human rights. The Code of a Scientologist calls on all members of the religion to dedicate themselves “to support true humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights.”