TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 92

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The Membership

In response to the growing need for a department within the International Secretariat to meet the individual needs of the sections and to handle the ser- vicing of groups and membership, the International Executive Committee decided in January 1974 to set up the Coordination Unit. The main functions of the Coordination Unit are to implement the International Council decisions on development; to strengthen and supervise the work of the groups, coordination groups and sections; to allocate case sheets; to prepare campaign and other material in cooperation with the Research Department and the Campaign for the Abolition of Torture (CAT) so that each section can use it to the maximum effect; to deal with general inquiries from sections, groups, and individuals; and to organize the International Council meeting.

The closer contact with the sections has enabled the secretariat to cater more effectively for the particular needs of each section. The increase in the number of urgent and other actions has highlighted the need for closer and more regular contact. All sections are now asked to report regularly on actions they have taken in response to material supplied by the secretariat.

Records are kept of organizations and individuals with specialized knowledge or interest so that their support can be enlisted for campaigns where their inter- vention might be of value.

Major campaigns have been launched for International Women's Year and Holy Year. A list of 252 women prisoners in 25 countries has been supplied to sections and interested organizations. There have also been campaigns on behalf of imprisoned trade unionists and imprisoned journalists and writers.

The opportunity has been taken to increase the exchange of ideas and initia- tives within the groups and sections by circulating material such as a “human rights kit" for use in schools and a Handbook for Action Groups both of which were compiled by a national section. A paper was circulated summarizing the structure of each of the sections.

The past year has seen a noticeable improvement in the supervision of groups. Many groups that were not working adequately on behalf of their prisoners have been closed down and their prisoners reassigned to other groups. A standard group report form has now been introduced by the majority of sections to ensure that