View actual size

Fr. Savio Silveira, at the outset, welcomed the participants and speakers. He put us all in the context by explaining the `why` of this seminar. He called these two days a journey into the world of human rights in response to the call of the Rector Major Fr. Pascual Chavez to be a `defender`, `promoter` and `activist` of human rights in his Strenna 2008 and in his Newsletter Acts 400.

In the opening lecture, Mr. Mathews Phillip, Executive Director of South India Cell for Human Rights, Bangalore, defined human rights as ``the basic rights which everyone inherits the moment one is conceived in the mother`s womb``. He presented `the right to life and livelihood with dignity` as the fullest expression of human rights.

Ms. Alpa Vora, UNICEF consultant for Child Rights and Child Labour, in her lecture on `Child Rights` presented the sorry state of children in India despite the directive principles of Indian Constitutions that ensures the protection and a healthy growth of every child of India especially the disadvantaged. She convinced us with critical statistics on the increasing crimes against children, both, by government, because of its negligence and by others because of their self interests. She ended this session inviting us to join hands with the government to build a protective environment for children.  
 
In the third lecture Mr. Martin Macwan, Director of Navsarjan Trust, Gujarat, shed light on the concept `Dalit Rights`, historically presenting its whereabouts and its situation today. Despite the struggles for the freedom and the rights of Dalits that had commenced from the pre-independence era in India, there is a big lacuna in their development because of the systematic political, economical, cultural, and social oppression by the upper castes. The way out is to wage a war against the mindset of Dalits about themselves and of other castes about Dalits. The weapon is `education` and `economic development`. An education that is not caste biased but promotes equality and justice.

`Tribal Rights` was the subject of the fourth lecture. Fr. James sj, a Social Policy Activist, clarified the identity of tribals in India. Tribals are 8.2% of the total population the biggest and the most neglected group of minorities in India. He suggested the solution is to unite, educate and motivate the tribals to agitate for their rights. He further introduced us to the `Right to Food` campaign taken up by our supreme court.

In the first lecture of the second day, Fr. Thomas Pallithanam sdb, Director of PARA, presented the development of PARA (People`s Action for Rural Awakening) the social action initiative of Don Bosco Ravulapalem, Province of Hyderabad - a unit that empowers the Dalits to fight for their rights. He concluded his talk after the example of his initiative, inviting us in all our activities that promote human rights to name the poor, the aggressor and to collaborate and seek the agents of change from within the excluded and the marginalized.

In the second lecture Fr. Godfrey D`Sa, presented his initiative Balprafulta a Don Bosco Project promoting Child Rights and Development. After presenting its significant role in the eradication of child labour and its contribution in the growth of the child, he noted that its success is because of its network with other NGOs and Government. He called on the participants to go beyond just caring for the children in our shelters and schools, rather, we need to make the government accountable for the growth and development of every child.

``A seminar is sterile if it does not have practical implications for our lives`` said Fr. Micheal Fernandes, Provincial, in the opening Eucharist of this seminar. Accordingly in the panel discussion, the final session of the seminar, the panelists in response to the clarifications of participants put forward scores of suggestions. The immediate and most practical was to include `human rights` as a subject in all the educational institutions of Mumbai Province and to make every house a centre for promotion of human rights.

URL : http://www.donboscoindia.com/english/bis/default_ms.php?newsid=2190&pno=1