ASSOCIATION OF
FRANCISCAN FAMILIES OF INDIA – AFFI
President: Br. Mathew OFM.Cap
Secretary:
Sr. Apoline UFS
Vice President: Sr. Sinclare
FCC
Treasurer:
Sr. Daisy UFS
Co-ordinator:Br.
Nithiya OFM.Cap Email:
affiprogrammes@gmail.com
Indian Franciscans are spread out in all the
states of India with their dedication towards the uplift of those in periphery,
the marginalised and the oppressed. With a vast number of women Religious
present in the field of education, social uplift and medical ministries, the
Association of the Franciscan Families of India (AFFI) with its huge number of
around fifty thousand religious men and women are also keenly interested in the
social transformation and the entitlements of the deprived in accordance with
the Social Doctrine of the Church, the Indian Constitutional entitlements and
in line with the Charism of the Founder, St. Francis of Assisi with his
voluntary poverty and commitment towards the welfare of the least and the last.
The delegates of these Franciscan Families -AFFI
with its representatives from different units from India gathered at the
Pastoral Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from 25th to 27th
of September 2015 for a National Residential workshop on Violence against women and Franciscan Response. There were
altogether 66 Franciscan delegates from various walks of life.
In the inaugural session Fr. A.J. Mathew OFM.Cap,
the national President highlighted the issues of girl child, the need for adequate
response and expressed optimism to arrive at a Franciscan response. Rev Sr
Rosili FCC, the Provincial of Bhopal
expressed her anxiety and emphasised the need for addressing the issues individually
and collectively. Br Bastin MMB, Br Sunny Lal MMB, Provincial Bhopal, Sr. Treasa
Abraham OSF, Provincial Bhopal, Mr Joseph Gathia. Prof. Arul Kamaraj were the
dignitaries at the inaugural session.
Prof. Arul Kamaraj, the resource person concretely
presented the kind of violence meted out to women from womb to tomb at
different stages, in different places, in different forms both in subtle and direct
manner. He used power point, group work, group discussion. Releasing of a book co-authored by Joseph A
Gathia and Sanjay V Gathia on Children’s
Rights volume 1&2 was also done at this workshop. Towards the end of the workshop the delegates were
committed to get into action for the empowerment and liberation of women. The
group worked on specific areas of concern with concrete strategies on:
1.Abortion, Infanticide, and Female Foeticide. 2. Child Abuse 3.
Child Marriage 4. Child Labour 5. Eve teasing 6. Domestic Violence 7. Sexual
harassment in work places 8. Trafficking of women and children 9. Unemployment of women 10. Alcohol and drug
addiction of men
TEN POINT PROGRAMME OF INDIAN FRANCISCANS
TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
(Through Collaboration and Networking
with other religious Congregations, Institutions, Interreligious teams, Govt.
officials. NGOs, lawyers, academicians, social activists, etc.)
|
Problems
|
Specific Actions and Strategies
|
1
|
Abortion,
infanticide, female foeticide
|
- Counselling,
street plays, rally, shelter home
- To work on
Adoption for the welfare of children
- Counselling
Parents
|
2
|
Child Abuse
|
- Creating awareness
of child abuse among children and parents {meetings, teaching value education
,street plays}
- Documentary on sex
education, Awareness to children on good and bad touch, Group discussions, Put up exhibition on
value of a child
- Establish Legal
/Grievance Cell in our edu. Social Institutions to ensure protection of
children
-These are to be done through legal aid /grievance Cells to ensure
protection of children
|
3
|
Child marriage
|
- Awareness on
marriage law, workshops rally, advertisement,
|
4
|
Child labour
|
- Create awareness among parents about
importance of education.
- Awareness of right
to education Act. Rally, Advocacy
- Taking census of
the area to find the drop outs.
- Make the Government
to take action against employees of child labour.
- Implementation of
child protection Act and child labour Act.
|
5
|
Eve teasing
|
- Awareness
programme to youth. Youth rally, use of
media for awareness
- This is to be done
through the Networking, implementation of the Act
|
6
|
Domestic violence
|
- Promoting
attitudinal change through house visits, counselling and guidance, legal
education.
- Awareness
programmes, street plays, rally with pluck cards, puppet show, human chain,
distribution of pamphlets.
- De-addiction
centre. rehabilitation, family counselling, Empowering SHG’s
- Legal education
and Removal of liquor shops and Taking the assistance of youth associations
and Creating Women cell.
|
7
|
Sexual harassment/
work places
|
- Awareness
programmes through mass media, seminar, workshop, legal aid training.
Counselling
awareness programmes, street plays, documentary ,debates in colleges and schools
Create awareness
among working women through Street
plays, documentary, Social media.
- Implementation of
sexual harassment act 2013 though legal aid cell
|
8
|
Trafficking of
women/children
|
- Teaching the art
of self defence, Rehabilitation centre
to victims,
- Conduct survey,
building awareness on job opportunities
|
9
|
Unemployment of
women
|
- Training on self
employment [tailoring, toy making, cattle raring, petty shops, done through
approaching Government Social Welfare or funding agencies for self
employment.
|
10
|
Alcohol and drug
addiction
|
- Counselling,
street plays awareness,
- network with women
police, family visits by women groups
|
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