www.goa-world. com GULF-GOANS e-NEWSLETTER (since 1994) >http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans/ >www.colaco.nethttp://www.live365.com/index.live____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Cardinal > Gracias launches Gender Equality Day – 27 Jan >January 14, 2013 by admin >Filed under India, Maharashtra, newsletter-lead >Leave a Comment >The Archbishop of Mumbai has declared January 27th a Day of Solidarity for >justice, awareness and gender equality. The Catholic Church’s role in >education, especially among non-Christians, fundamental to changing the >mentality and attitude towards women. Discrimination against women has >negative effects on boys and men. >Maharashtra, January 10, 2013: Mumbai On January 27, the Archdiocese of >Mumbai will hold a Day of Solidarity for justice, awareness and gender >equality, commissioned by the Archbishop, Card. Oswald Gracias, President of >the Bishops’ Conference of India. The decision was taken after the rape case >in New Delhi, that has rekindled the debate on violence against women. It is >“the exclusion of God from human life” that leads people to “every kind of >cruelty”, in particular against women. For 24 hours, the Catholic community in >the Archdiocese will participate in meetings, seminars and various >initiatives. In addition, every parish, convent and seminary will hold an hour >of prayer, from 6pm to 7pm in the evening. Card. Gracias hopes that the day >will “announce a social transformation”, because “contempt” against women has >many faces – selective abortion, female feticide, discrimination, domestic >violence and exclusion – and “causes great injury to men and society”. Below, we publish a reflection by Card.Gracias to present the Day. >The “marginalisation of God” in human life leads to all kinds of evil, women >are objectified and treated as second class, and the contempt for women” >expressed in various forms: selective abortions, female foeticide, >discriminations, domestic violence and exclusion. >The Catholic Church in India was plunged into deep anguish and sorrow at the >death of the gang rape victim, the savagery inflicted upon this young Indian >woman was horrific and barbaric and I am hopeful, that this Day of Solidarity >will serve to usher in a social transformation and a radical change in the >attitudes towards women and call for an urgent Gender Sensitisation and >Gender Justice and Gender Equality in the nation. >Gender equality is a burning issue of all times. It affects not only the fifty >percent of women but all of humankind. Gender inequality has done immense harm >to women and also men and society. >The culture of domination, marginalization and exclusion which embodies ideas, >beliefs, values, traditions, rules, norms, perspectives (ideologies) that >prefer males/sons has been styled the culture of patriarchy. Through >dominating social structures men own, control and manage financial, >intellectual and ideological resources as well as the labor, fertility and >sexuality of women, and thus perpetuate gender discrimination. Such a culture >produces stereotyped notions of how a woman or man should behave (in words and >actions), whereby they themselves become transmitters of the above value >system. Consequently women also become both victims and victimizers. >Gender Justice and Gender Equality are part of the ethos of the Church, the >Bishops of India in 1974 promised that they would stand for the dignity and >rights of women by providing education and empowerment. >In 1984, the CBCI initiated Consultation on Women keeping in mind the need to >overcome the cultural bias against the girl. >In 2009, the ‘Gender Policy of the Catholic Church of India’ was issued by >the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) called for the Church to be >gender-sensitive at all times and this policy is Operative in every diocese >and parish in India. >The Church has been a Vanguard in the empowerment of women, Pope John Paul II >landmark apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem in 1988 specifically on the >Dignity of women reminding us of the important role woman play in the family, >society , world and also church >The socio-cultural situation of women should not be understood in the same way >among all social classes and ethnic groups especially among the marginalised >and the oppressed. It has its lights and its shadows. Though we have examples >of empowered women in leadership positions and role-models like Blessed Mother >Theresa and Blessed Alphonsa, nevertheless the reality of women of all >sections reveals instances of domestic and societal violence on young girls >and women. Depending on the regions, female feticide, infanticide, rape, >molestation, kidnapping, abduction, battering, dowry deaths, murdering, >trafficking for sex and slavery exist even today. >Women of the marginalized groups such as dalits, tribals, backward castes and >minorities suffer much due to poverty, ill-health, lack of access to literacy >and appropriate knowledge and lack of hygiene and potable water. In addition, >they are being displaced from their lands and livelihoods. They suffer >systemic and structural violence that enslave them and dehumanize them >economically, socio-politically and religio-culturally. >Gender discrimination has negative effects on boys and men as well. It damages >their psyche and increases the incidence of morbidity and crime among them. >Relations of distrust, conflict, competition and many forms of subtle abuse >emerge instead of those rooted in values of caring, sharing, compassion, >mutual respect, collaboration and partnership. Such discrimination thus has >negative consequences on human relations. >The process of globalization which is market-centered and profit-driven, leads >to further exploitation of women as cheap labour resulting in the increasing >pauperization of women. >Fundamentalism and communalism reinforce the subjugation of women to men, >suppress women’s movements by dividing women along religious lines and >intensify violence against women. >The Church has been spearheading several initiatives to bring about positive >changes in the life situation of women and girls. From the time of the early >Christian missionaries who placed emphasis on the education of both girls and >boys, through its multiple interventions in the fields of welfare, education, >health and the empowerment process to organize women, the Catholic Church has >played a prominent role to improve the status of women. >The Church in India has been striving to impart this all-round formation in >various ways and various fora. In a special way, the Church is doing so >through her network of educational institutions. At present, the Church >conducts 20,370 educational institutions in India. According to statistics >available to us from a recent survey conducted in preparation for the CBCI >Meeting, 58.5% of these institutions are in the rural areas and 54.4% of >students in our institutions are girls. It is significant that the vast >majority of our students are children of other faiths. By imparting a sound >character formation and by striving to promote harmony, understanding and a >quest for excellence through our educational institutions, the Church renders >a service not only to Christians, but also to the nation as a whole. >Every Catholic educational institution has a special concern for the >marginalized, especially the girl-child. >The attitudinal change is required to bring about Gender Equality and Gender >Justice and we hope that this Day of Solidarity will make an impact on the >city of Mumbai, the State and all over the nation and usher in a change for >the good in the empowerment of women, Gender Justice and Gender Equality.” >- cardinal oswald gracias >________________________________ >THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If we say less than we should, it is easy to add. But >having said too much, it is hard to take it away. > >-- St. Francis de Sales >
