austraLasia #2378

Mumbai province active in rights debates

MUMBAI: 15th March 2009 --  One cannot help notice the decision by Mumbai Province to follow a 'rights based approach to development': it is obvious in a range of news items coming out of that Province, and may provide an impetus to others to look at similar possibilities according to local circumstances, if they are not already doing so.
    'Ensuring the right to vote': Don Bosco Narukot's Development Team is busy ensuring that people can exercise their right to vote in the upcoming general elections. In 12 tribal villages where they are working the team has organised awareness programs on the right to vote, essentially seeing that people have their voter cards, which is the first and basic step. Voicing the sentiments of the people, one of the local group presidents has said: "Thanks to Don Bosco Narukot, this is the first time in my village that most of the people have election cards".
    'Shelter participates in UNODC meeting in Vienna'. Shelter aka Shelter Don Bosco in Mumbai is the Regional Lead Organisation (RLO) representing the South Asian region in UNODC, the United Nations organisation for drug control. The Vienna meeting had such high profile figures as Queen Silvia of Sweden and the Bolivian President addressing its proceedings.  Fr Barnabe D'Souza sdb is the key Salesian representing the Asian experience and spoke of intra Government-NGO networking and collaboration. The meeting, part of the 52nd Commission on Narcotic Drugs, engages all 192 member states of the UN towards formulation of world policy on drugs. The view is that government alone cannot achieve its aims, so it needs the active participation of NGOs and civil organisations. 
    'Rang - a film festival on children's rights'. At Andheri, from 7th to 8th March, the Balprafulta Centre organised a film festival aimed at creating awareness of children's rights.  Millions of Indian children are deprived these rights. Films shown during the event were in English, Hindi and Marathi. In the discussion that followed the films several critical topics like child labour, abuse of children, discrimination against girls, the role of education and flaws in the judicial system were raised. Balprafulta is now hoping to make this an annual event.
  _________________
 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org

Title: australasia 2378
Subject and key words: S Asia. Mumbai province rights based approach
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2378