Caritas Delhi: End all violence to develop families and nation

26 April, 2013 - In order to develop and support the family and society India must stop all forms of violence against women and children, as well as men and boys. The statement was made by Fr. Augustine Savari Raj, director of Chetanalaya, a non-governmentl-organization of Delhi Archdiocese linked to Caritas, which on Thursday launched a campaign called, "Stop Rape", against violence on women and children. Fr. Raj told AsiaNews that the initiative comes at a very sensitive moment for India, where cases of rapes and sexual assaults occupy the front pages of all the newspapers and are the focus of heated debate on the status of women in society. "The continued abuses against women and children are a critical issue for India, as well as the violence of which men and boys are victims. All this must be stopped," the priest said. The launch coincided with the Self Help Group Day, dedicated to the thousands of women who, with the help of Chetanalaya, run support groups in the slums and resettlement colonies in which they live.
Born in the '80s, but registered as a society of social service only in 1994, in recent years the diocesan NGO has trained nearly 1,200 women, who in turn have started small banks, microcredits, built houses and directed programs in literacy, which have benefited at least 20 thousand women. Thanks to these initiatives, a further 6 thousand women have opened small businesses, and 600 families were able to build a home.
"On this day,” explained Fr. Savari Raj, “we celebrate the joy and satisfaction of enhancing women.” “Chetanalaya builds leaders aware of their rights, their possibilities, with services available in every village, and who know how to deal with and find remedies for problems. This is how we can transform ourselves and the environment surrounding us." In launching the campaign "Stop Rape" at the Talkathora Stadium in New Delhi, the priest urged the thousands of women to study the laws that protect their rights and explain them to their community, friends and family. "I share the vision of APJ Abdul Kalam, 11th President of India,” explained the director of Chetanalaya, “when he said that ‘it is essential to enhance the role of women because their value system leads to the development of a good family, a good society and a good nation.’”