By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru, Feb 25, 2019: It is crucial to empower the Dalit women so that they can speak for themselves in Church and in society, says Dr Isabella Xavier, president of Dalit Christian Women for Change (DCWC).
“Women have inborn quality to be great administrators who are inherited to be the leaders at homes. Since many are home makers, their hard work is not known to society,” Dalit activist added.
She was speaking at the national forum of DCWC executive meeting was held on Feb 15 at NBCLC, Bengaluru.
Xavier said that the aim of the meeting was to strengthen the Dalit Catholic women from all over India, registering the national forum as a society in the near future.
Women have the power and strength to empower themselves and they have to stand united to be the voices of the voiceless women of society, she added.
“Instead of focusing on our drawbacks it is important to write down the success stories of the Dalit Christian women who challenged the odds of the caste system and have come up in life,” Sister Robancy A Helen, national program coordinator for Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India – Office for Scheduled Caste / Backward Class.
There are so many Dalit Christian women who do marvelous work in the field of social work, law, education, medicine. Their stories should be documented,” the nun said.
Sister Alphonse from Tamil Nadu, Advocate Mary Alphonsia from Hyderabad, and Mrs. Jayanti Patole, the state representative of Maharashtra were present.
Advocate Mary Alphonsia volunteered to help with the legal issues and it was already decided in the previous meeting Ms. Brinda Adige will be the spokesperson of DCWC.
The national forum will be an independent body to look into the issues of the Dalit Catholic women.