Pudukottai (India). On 9 and 10 December 2021, the Auxilium College of Education of Regunathapuram, of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Blessed Eusebia Palomino Community, of the Province of Our Lady of the Snow (INT), celebrated World Human Rights Day with a cultural program and with a demonstration through the streets of the village.
On 9 December, students and teachers creatively expressed human rights through dance, song, and theater. Sr. Maria Pushpam Amirthasamy, FMA, Animator of the FMA Community and Coordinator of the School, thanked and encouraged them, wishing them always to seek the protection of human rights and not to be subjugated by people or material things. The Directorate then organized a seminar on human rights, inviting a lawyer from the Supreme Court of Delhi, who talked about human rights from a legislative point of view, in particular regarding women’s rights, and how to have recourse to the law in case of difficulty. Students and teachers interacted with interventions and questions. In the afternoon, a human rights drawing competition was held.
On 10 December, when World Human Rights Day was celebrated, Auxilium College organized a human rights demonstration along the streets of the village of Regunathapuram. Students and teachers participated enthusiastically, giving voice to some slogans. After the demonstration, the Coordinator, Sr. Maria Pushpam Amirthasamy, the Principal, Sr. Malarjothi Ayundukayam, 8 teachers, and more than 80 students went to the Regunathapuram State Secondary School, where 800 children are studying to raise awareness about the POCSO Act, a state law on the protection of children from sexual offenses. College students and teachers spoke to the children about the importance of education and prevention through dance, song, and play. Present were the President of the City Council, the Dean of the School, and the teaching and non-teaching staff.
“Recognizing in principle and concretely guaranteeing rights, protecting the weakest, is what makes us human” (Pope Francis – Address to the members of the Italian Catholic Jurists Union, 10 December 2021).
