Santosh Digal

John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council (AICC), recalls instances of mass violence in the country, the absence of justice, the daily rapes. In Assam, women slap a parliamentarian accused of violence. First positive sign after the events in New Delhi: gender awareness campaigns in 10 thousand schools.

All India Christian Council (AICC) report. Funeral of the New Delhi gang rape victim celebrated this morning. Crimes against women permeates Indian society: rapes, sex-selective abortions, discrimination in school and at work. The Dalai Lama: "Concerned about the degeneration of moral values in India."

Interview with Mgr John Barwa, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. Following the anti-Christian pogroms in Kandhamal (2007 and 2008), priests and nuns are involved in making communities "united and mature in their faith".

Today is the International Day for Human Rights, whose theme this year is "My voice counts." In India the most serious violations relate to women, children, Dalits and religious minorities. Increasingly widespread violence of the police against peaceful demonstrators.

The Office for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India appeals to India's external affairs minister. In two days time, the UN will vote on recognising Palestine as a non-member state. For Catholic leaders, Israeli settlements in the West Bank "are illegal".

Official message from the Church of South India (CSI). The Protestant leaders suggest closing all nuclear plants in India, and focusing on renewable energy, such as solar. For the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the UN, the Indian reactors are among the "best and safest" in the world.

The goal is to re-establish harmony between the two communities, divided by communal violence in July. Unrest left 88 people dead, 400,000 people displaced. In addition to training, Caritas provided 6,000 kg of rice and mosquito nets to 2,000 families living in refugee camps set up by the Diocese of Bongaigaon.

According to the Hindu tradition, the devadasi are the "courtesans" of the temple god. In fact, they cannot marry and are exploited as prostitutes. With their children, they live a life of poverty and marginalization. A group of Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod is teaching new skills to the devadasi of 10 villages, creating classrooms for 500 children.

Residents in the village of Koderna (East Godavari District) drank polluted water, fighting malaria and typhoid. Five Sisters of the Cross were instrumental in getting a pump to bring water from a clean source as well as opening a school and a dispensary.

Fr Faustine Lucas Lobo, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in India, visited some Christian communities in the state, urging people to look up at the life of pogrom survivals in Kandhamal as example of witness and prayer.

Friars from the Udhayam Peace Centre in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) combine an outreach approach typical of NGO with Christianity. Their initiatives are directed at women, children, beggars and the needy through free schooling, a night-time shelter, hostel as well as sewing machines and civic education.

The noted American linguist signs a letter of solidarity with the people of Tamil Nadu, fighting against the plant construction. Like him, other intellectuals, national and international personalities express their support for people of Kudankulam. Anti-nuclear movement launches CounterCurrents site.