Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Dacca (Agenzia Fides) – The Xaverian Missionaries have been working for over 40 years for the human, economic, and social promotion of the Dalit (“outcastes”) of Chuknagar and its surrounding area, in the western part of Khulna. Their valuable work of education and progress in favor of these people – often marginalized and deprived of their fundamental rights- has borne fruit: Milon Das, a Dalit from Bangladesh, has been chosen by the IDSN (International Dalit Solidarity Network) to represent the Dalit of Bangladesh at the Human Rights Council, which will hold a conference in Geneva during the first week of February. Milon is the Director and Founder of an NGO named Parittran (“salvation”), which has arisen among the Dalit, upon the encouragement of the missionaries, with the objective of improving their lives.
“Milon was in the program run by the Xaverians, first as a student and later as a teacher,” Agenzia Fides was told by Xaverian missionary Fr. Antonio Germano Das, in recalling the missionaries efforts in favor of the population, which is often discriminated against by the Bengal society, as is the case in India.
In a message sent to Fides, Fr. Sergio Targa (Xaverian) notes that “the problem of the discrimination fo the caste exists in Bangladesh as well, and not only has it been seen as a local problem, but a national problem...this treatment of the members of lower castes, of the so-called 'untouchables.'”
A recent national seminar that took place in the capital, Dacca, entitled: “Outlining the poverty of the Dalit in Bangladesh,” which was also attended by the Xaverians, showed that the discrimination of castes is not only a problem in Hindu populations, but also among Muslims and Christians. The proposal was made of spreading awareness among the political parties, so that new laws can be made against discrimination. The missionaries and many other NGOs are working so that the Dalit may be acknowledged as full-fledged citizens and so that the state may take measures in protecting their human and civil rights.
“For us as Xaverian missionaries,” said Fr. Targa, “the seminar was the crowning of our forty-year-long efforts for these people. We are happy to see how our youth, educated in the mission in Chuknagar, go one to better things and fight for respect of their own value and dignity.”
The seminar has given political insight into a problem that until recently was unknown or even denied. The Xaverians are, in fact, recognized as the initiators of the cause of the rishi, one of the castes among the Dalit.
The foundation of the group “Parittran” has turned the tide in the struggle for the rights of the Dalit in Bangladesh. It is known be many in the capital city, for its enterprising spirit, and for having become a solid reference point in the areas of Satkhira and Monirampur, in southwestern Bangladesh. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 2/2/2009)
