Human Rights And The Preventive System

Sr. Mary Doran, the Provincial, attended the Salesian Sisters’ Human Rights Office in Geneva for a short course. The aims of the course were:

• to get to know the system which is the United Nations, and to become familiar with its role in promoting and defending Human Rights;
• to reflect on the relationship between Human rights and our Salesian Preventive System of Education today
• to become aware of the importance of the presence of the Salesian Sisters / VIDES (volunteer movement) as an NGO at the UN.

There were talks on the Right to Education, Freedom of Religion, VIDES and Human Rights, Education to Human Rights, The Church and Human Rights etc. What was clear during this course is that the language of Human Rights is universal while the language of the Preventive System does not make sense everywhere because it is rooted in a Christian vision of the person and life. So Human Rights can allow us to dialogue with all.

Sr. Mary said: “The whole experience was worthwhile in many ways and will certainly keep me more aware. If we were to unpack the term “respect” in terms of Human Rights or see rules/regulations through Human Rights lenses, we might all be and behave differently. That is the challenge for us – to realise that each person because of his/her dignity as a human being has inalienable rights… not conferred by us”.