The Family Commission of the Atambua Diocese in Eastern Indonesia organized a series of training and capacity-building sessions for the Justice and Gender Equality Management team.
These activities took place at Wisma Emmaus, the Diocese Pastoral Center, from July 27 to 28.
36 representatives of the Republic of Indonesia Catholic Women (WKRI) and Catholic Youth Envoys from various parishes within the Atambua diocese attended the activity that Sister Fridolin Teme, SSpS, chairwoman of the Atambua Diocese Family Commission, organized.
Sister Teme stated that the purpose of the training is to prepare facilitators to assist the diocese in implementing joint initiatives to achieve justice and gender equality.
Sister Teme said that the participants' sharing, and debate showed that gender injustices and inequalities are widespread in Diocese Atambua's Belu, Malaka, and Kefa districts. Injustices and inequalities include couples who are not ready to marry because pregnancy came first, familial abuse (physical, verbal, and psychological), and cultural ignorance.
The Management Team of the Gender Secretariat and Women's Empowerment of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference, comprised of Father Antonius Nugroho Bimo, OFM, and Mother Theresa Triza Yusino, also facilitated this training activity.
They provided materials covering the concepts and meanings of gender, gender and its problems, gender equality according to social and Christian perspectives, gender mainstreaming, and the family's role and support in the fight for gender equality.
Teme said the training elicited tremendous enthusiasm from the participants. According to Teme, "Active and passionate participation demonstrates a desire to assist in resolving problems caused by power relations in which neither justice nor gender equality exist."
Participants understood that gender equality and justice must be implemented in the family, community, church, and society. Teme explained that the most crucial step is to "begin with oneself."
This training activity concluded with the preparation of a follow-up plan and a commitment to begin implementing it in each group's own families while collaboratively planning a strategic program that will be implemented in each parish and community in the diocese. - Bartholomeus Junior Wego, Mirifica News
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