Event 1

Report of Presentation by
Ms. Nilima Dutta

Topic: Law and Gender

Date: 3rd August, 2006

Venue: H.R. College of Commerce & Economics

Ms Nilima Dutta, a practicing lawyer from Mumbai, finds Human Rights Law fascinating, hence her interest in gender justice, child protection and rights of young people. Ms. Dutta is a Trustee of Lawyers’ Collective, an NGO, which has done serious work in developing laws to address violence against women, sexual harassment in the workplace and laws to protect persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Her presentation for the students of the H.R. Jr. College dealt with numerous topics under the broader heading of: “If the Law is an Ass why should I bother knowing anything about it?”

The following topics were discussed at length by Ms. Dutta: Law has a specific role in Civil Society; Ignorance is not Bliss; the Law presumes I am now old enough to distinguish between right and wrong; in contemporary society, are there different Laws for Men and Women?; Crimes and Offences against women – which covered various section of the Indian Penal Code – ranging from offences such as: rape, outraging the modesty of a woman, sexual harassment, domestic violence, to simple and grievous hurt as well as cruelty to a married woman, etc. Aspects from Civil Law - The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 - were also discussed.

Ms. Dutta believed strongly that the youth of today are the drivers of change who can make the Law more responsive and accessible to those who really need it.

Her talk was very well received by the students and a lively interactive question-answer session followed.

Event 2

Facilitator
Mrs. Ann Means

Report of the programme conducted
(under the aegis of the Women’s Development Cell)
For the Junior College students of the H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, Churchgate.

July 10, 2006.
Communication in a Boundary-less World

The speaker, Mrs. Ann Means, spoke to about 100 students about how cultural differences can still prove to be stumbling blocks in international business, and how different ideas about the meaning of politeness, the role of women, the nature of time can inhibit effective communication.

Mrs. Ann Means is a (British) researcher, lecturer, and consultant, who specialises in cross cultural issues in business. She has lived and worked in the UK, Germany, France, Russia and Hungary, and now lives in Mumbai. She holds a Bachelor's degree in languages and a Masters in Organisational Behaviour, and is currently researching for a Doctorate. The talk was well appreciated by the students, some of whom also shared their thoughts and experiences about their own foreign cultural exchange programmes.