International conference on women and children held

A three-day international conference on ‘Impact of Global Issues on Women and Children,’ organised by Manipal College of Nursing Manipal, Manipal University, in collaboration with 24 national and international institutions from 14 countries, began at the Dr T M A Pai Auditorium here, recently.

Following the formal inauguration by Priyanka Mary Francis, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Udupi Zilla Panchayat, the plenary sessions began with speakers from different countries sharing their experiences with about 425 participants.

The CEO emphasised on the initiatives taken by the district to manage malnutrition among pregnant woman and to reduce infant mortality rates. She briefed about the supplementation of nutritious food to pregnant women through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.

She also highlighted the development of android applications to address the concerns of empowerment of women for ASHA workers.

Dr H S Ballal, pro chancellor, Manipal University, highlighted the vision of Dr TMA Pai in dealing with issues of ill-health, illiteracy, and poverty. He said that it was the responsibility of every citizen to see that the women are empowered and are supported to achieve higher status. He commended the roles played by women prominent leaders in various fields.

The first day’s plenary session on ‘Lessons Learned from Global Disasters’ (Flood, Tsunami and Earthquake) was taken Dr Mariko Ohara, Ms Masako Saito, Dr Yoshiko Tsukada, speakers from Japan, highlighted how the country was devastated with natural calamities and the measures taken to prevent it in future and also how to mitigate the sufferings of people. They also emphasised on various training programmes being undertaken to prepare people for such disasters and create awareness.  

The session on the ‘Impact of Violence/War/Terrorism on Child and Women’ was addressed by Meyenburg-Altwarg Iris Karin, Germany. She spoke on the various forms of violence among children and stressed upon teaching them to say ‘stop’ and talk openly about abuse.

Biological health issues were addressed by the Dr Majeda A AL- Ruzzieh, Dr Elissa Ladd, Dr Gugu Mchunu, Dr Asha P Shetty, speakers from Jordan, USA, South Africa and India respectively.

They spoke about breast cancer, cervical cancer, HIV and AIDS and impact of globalisation on children.