Religious Organisations Called Upon to Battle Degradation of Values in Society

“It is high time that we put a stop to the crumbling and degradation of values in our society. Together, we need to ensure that ours is one which is a happy, well-adjusted and peaceful society where each and everyone of us can thrive.”

This was the gist of the message of the Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Marie-Aurore Perraud, to representatives of 26 sociocultural and religious organisations grouped under the Shared Faith Belief (SBF) Programme, at the launching of an Inter-Faith Conference on Family Values, held in the context of the International Day of Families 2015, at La Canelle, Domaine Les Pailles on Friday 15 May 2015.

The SBF is an initiative of the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare to seek the assistance of, and engage religious organisations to address social ills, particularly domestic violence, given the strong ties of Mauritian families with religion.

Noting that in recent years the family unit has come under attack, Mrs Perraud stressed that one of the major reasons for this situation is the erosion of values, especially family values. She pointed out that members of religious organisations have strong influence on congregations coupled with the strength of sacred texts on their side by which they can guide members of the congregations towards the path of righteousness. She thus urged them to work together towards a common goal, that of a peaceful and happy society.

Speaking on the objectives of the Inter-Faith Conference, namely as a platform to reflect upon and discuss the growing need for family values in the rapidly developing economy, the Minister stated that the event provided participants with the opportunity to ponder on the reasons why social and family values are losing ground, leading to a degradation of social norms. She also announced that at the end of the conference, a framework for a charter for family values will be elaborated. “A further meeting with religious organisations will be held to finalise the charter which would serve as a guide to Mauritian families,” she added.

The Inter-Faith Conference on Family Values aimed to extract the richness from philosophies about family life and family values by providing a forum for discussion to religious dignitaries around the theme ‘Family Values’. The facilitator was Mr Somrajsingh Dhunnoo, Head Special Education Needs Department and Facilitator on Value-Based Education at the Mauritius Institute of Education.

It is to be recalled that the theme chosen for Mauritius this year to celebrate the International Day of Families, observed on 15 May, is ‘My family, my responsibility’. A series of activities have been scheduled for the occasion including a Family Day at Mon Choisy, a Marriage Enrichment Programme, a Treasure Hunt and Kite Flying Competitions. The objectives are to group together family members and encourage them to participate collectively, thereby enhancing team spirit and strengthening their family ties.

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Source: Government of Mauritius

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