Speakers: Lhakpa Tshoko (Office of Tibet, Canberra); Sen Bob Brown (anniversary message); Em Prof Bob Douglas: "BODHI in a rapidly changing world" A/Prof Shanti Raman: "Violence against women and girls in South Asia" Dh Karunadeepa: "My story and my work: the Bahujan Hitay Pune Project" Dr Ajay Niranjane: "Ambedkarism in Australia - and his concept of social democracy" Dr Devin Bowles: "A change orientation for Buddhism?" Prof Colin Butler: "Reflections"

1. Lhakpa Tshoko (Office of Tibet, Canberra)
Sen Bob Brown (anniversary message)
Em Prof Bob Douglas: BODHI in a rapidly changing world
A/Prof Shanti Raman: Violence against women and girls in South Asia
Dh Karunadeepa: My story and my work: the Bahujan Hitay Pune Project
Dr Ajay Niranjane: Ambedkarism in Australia - and his concept of social
democracy
Dr Devin Bowles: A change orientation for Buddhism?
Prof Colin Butler: Reflections NCEPH, ANU, June 22, 2019
BODHI: the first 30 years

2. Mr Lhakpa Tshoko, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Australia, speaking at the meeting, at the Bob
Douglas Lecture theatre, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
Lhakpa Tshoko
Meeting also reported at
Office of Tibet, Australia
website
See

5. MESSAGE FROM SENATOR BOB BROWN:
“It is said that “from small things big
things grow”. Watching the
heartwarming reach of BODHI to some
of the world’s neediest people, I think
“from small things good things flow. I am
delighted to have been associated with
BODHI for its first 30 years.
Congratulations to everyone who has
helped with its work and with BODHI a
bountiful next 30 years”
Senator Bob Brown and Susan Woldenberg Butler (BODHI
co-founder), Parliament House, Canberra, 2009
For more on Bob (1983 Australian of the year): please see https://www.bobbrown.org.au/bio

6. Em Prof Bob Douglas AO: BODHI in a rapidly changing world
Why I am here to tell you all a supporter of BODHI?
First, it is an initiative by Colin Butler and his late wife Susan, both of whom I have deeply admired; It is focussed on
poor people; It is premised on Buddhist principles; It is a way of reaching out beyond Australia and it is doing good in
a complex and dangerous world. They all are pretty good reasons for directing some of my charitable contributions
in BODHI’s direction. I should add that I also share with Colin, a deep concern about the changes taking place in our
planet and the impact that they will have on poor people in developing countries, and I have the greatest respect for
his capacity to marry his big picture thinking and research with his local knowledge and understanding of the
pressures that will come on literally billions of people around the world in coming decades.
BODHI: the first 30 years
For more on Bob: please see https://rsph.anu.edu.au/people/academics/professor-bob-douglas

7. What comes next?
The first 30 years have been impressive. But what comes next?
Ten mega-threats pose a huge threat to the ongoing survival of humans on the planet. Preeminent among
these threats are climate change, but it is only one of 10 interacting threats that we are not properly
confronting across the world. The others are: human population growth, insecurity of food supplies, the
destruction of ecosystems, the depletion of resources on which civilisation depends, the threat of nuclear war,
uncontrolled technology and artificial intelligence, global poisoning, pandemic diseases and above all the self-
delusion that we can somehow escaped the consequences of human actions. Despite the imminence of these
threats humans everywhere are living largely in ignorance of them. Of course the collapse of civilisation and
early human extinction are not great topics for dinnertime conversation. And most of us would prefer to ignore
this issue.
We have seen some serious efforts to put climate change on the political agenda, but in Australia at this point
we are still having a fruitless debate about whether or not climate change is real. On our present course,
humanity is hugely vulnerable.
But I also want to add that I believe we can change direction and that there are ways in which these mega
threats can be addressed but that the time window for addressing them is desperately short. Thankfully, in
recent weeks there has been some development overseas of a community extinction rebellion. I think that we
need to extend that rebellion widely. The disturbing factor is that no government anywhere in the world yet
appears to be taking the threat to the survival of our species seriously.

8. Julian Cribb is a Canberra-based science writer who was formerly a communicator for the CSIRO and a
newspaper editor. He has spent much of his time in recent years distilling the science and writing books about
the threats that face humans everywhere. He makes the point that because the threats are intersecting, dealing
with them one at a time will not be adequate. We need to develop a strategy that minimises all of these threats
at the same time. This collective challenge is the most urgent and serious challenge that has faced humans in
our whole history. Cribb argues that we have the capacity to rescue ourselves and he points to the changing role
of women and the capacity of the Internet for us to communicate and think as a species as positive evidence
that the task of crafting a workable survival strategy is not beyond us. Julian has radical things to say about the
way our current economic model works and he believes that we must urgently develop an index of human
survivability to replace our mad and irrational dependence on growth in gross domestic product as a measure of
our progress. Activity is developing in a number of academic centres around the world, but a human survival
strategy is not yet seriously on the political radar anywhere.
I want to put to you that Australia is ideally placed to lead the way in this vital task and that there are strong
reasons for Australian citizens to insist to politicians on all sides of the political spectrum that we demand a
human survival strategy at the front of our political agenda, immediately.
Colin is at the cutting edge of thinking about planetary change and its impact on the health of Nations. We are
not yet as a human species preparing ourselves for the profound changes that are taking place to the planet
and the issues which impact on our survival. The changes that are taking place make it certain that without
transformative change in the way we relate to the planet and its ecosystems and resources, humans will, like so
many other species around us, be on the extinction list.

9. Will we tackle this challenge as a species or will we deal with these threats to our survival as nations and small
groups of people in mortal competition with each other? I would like to hope that at this late stage in the day,
we can learn to work together as a threatened species and draw in the resources for our survival both from the
technologically advanced countries and those like the places where BODHI works, where people are struggling
and on the edge of economic and community development.
Australia’s low foreign aid
What will foreign aid look like in this evolving world? Will it change from emphasis on education, health care,
food production and family planning? I doubt it. But, as rich countries like ours knuckle down to the dramatic
changes, that will inevitably come in our current affluent lifestyle, my hope will be that we continue to see our
developing country cousins as continuing to need special efforts and support such as those that BODHI has
been offering for 30 years.
The cuts in Australian Foreign Aid in recent years have been both unnecessary and miserly. As a nation the
percentage of government development assistance to developing countries has dropped to about 0.27% of our
gross domestic product, compared with the internationally recommended 0.7% which is the figure met, and
exceeded in a number of European countries. We are both a very low taxing and a very low giving nation,
despite the fact that we are one of the richest nations in the world. We cannot expect private charitable groups
like BODHI to go on doing our nation’s heavy lifting in this field. It is in our national interest that we engage as
generous partners in assisting other countries to give their citizens a “fair go.”
A Foundation Chair and discipline in "Human Survivability”
I would like to see ANU, and, perhaps this very centre, develop a Foundation Chair and discipline in "Human
Survivability".
Transcript also available here

10. A/Prof Shanti Raman: Violence against women and girls in South Asia
NCEPH, ANU, June 22, 2019
BODHI: the first 30 years
More on Shanti: please visit https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/dr-shanti-raman

11. Violence against girls and
young women:
Special focus South Asia
Shanti Raman
Associate Professor, UNSW Australia
Consultant Community Paediatrician

12. End violence against children: Sustainable Development Goals
16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and
torture of children
5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and
private spheres, including trafficking, and sexual and other types of
exploitation
5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage,
and female genital mutilation
8.7 Elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, human
trafficking, and recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end
child labour in all its forms
4.a Provide safe, non-violent, inclusive, and effective learning environments
for all
4.7 Ensure that all learners acquire knowledge…[for] promotion of a culture of
peace and non-violence

13. The facts
• Homicide – In 2012, homicide took the lives of about 95,000 children and
adolescents – almost 1 in 5 of all homicide victims that year
• Physical punishment –6 in 10 children regularly subjected to physical punishment by
carers
• Bullying – > 1 in 3 students between the ages of 13 and 15 regularly experience
bullying
• Forced sex –120 million girls < 20 years (about 1 in 10) have been subjected to
forced sexual intercourse or other sexual acts at some point in their lives
• Intimate partner violence (IPV) – 1 in 3 adolescent girls worldwide have been the
victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence committed by their intimate partners

14. The facts
• Three quarters of the world’s 2- to 4-year-old
children – ie 300 million – experience
psychological aggression and/or physical
punishment by caregivers at home
• 15 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 have
experienced forced sexual intercourse or
other forced sexual acts in their lifetime

15. Shocking facts
• Of girls aged 15-19 years, 2.6 million (5%) have experienced forced sexual
intercourse or forced sexual act
• Majority of girls who experienced forced sexual intercourse –2/3rd –suffered
sexual violence in the ages 15-19, although girls experienced sexual violence
throughout childhood
• The most common perpetrator of sexual violence is the husband or partner
(77%); only 3% of girls reported sexual violence by a stranger

16. 1) Define sex and gender for health
2) Assess health impact of gender issues on child health
3) Consider specific harmful practices against girls
4) How is the girl child doing?
5) Case study
6) Actions for change
Outline

17. Gender and health
• Sex is biological…refers to the biological and physiological
characteristics of males and females
• Gender is socially constructed… roles, behaviour, activities and
attributes that a particular society considers appropriate

18. Gender is
• Relational –gender refers to the relationships between men and women
and how these relationships are socially constructed.
• Hierarchical – because the differences established between women and
men are far from "neutral" and tend to attribute greater importance and
value to "masculine" characteristics.
• Historical – because "gender" ––nurtured by factors that change over time
and space, therefore can be modified
• Contextually specific – because variations in gender relations depend on
ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, etc.
• Institutionally structured – social relations supported by values, legislation,
religion, etc

19. Violence against girls & young women
• UN CRC provides the legislative framework for promoting and ensuring the rights of all children
• According to GC13: Violence is all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect
or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse
• In the context of girls/young women — violence is also the systematic discrimination at each
stage of the life cycle

20. Role of gender in health disparity: South Asia
• Life advantage for girls and women that characterises health statistics of
industrialised countries is blurred in South Asia
• Gender discrimination at each stage of the life cycle: sex selective abortions,
neglect of girls, reproductive mortality, poor access to healthcare for girls /
women
• Violation of fundamental human rights, perpetuating gender inequity
• Health professionals, policy makers, human rights workers in South Asia need
to be aware of and responsive to the detrimental health effects that gender
plays throughout the life cycle
Fikree F, Pasha O. BMJ 2004

21. Specific types of Violence against the girl child: South Asia
• Gender disparity disproportionately affects girls in S Asia
• Female infanticide/feticide due to son preference
• Early and forced marriage
• Honour killings
• Neglect of the girl child
• Domestic labour
• Female genital mutilation/cutting

22. Gender bias in child care and child health: global
patterns

23. Gender-related disparity in healthcare—India

26. Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health
of Women and Children
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures ... to modify the social
and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to
achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other
practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of
either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women.
CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST WOMEN (art. 5 (a)),
adopted by General Assembly resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979.

27. A Report from the International NGO
Council on Violence against Children

28. Practices based on tradition, culture, religion or
superstition
• Violations based on tradition, culture, religion or superstition that are
perpetrated/ condoned by child’s parents or community
• CRC Article 24(3): “take all effective and appropriate measures with a
view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of
children”
• Harmful traditional practices harm both boys and girls
• Overwhelming focus has been on women and girls, with a strong
gender inequality and discrimination perspective

29. Examples of harmful practices
Non-comprehensive list of
harmful practices in General
Comment 13 (2011): “The right
of the child to freedom from all
forms of violence”

30. Child, early and forced marriage

31. Nearly half of all girls in South
Asia are married by 18 years!

32. Child marriage in India: Update based on 2015-16
Cause for cautious optimism
• Prevalence among 15-19 year olds:
11.9%;
• Among 20-25 year olds: 26.8%

34. Causes of child, early and
forced marriage
• Complex, inter-related and tightly woven with social-political factors
• Drivers: Gender inequality, poverty and insecurity in the face of war and
conflict
• In Asia-Pacific region: women and girls have low status, girls viewed as
financial burden- therefore early marriage a convenient solution
• Early marriage also seen as a safeguard against pre-marital sex
• Weak and contradictory legislation, poor enforcement of existing laws and
co-existence of multiple legal systems (eg statutory and religious)

35. Across South Asia, almost 50% of married women,
were married before 18 years

36. Consequences of child, early and
forced marriage
• For the girl: poorer health /educational outcomes, ↑risk of violence and
abuse, persistent poverty, missed opportunities for empowerment
• Sexual and rep health problems, potentially life threatening
• Early marriage contributes to elevated fertility rates
• Complications from pregnancy and childbirth: main cause of death in girls 15-
19 years
• For the infant: ↑infant mortality, Low Birth Weight, asphyxia – all more
common in infants born to teen mothers

37. Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
Cultural reasons for persisting practice: preservation of cultural identity, marriage,
health/hygiene, family ‘honour’, contributing to social stability
Health consequences:

38. What are the effects of violence
against girls and young women?

39. Factors increasing vulnerability of the girl child
• Gender inequity: girl child at the bottom of social hierarchy
• Discriminatory application of custom/tradition: cultural relativism
• Early and forced marriage
• Culture of silence surrounding sexual abuse
• Limited access to, and low quality of, education
• Social change, internal migration and poverty
• Economic recession

40. Consequences of vulnerability of the girl child
• High numbers of girl children engaged in child labour
• Higher health-risks for the girl child: eg parents less likely to seek treatment
for girls
• Poor nutrition
• Low self-esteem and psychological damage among girls
• Higher risk of sexual abuse among girls
• Higher rates of commercial sexual exploitation of girls

41. Specific consequences –Violence to the girl child, India
• Missing 44 M girls/women: neglect of girls, infanticides, feticides
• Hidden: Selective bias in access to health interventions including immunisation, education,
employment, opportunity
• Child marriage (áin poor uneducated girls from rural India)
• Malnutrition, stunting
• Gender-based violence and consequences
• Internalised oppression

42. PROTECTION OF THE GIRL CHILD
Policies and legislation: CEDAW, UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child
Civil society action
Empowerment of the girl child

44. What WE MUST do for Girls
and Young Women
●Start with the adolescent girl!
●Understand the impact of gender inequity in all clinical
situations
●Be proactive in minimising poor child health outcomes
associated with poverty and gender inequity

45. NCEPH, ANU, June 22, 2019
BODHI: the first 30 years
My story and my work; the Bahujan Hitay Pune
Project
For more on the Bahujan Hitay Pune Project, please visit https://www.bodhi-australia.com/bahujan-
society-pune-india.html and/or http://bhpuneproject.in/

46. Dh Karunadeepa, director Bahjuan Hitay Pune Project, India and Lhakpa Tshoko,
Australian representative of His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama

48. Pune

49. Women
empowerment
Children's &
youth
Development
Health

50. Started 1982, working
with Women and
children, 0 to 5
immunization,
Malnourished
3 localities in Dapodi (10
places), Pimpri and
Hadapsar.
Awards include 2007
from Maharashtra state
gov. (best NGO in Pune
Region.)

55. Funded by Dh.
Siladasa (via BODHI
Australia), provides
medical care to
people from the
slum. Total
beneficiaries in last
30 years approx.
1,33,000.

57. Through community level
meetings
Preventing domestic
violence
Family counseling center
•Health Rights
•Property Rights
•Education Right
•Political Rights etc

58. .

59. Primary family counseling and guidance center

61. Henna Class

62. Through class women started their own business

63. Hadapsar :- Gosavi vasti

65. gender sensitization
Youth Development

66. THANK YOU

67. Dr Ajay Niranjane: Ambedkarism in Australia - and his concept of social
democracy
NCEPH, ANU, June 22, 2019
BODHI: the first 30 years
See also 'Ambedkar is equally relevant to Australian society’ SBS
(interview in Hindi)
https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/hindi/en/audiotrack/ambedkar-equally-
relevant-australian-society

68. Dr Devin Bowles: A change orientation for Buddhism?
NCEPH, ANU, June 22, 2019
BODHI: the first 30 years
For more on Devin, see https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/bowles-d

69. BODHI, the first 30 years
Prof Colin D. Butler
NCEPH, ANU June 22, 2019
For more on Colin, see: https://rsph.anu.edu.au/people/academics/professor-colin-david-butler

70. “Informal” settlement, view from Karunadeepa’s office, Pune (2018)
Rothbart: Colin Clark (1940) establishes one conclusion
beyond doubt: "the world is a wretchedly poor place"

71. “Informal” settlement, view from Karunadeepa’s office, Pune (2018)
Rothbart: Colin Clark (1940) establishes one conclusion
beyond doubt: "the world is a wretchedly poor place"
Despite all our progress, the number (though not the percent)
of wretchedly poor people alive today may be similar to 1940,
for example in India alone, up to 23 million are trapped as
quasi-slaves working in brick kilns (see)

72. Acknowledgements
His Holiness the X1Vth Dalai Lama
Susan Woldenberg Butler (see)
Dr Denis Wright (see)
Approximately 330 donors, volunteers, advisers
and partners, in at least 19 countries, chiefly
Australia, US, Canada, India
2 advertisers: Fortress Learning, Biodistributors

73. Robin Hood
Franz de Waal
Fascination with Tibet
Realising I was Buddhist
Bodhisattva vows
Determining to study medicine
Prof John Hamilton
1985: meetings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Susan Woldenberg

74. Dharamsala, 1991 (Susan Woldenberg Butler, Colin Butler and His
Holiness XIV Dalai Lama)

75. Three main forms of engagement
1. Projects (c 50) (see https://www.bodhi-australia.com/past-
projects---complete.html)
2. Writing (especially first 50 newsletters, several conference
papers and chapters)
3. Efforts to engage with wider Buddhist world (INEB, UNDV, Tzu
Chi, Karuna Trust, Sakyadhita, Triratna)
INEB = International Network of Engaged Buddhists (4 conferences)
Tzu Chi: 2 invited talks, in Sydney and in Hualian, Taiwan
UNDV = United Nations Day of Vesak conferences (7 conferences)

76. Particularly memorable projects
Revolving Sheep Bank – Tibet (1990s)
See also:
https://case.edu/affil/tibet/tibe
tanNomads/sheepbank.htm

77. Particularly memorable projects
SNEHA schools – Arunachal Pradesh (2003-2017)
Barefoot teaching – Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata (2009-11)
Moanoghar – Bangladesh (2012 – 2017 + ?)
Working with Dalit followers of Dr Ambedkar in
Maharashtra (2005 – present)

78. https://www.bodhi-australia.com/barefoot-teachers.html

80. Sister (also Dr) Sister Cyril Mooney, winner of the 2007 Padma Shri
award, the Indian government’s 4th highest civilian honour (Mary
Ward Social Centre, Kolkata)

81. "We have rarely had such a good and cooperative group. Everyone
seemed to take to the training like ducks to water. They have had
training as far as Class I ... If they come back to us we could do Class II,
Ill and IV and then a little later on the senior school level. We would be
very happy to have them back as they were so eager to learn and so
ready to take in whatever we could give them."

82. Tibetans
Other
Animal
Chakmas
Dalits
BODHI’s main projects

83. 1990s
BODHI’s main
projects in time

84. 1990s
2003-
2017
BODHI’s main
projects in time

85. 1990s
2005-
present
2003-
2017
BODHI’s main
projects in time

87. Dr Maurice King – a conceptual
parent of “primary health care”
and BODHI’s public health adviser,
since 1990

88. For more information (including how to help) please see
https://www.bodhi-australia.com/how-to-help.html