No content available

On October 6th, the Centre for Women and Law (CWL), in partnership with the National Commission for Women (NCW), hosted a seminal seminar addressing the myriad challenges encountered by sex workers and their children. This seminar sought to illuminate the legal, educational, health, and occupational hurdles that have long marginalized this vulnerable community. The CWL, National Law University, Odisha, and the National Commission for Women, a governmental body promoting women’s rights, collaborated to raise awareness and advocate for gender-specific issues.

Sex workers and their children grapple with a host of difficulties. They often face abuse from clients, family members, and authorities, with minimal legal protection. Access to critical health services, particularly for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, is a significant hurdle. Female sex workers are particularly susceptible to diseases due to high-risk sexual behaviours and substance use. Society frequently stigmatizes them, isolating them from mainstream society due to their mothers’ profession.

Session 1: Insights from Lalitha S.A

Lalitha S.A., the vice president of the Society for Participatory Integrated Development (SPID), shared her experiences working with Devadasi women, highlighting their exploitation. Lalitha emphasized the need to protect vulnerable women and ensure their dignity. She was not in favour of legalizing prostitution, believing it could lead to further exploitation.

Session 2: Insights from Namrata Chadha

Namrata Chadha, a former member of the Odisha State Commission for Women, underscored the need for a compassionate approach toward sex workers and their children. She shared stories of women forced into sex work by their families and the challenges they faced. Namrata stressed the importance of providing immediate relief, including education for the children, and addressing societal stigmatization.

Session 3: Dr. Paromita Chattoraj

Dr. Paromita Chattoraj delved into the vulnerabilities faced by children born to sex workers. She highlighted the challenges these children encounter, including discrimination, lack of access to education and healthcare, and exposure to various forms of abuse. Dr. Chattoraj emphasized the importance of providing legal protection and support for these children.

Session 4: Dr. Sohini Mahapatra

Dr. Sohini Mahapatra discussed recognizing sex work as a legitimate profession, granting sex workers their employment rights. She emphasized challenging societal stereotypes and advocating for legislative provisions to protect sex workers’ rights.

The seminar showcased pressing issues faced by sex workers and their children and proposed solutions to improve their conditions. The importance of adopting a compassionate and comprehensive approach to address these complex challenges was highlighted. In a society striving for progress and equality, it is vital to extend empathy and support to even the most marginalized communities. The seminar on sex workers and their children served as a powerful platform to shed light on their challenges and advocate for their rights and dignity.

Photo Gallery

No content available

No content available

The workshop titled “Understanding the Balance of Traditional IP Rights and Open Access Initiatives” was organized by the Intellectual Property Analysis and Advocacy Centre (IPAAC) at the National Law University Odisha (NLUO) in collaboration with the National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) on September 30th, 2023. The guest speaker, Mr. Saurabh Trivedi, is the founder of IP Samdhan. He provides legal counsel to startups on various Intellectual Property issues and possesses extensive expertise in all facets of intellectual property laws, particularly in filing, prosecution, and enforcement of trademarks, copyrights, and designs.

During the workshop, Mr. Saurabh Trivedi discussed the “Utilization and Commercialization of Intellectual Property,” drawing attention to the differences in how businessmen utilize IP compared to the average individual. He then turned the focus towards Patents, providing examples and explaining the process of filing a patent application in India. He also provided detailed insights on expedited examination and the processing of patent applications. The lecturer proceeded to elucidate the screening and classification process, followed by technical examination. Industrial design was introduced, accompanied by a thorough discussion on filing for Design application, including pertinent documentation and certification procedures.

Delving into copyrights, Mr. Trivedi illustrated various copyright examples and expounded on the rights conferred upon copyright owners. He covered the duration of copyright protection, as well as the application process. This was followed by a detailed discussion on the examination procedure at the copyright office, and the subsequent steps leading to a decision regarding the application. Geographical indications were introduced, exemplified by various instances, and the eligibility criteria for applying for GI rights were explained, along with the validity of each IP right, such as patents.

The territorial nature of IPs was discussed, along with the recognition of a Delhi High Court judgment emphasizing the importance of respecting IP rights across different territories and awarding damages in cases of infringement. A set of crucial pointers for handling IPRs were presented, along with a valuable piece of advice to file and protect one’s IP before publication. The lecture concluded, paving the way for an engaging quiz session.

The quiz commenced, featuring activities like a crossword puzzle followed by a visual identification challenge, and concluding with a series of multiple-choice questions. The session concluded with a Vote of Thanks extended by Dr. Itishree Mishra, Director of the Intellectual Property Analysis & Advocacy Centre.

Photo Gallery

The National Service Scheme, Bureau of the National Law University, Odisha (NLUO) visited Babatilka Nagar (Sector 9, CDA Cuttack) and Munda Sahi Village (Sector 13, CDA, Cuttack) and, on 1^st October 2023 (Sunday) between 10 am -12 pm.

The visits were undertaken to conduct cleanliness drives as mandated under the ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta’ (ETEG)?ampaign under the Swachhata Hi Seva 2023 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.

At Babatilka Nagar, student volunteers with the faculty coordinators engaged in the cleanliness drive at a children’s park near the community centre. The NSS team along with local community leaders cleaned the park premises.

At Manda Sahi village, the student volunteers with the faculty coordinators and staff took part in a cleanliness drive along with the locals of the area. Also, present during the occasion was Ms. Hillary Lenka, Principal, Ratha Sahoo Government Primary School, CDA Sec. – 13, Cuttack. Before the start of the programme, the student volunteers and faculty took part in a cleanliness drive inside the school building. Also, a cleanliness drive was conducted on the premises of the School and the adjacent areas. The community members along with the students, faculty, and staff took part in the drive.

At both venues, the Swachhata Pledge (Cleanliness pledge) was undertaken by the participants during the programmes.

The team of Faculties that visited Babatilka Nagar, are Dr. Maynak Tiwari, (Programme Coordinator, NSS Bureau, NLUO), Dr Ankeeta Gupta (Programme Officer, NSS Bureau, NLUO), and Mr M Vijay Bhaskar. (Programme Officer, NSS Bureau, NLUO),

The team of Faculties?hat visited Munda Sahi, are Dr. Maynak Tiwari, (Programme Coordinator, NSS Bureau, NLUO), Mr. Kumarjeeb Pegu (Programme Officer, NSS Bureau, NLUO), and Kriti Srivastava (Programme Officer, NSS Bureau, NLUO). Also, Programme Associate, NLUO, Mr., Durbadala Mantry was present during the visit. Ms. Hillary Lenka, Principal, Ratha Sahoo Government Primary School also attended the event at Munda Sahi.

The programmes were a grand success due to the enthusiastic participation of the community along with the students, faculty, and staff of the NSS Bureau of the National Law University.

NSS volunteers at Babatilka Nagar

?/strong>