Pune, August 2026: The Don Bosco Development Society (DBDS), Pune conducted two legal awareness sessions for women from low-income communities. These sessions were organized under the aegis of Women Empowerment project supported by AXA Global Business Services. The sessions aimed to strengthen women's awareness of their legal rights, entitlements, protection mechanisms and access to legal support, thereby promoting empowerment and grassroots advocacy.

Adv. Prakash Ovhal covered key topics including women's rights, gender equality, domestic violence, sexual harassment, marriage and divorce, maintenance, property rights, inter-caste marriage, Zero FIR, free legal aid, constitutional and civil rights, and labour-related rights such as wages, leave, maternity benefits and bonus. Participants were also guided on police complaints and appropriate legal procedures.

The sessions were highly interactive, with women actively sharing concerns and seeking legal guidance. Issues discussed included obtaining a caste certificate for a child from an inter-caste marriage, changing or cancelling a Will during the testator's lifetime, and elder abuse and property-related pressure by a son. The advocate provided practical guidance on the available legal remedies and protections.

A total of 48 women participated, and participants expressed strong interest in having more such awareness sessions. The programmes concluded with a vote of thanks, followed by refreshments for the participants.