Geneva, Switzerland, 01.07.2021.
Faith communities offer essential support to victims of violence
In its statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has called for stepped-up efforts to combat violence against women.
Speaking on 28 June this year, the LWF’s Advocacy Officer for Gender Justice, Sikhonzile Ndlovu, emphasized the role of faith communities and faith-based organizations, which work to raise awareness, to engage actively in advocacy efforts and to provide support to victims.
“Violence against women does not discriminate by race, religion, ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation or social class,” Ndlovu told the Lutheran World Information centre. “The Lutheran World Federation, as a faith-based Christian organization, is ready to work with ecumenical partners and secular organizations in order to step up efforts and put an end to this scourge.”
Statement on violence against women
The Lutheran World Federation is genuinely concerned about the alarming scale of violence against women throughout the world.
1 in 3 women experiences physical or sexual violence during her lifetime. Adolescent girls face a greater risk, as 1 in 10, or about 120 million girls, experience “forced sexual intercourse or other forms of forced sexual activity” at some point in their lives. Of these, at least 15 million have been raped.
These women, as rights-holders throughout the world, suffer from the long-term consequences of violence (VAW – violence against women), including physical and emotional pain, trauma, unwanted pregnancy, as well as death.
In order to combat violence against women and to promote human rights for all, faith communities and faith-based organizations must take a central role. They can offer a vital contribution to raising awareness and to building and carrying out collective advocacy efforts in support of victims.
We therefore call on the [UN Human Rights] Council to:
Double its efforts in the fight against violence against women.
Engage religious actors to end violence against women, in view of their capacity and ability to reach victims.
Ensure that member states hold perpetrators accountable and implement the enforcement of policy and legislation in order to end violence against women.
And we call on the [UN] member states to:
Cooperate fully with the United Nations human rights bodies and mandates in order to advance the protection of women’s human rights and to end violence against women.
Adopt victim-centred approaches, including appropriate health services and psychological and economic support for victims.https://player.vimeo.com/video/562798810?color=7493C7
Photo caption: An art campaign on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, held in Bonn, Germany. Photo: Mika Baumeister via Unsplash
Source: Lutheran World Federation news