Religious leaders urge taking a stand against domestic violence, which has increased during isolation
Geneva, 30 April 2020
Violence within families has seen an increase since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this connection, the leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have joined the United Nations in warning about this “silent pandemic” that threatens women and children during isolation. Lutheran churches in various communities around the world are coming forward with initiatives to support women who are exposed to additional risks during this enforced isolation.
In a letter that LWF President Archbishop Dr Panti Filibus Musa and General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge sent this week to the LWF member churches, they point to an “alarming rise in the killing of women around the world”. Both leaders urge churches to “reject and confront violence against women” by ensuring the availability of helpline numbers, as well as continuing to educate about ways to prevent violence. They recall that the LWF has long stood up for gender justice, providing relevant materials in various languages.
Violence increases during isolation
“Silence and isolation are the best allies of abusers, because abusers use isolation as an effective means of controlling their victims and concealing their wrongdoing from others,” says Rev. Judith VanOsdol, executive director of the LWF programme “Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment”. “We have been informed that the number of women calling emergency helplines is rising rapidly on every continent,” she says, adding that “religious leaders are responsible for standing up for gender justice and thereby sending a strong message that those guilty of violence and coercion will be held accountable for the crimes committed.”
A poster created by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe during Covid-19 to prevent violence against women
The women’s fellowship of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria distributes leaflets with a call to end violence against women and children during isolation
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe reacted quickly to the threat to women, as health and financial worries heighten tension and cramped living space creates further risks. The Zimbabwe Gender Justice Office, led by Pastor Elitha Moyo, created posters in this connection in which domestic violence is portrayed as the greatest concern during the Covid-19 crisis. The posters state that gender-based violence is a crime and that abusers will be held accountable. The women’s fellowship of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria has also distributed booklets in which it calls for an end to violence against women and children during isolation.
In Germany, Ursula Kress, equal opportunities officer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg, has compiled a list of local contacts where women can turn for help at a time when support centres are closed and shelters cannot take in new people due to quarantine restrictions. Domestic violence “is one of the greatest risks in a woman’s life,” says Kress, who serves as her church’s contact person for all cases of gender-based violence. She notes that children and “men too can be affected by domestic violence,” but what is worrying is the fact that it is precisely as a result of the coronavirus crisis that violence directed against women has increased significantly.
Other churches in Germany also provide information and local contacts online, and offer support to victims of domestic violence, seeking ways to distribute booklets in supermarkets, bakeries and pharmacies, as well as in church buildings.
Impeded access to support services
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America added information for victims of domestic violence to the Easter address delivered by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. Bishop Eaton, the LWF Vice-President for North America, is an ambassador for the “Thursdays in Black” campaign. This campaign works to eradicate gender-based violence, and also calls on ecumenical and interfaith partners to promote awareness and prevention in society during this time.
We call on the LWF member churches to continue raising awareness in society about violence against women. By naming it, we will begin to overcome it. LWF President Archbishop Dr Panti Filibus Musa and General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge
The United Nations has warned that the time of the pandemic has had a particularly negative impact on women, many of whom have lost their jobs in informal economic relationships, and have also gone unpaid for caring for children, the elderly and the sick. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged national governments to “make the prevention and redress of violence against women a key part of their national response plans for Covid-19”, including allocating more resources to shelters, helplines, counselling and support services. Law enforcement and judicial authorities “must send a strong signal that impunity will not be tolerated,” he said.
“Women’s rights and freedoms are essential to a strong and resilient society,” Guterres emphasised, adding that women are not only victims or survivors of violence; women “play a central role in recovery from the pandemic and in building a sustainable and just society for the future”.
The Lutheran World Federation’s document on Gender Justice
Donate to the LWF Covid-19 relief fund
Photo: Mattia Ascenzo