National and International Efforts to Overcome Violence Against Women
by Linda Gehman Peachey
MCC US, Women's Concerns Program
In Isaiah 42, the prophet pictures God saying:
For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor, I will gasp and pant... I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do and I will not forsake them.
Is. 42:14,16
The next few months offer special opportunities to speak out against violence suffered especially by women, and work toward overcoming these offenses.
Here are two of these initiatives:
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October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (U.S.)
In the United States, October is designated as "National Domestic Violence Awareness Month." First observed in 1987, this is a special time for local groups to gather together to mourn those who have died as a result of abuse, celebrate those who have survived and raise more awareness in the community. Some traditions include holding candlelight vigils, displaying purple ribbons and hanging varied-colored t-shirts on a clothesline to dramatize the abuse and violence faced especially by women and children.
Other suggestions include:
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Donating time, money or supplies to your local domestic violence program or shelter. Or if you are having a special celebration that traditionally involves gifts, ask friends and relatives to make a contribution to the shelter instead. Or when shopping for the holidays, buy a gift for a woman or child staying in the shelter.
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Encourage workplace seminars about domestic violence and ask your company to include domestic violence services and referrals in their Employee Assistance Program.
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Ask religious leaders to address domestic violence in their prayers and sermons.
For more information, see: dvam.vawnet.org or check with your local women's shelter for activities planned for your community.
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November 25 - December 10: "On the Wings of a Dove"
"On the Wings of a Dove" is an international, 16-day campaign sponsored by the World Council of Churches. Observed annually since 1991, this campaign begins on November 25, the anniversary of the 1960 murder of three sisters in the Dominican Republic and now designated as the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It lasts until December 10, International Human Rights Day, to signify that violence against women is a violation of basic human rights. This period includes December 1, World Aids Day, which this year focuses especially on the suffering experienced by women and girls as a result of HIV/AIDS. It also includes December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, when 14 women engineering students were shot and killed.
As noted in their brochure, violence against women is not "...just a 'women's issue'. It threatens the very being and witness of the churches and must be an urgent concern for the whole Christian community." They encourage congregations and groups to:
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Provide safe spaces for the telling of stories of suffering, survival and resistance
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Link with other groups working on this issue
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Expose church practices and theologies that lead to abuse of power and violence
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Develop practical and pastoral responses towards justice and healing for survivors; and counselling for perpetrators.
They use the image of a dove because:
The dove beckons us to act with courage and conviction to overcome violence in church and society. Like a wild bird that breaks through the silence, breaks through our inaction, she hovers over the church and the world challenging us to speak the truth in love, expose our vulnerability and strength as the church in the world and usher in peace and reconciliation.
- by Dr. Aruna Gnanadason, Women's Programme, WCC
For more information, go to www.overcomingviolence.org/dov.
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