wfn.org | ELCA Conference Addresses "Cycles of Domestic Violence"

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 12, 2000

ELCA Conference Addresses "Cycles of Domestic Violence"
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     Techny, Ill. (ELCA) -- Domestic violence against women and
children was a "universal" problem addressed by 45 women from around the
world gathered here for "Breaking the Silence: No More Violence Against
Women and Children in the Church," Sept. 14-22.
     A message to the churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
was developed by conference participants.   The message calls upon the
LWF and its member churches to use its skills and resources to address
the "disaster of violence."
     The LWF is a global communion of 131 churches representing 59.5
million Lutherans, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA).
     Hosted by the ELCA's Commission for Women, Breaking the Silence
offered an opportunity for women to learn ways of reducing violence and
sexual abuse against women and girls.  Though culture made this a
difficult subject for some, all acknowledged at least an awareness of
the problems of violence in their respective countries.
     A paper on "Cycles of Violence From the Global to the Local" was
presented by Priscilla Singh, a keynote speaker at the conference.
Singh is secretary for women in church in society for the Lutheran World
Federation, Geneva, Switzerland.
     In her paper Singh shared insights on violence against women and
children from a global perspective.
     "Many women would accept only physical violence as violence, and
would not want to put it on par with psychological violence.  We have
been conditioned so much by the dualism that we would accept one as the
'norm' and the next as the 'other,'" said Singh.
     "The term 'violence against women' is explained in the following
way: Any act of gender-based violence that results in or is likely to
result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women,
including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of
liberty, whether occurring in public or private life," said Singh,
quoting a passage from the Beijing Platform for Action: Fourth World
Conference on Women.
     "Violence against women is not a linear process that gets worse
and worse.  It is not even a cycle that comes and goes and comes back
again to haunt.  It is like a tornado or twister that gathers momentum
as it builds up a destructive power and sucks up the person and those
around her in its vortex and then throws them around battered,
disoriented, deprived and at times irrevocably lost for life," she said.
     "Violence is perpetrated by and experienced by men, women and
children and always results in injury to human relationships.  Violence
may be physical, sexual, psychological or economic.  Violence is most
likely to occur to those with less power in society, including the
differently-abled, sexual minorities, the elderly, cultural minorities,
etc.," according to a message to the churches of the LWF written by the
women during the conference.
     "We recognize that these types of violence occur not just in one
cycle but a complicated intersection of many.  The violence increases
with the layering of one cycle over another.  These cycles of violence
occur within domestic, institutional, religious, national and global
contexts," it stated.
     The message offers suggestions on how churches can provide
assistance to victims of violence and ways the church can create safe
environments to prevent violence.
     It said safe environments to address immediate needs include:
     + Provision of services such as shelters, hotlines, short-term
economic assistance and counseling;
     +Consistent and just response to victims and perpetrators of
violence within the church;
     + Equipping bishops, pastors, church staff and volunteers to
respond appropriately when violence is disclosed.
     The message said ways the church can create a safe environment to
prevent violence include:
     + Educate and empower women and girls so that the cycles that may
lead to violence are broken, such as unemployment, poverty, some
cultural expectations, addictions, etc.;
     + Educate women and men, girls and boys on issues of equality,
respect and power;
     + Examine and challenge how some cultural expectations of gender
roles perpetuate the cycles of violence;
     + Include in the curricula of our schools, colleges and
theological seminaries the study of violence and the misuse of power.
     The message continued: "The LWF and its member churches are
international leaders in addressing disaster throughout the world.  We
are skilled at mobilizing the necessary resources to handle immediate
needs, to address root causes and facilitate long term development.  We
call upon the Lutheran communion to use these skills and resources to
address the disaster of violence against women and children."
     "We affirm the actions of member churches, institutions, parishes
and leaders that have begun to address this difficult work.  But given
the magnitude of the violence, the Lutheran communion must increase its
response by working in partnership with other agencies and organizations
and allocating ample resources for both immediate response and long-term
prevention," it states.
     The conference addressed several areas of violence against women
and children in workshops.
     Workshops included discussions on the churches' response to sexual
abuse and violence against women, clergy sexual abuse, initiatives
against child prostitution, violence and the power of language, and
violence in silent poverty and war against women and children in Sierra
Leone.
     In addition to keynote presentations and workshops the four-day
conference offered worship, Bible study, cultural evening events,
plenaries and "home group" sessions.  The home group sessions were
closed to invited press for purposes of privacy and confidentiality for
participants.
     "It was important that the women be allowed a 'safe-place' to
share and speak openly about issues concerning themselves personally or
as they may relate to where they come from," said Chadwick.
     A day-long excursion to downtown Chicago and surrounding areas was
a significant part of the four-day event.  Participants toured
facilities that deal with domestic violence, sexual abuse, and shelters
for homeless and battered women and children.  Participants received
resources from the various facilities to assist them in their homelands
to either start or expand existing programs.
     A visit to the Chicago Mayor's Office on Domestic Violence offered
participants insight to the city's progress and programs that deal with
domestic violence.
     "The Mayor's Office on Domestic Violence recognizes that domestic
violence does not occur in a vacuum and that the climate in which the
violence occurs can magnify the effects of a domestic situation.  The
additional barriers that may be brought about by ethnicity, religion,
race, age, disability, sexual orientation, etc., are all issues that
need to be considered when attempting to devise appropriate models of
intervention for victims of abuse as well as for perpetrators of the
violence," the group was told by a representative of the mayor's office.
     "By looking to the community and its subgroups, those working to
end domestic violence can gain invaluable insight from individuals and
institutions with diverse experience.  These individuals and agencies
can further help to identify gaps in service provisions as well as
assist in the problem-solving process," said the representative.
     "The issue of violence is the one issue that women around the
world can agree on," said  Chadwick.  "Agreement is not always affirmed
theologically, politically or spiritually.  Women will continue to unite
until violence against women is an exception, not a way of life," she
said.
     "The Commission for Women is responsible for assisting this church
in establishing a safe environment for all in church and society," said
Chadwick.
     Breaking the Silence was funded by the World Council of Churches,
Lutheran World Federation, Commission for Women and Women of the ELCA.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
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