wfn.org | LWI 2009-050 FEATURE: A Refuge from Domestic Violence

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FEATURE: A Refuge from Domestic Violence

Chilean Lutheran Church Agreement with Government Provides
Women’s Shelters 

SANTIAGO DE CHILE, Chile/GENEVA, 26 August 2009 (LWI) –
Between 2001 and 2009, Chile registered 392 cases of murdered
women. Most of the victims were killed by men with whom they had
a close, intimate relationship. Only a small number of the deaths
could be attributed to unfamiliar perpetrators.

Although some of the victims had obtained court orders for
protection, such measures did not work. The police often lacked
sufficient powers to protect the women, making it impossible to
prevent the murders.

In the face of this crisis, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Chile (IELCH) is providing a safe place for women and their
children who are threatened by domestic violence.

The Vida Plena ("life in fullness") shelter in Providencia, a
suburb of the Chilean capital Santiago de Chile, offers a way out
of this situation, giving protection to women and children in
life-threatening situations due to domestic violence. The refuge
run by the IELCH in cooperation with the Chilean Ministry for
Women (Servicio Nacional de la Mujer - SERNAM) is a safe place
where women can live for a period of time. 

The church explains that the victims often have no means of
availing themselves of protective measures. If the abusive men
receive summons to appear before the family court or public
prosecutor to face charges of domestic violence, the situation
often escalates. The men assault and abuse the women all over
again. In the more extreme cases, the women lose their lives.
Neighbors often do not dare to intervene, acting on the
principle: "Do not get involved in a couple's squabbles." 

Since many women are isolated, they find it difficult to get
assistance. Their children are often used as a means of control
and blackmail. The psychological effect of years of violence
diminishes the women’s self-esteem and drains them of the
strength they need to change their lives. In addition, the women
remain economically dependent on their abusers. 

>Psychosocial and Spiritual Care

Vida Plena provides accommodation for three months, which also
includes healing programs, psychosocial and spiritual care, legal
accompaniment and assistance in devising new life goals for the
women and children suffering family violence. The refuge is
currently home to 12 women and 18 children between the ages of
one and 17. The staff includes social workers, a psychologist, an
accountant, five kindergarten teachers and a woman pastor.

The IELCH currently has five cooperation agreements with SERNAM
for three women shelters - two within the capital, and one in
Concepción, the capital of Region VIII, as well as two contact
centers for the prevention of violence. The church shelter is so
far the only organization in the country to have signed an
official agreement with the government for this kind of work. 

>Human Rights Commitment

IELCH president Rev. Dr Gloria Rojas attributes this cooperation
to government recognition of the church’s commitment to defend
human rights from its prophetic ministry during the period of
Chile’s dictatorship. 

The church is committed to equal rights for men and women, and
opposes discrimination, she stresses. "In a society debating
women’s abilities and the defense of equal opportunity, this
stance is highly valued," according to Rojas. She also cites the
practical, firm dedication of the church to diaconal work, which
is a response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here words and
actions are closely intertwined, she adds.

"Violence against women is a sin," states Rev. Dr Elaine G.
Neuenfeldt, secretary for Women in Church and Society at the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Overcoming it requires a
holistic, collective effort, she says, emphasizing that the
church is called to be a safe place for women living and
suffering in violent relations. 

As a global communion, the LWF calls for affirmative policies
for women and for missional, diaconal and prophetic commitment in
public life. "The experience in Chile is a sign of how the church
can interact in a proactive way with public policies," adds
Neuenfeldt. (665 words) 

This article is in the continuing LWI features’ series on the
topic “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread,” the theme of the LWF
Eleventh Assembly, to be held from 20 to 27 July 2010 in
Stuttgart, Germany.

>*        *          *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of 68.5 million. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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