Churches unite Against Gender Based Violence

In South Africa we are faced with are growing amount of gender-based violence due to the current economic situation and the impact of the COVID lockdown. Here is an extract from a local newspaper just highlighting the current situation and the need for the church to respond.

“South Africa is becoming an increasingly unsafe place for women to live in. The Crime Against Women in South Africa Report by Statistics SA shows that femicide (the murder of women on the basis of their gender) is 5 times higher than the global average. This means that in South Africa, women are 5 times more likely to be killed due to gender-based violence committed by men.

Horrendous tales of young girls and women going missing make the rounds on social media daily, with the occasional story catching media attention and becoming a national news story.”

The church in South Africa needs to be more proactive in being part of the solution by addressing the problem practically and spiritually. The victim and the perpetrator need help and support and God’s people need to be equipped and empowered to intervene and improve the situation.