Today is the anniversary of an observation most people have heard little about—the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. World Renew’s recent peacebuilding and justice work in the Dominican Republic is particularly relevant today because it was an event that happened there 53 years ago that is helping to increasingly focus the world’s attention on violence against women and girls.
World Renew has prioritized partnership between men and women in gender equity work since 2006.
World Renew has prioritized partnership between men and women in gender equity work since 2006. Most people who live in poverty are women, and the widespread oppression and abuse of women and girls contributes significantly to keeping them poor. Recognizing that all people are image-bearers of God, World Renew works with men and women together to promote gender equality in legislation, policy, staffing, and programming in accordance with God’s redemptive plan for his world, made visible through his people and church.
In a new project called “Catalyst Churches to End Family Violence,” World Renew’s partner, the Christian Reformed Church of the Dominican Republic (ICRRD), has begun to develop a strategy to address physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence against women and girls. The initiative is funded by a grant from World Renew’s Peace-Building and Justice Taskforce and evolved out of a Timothy Leadership Training seminar for pastors and church leaders. The seminar attendees identified family violence as a major problem in their communities and a priority in their ministries.
In 2012, the ICRRD began training a group of promoters selected from participating churches in communities across the DR and building a variety of partnerships to help congregations develop the skills and capacity to recognize and deal with domestic violence. Representatives from the ICRRD worked visited the Association for a More Just Society in Honduras and traveled to World Renew’s Nicaragua partners, the Nehemiah Center and the Christian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), to research the Family Violence Seminars being administered by local churches there.
“The Nehemiah Center has directly trained 200 pastors and their spouses to teach biblical marriage principles,” said one representative. “As part of their training, the couples agree to lead the training at least twice in their own congregations.” Since 2006, the Nehemiah Center has tracked more than 4,000 people who have requested the study materials, which include topics such as the purpose of marriage, household finances, healthy sexuality, parenting, and resolving differences.
It is particularly important that churches become involved in improving marriages and relationships between men and women as a matter of outreach into the community, but also to address domestic violence that occurs within member families as well as among church leadership, where unhealthy marriages are covered up because of shame and fear. A historically patriarchal (machismo) culture can additionally engender violence against women in Latin American families—an example of the “culture of discrimination” mentioned by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon in the opening quote above.
Maria Mercedes is a Nicaraguan pastor, the mother of two young adult daughters, and married to her long-time husband, Jaime. While both Maria and Jaime have professional careers in addition to their ministry in the church, they also had a long history of violence within their family. The couple’s disagreements escalated into assault that was physically dangerous and emotionally unhealthy for them and their daughters.
When Maria was introduced to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, she started praying for her Jaime, who became a believer as well. Together, they took the Family Violence Seminar for church leaders offered by the Nehemiah Center, and they now openly share their testimony with other pastors as seminar facilitators, illustrating the characteristics of violence and its consequences in family life.
“I communicate better with my wife and children,” Jaime says. “There is no violence in our house today because we have the resources and tools we need to relate to eachother in healthy ways. We can also help other couples in the church and the community break the cycle of violence.”
Maria agrees, saying, “Now we are much more equipped to face our own disagreements and help others deal with their difficulties while showing respect.” The Mercedes are a living example of the transformation that is possible when couples treat eachother with dignity and build a healthy relationship with eachother and their families, committing to prevent violence at all times and improve harmony in their families and communities.
“Traditional programs that involve only women in addressing domestic violence have been somewhat ineffective,” said Dr. Reyna Sanchez, Co-director of Fundacion San Lucas, a World Renew partner in Nicaragua. “To end violence against women, we must address family values that deal with gender equality and healthy family dynamics, so our training is focused on the strengthening the relationship between husband and wife.”
The ICRRD is working in a new partnership with Dominican social service organizations that usually train hospital, clinic, and police department staff in violence awareness and intervention. The church is also collaborating with a government program to counter family violence that is coordinated by the national Women’s Ministry, offering victims of domestic violence the legal and psychological services they need at each of its regional centers.
These collaborations are part of the growing network of ICRRD Catalyst Churches across the Dominican Republic that raise awareness, and minister to survivors of family violence. The program addresses the complexities of family violence and provides pastoral care to those within the church and at the local community level. And, in addition to training couples in healthy relating, women’s ministries within the ICRRD are also working nationally with government agencies in family violence prevention programs and advocating for victim’s rights in family violence cases in the courts.
The observance of November 25 as the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women commemorates the day in 1960 that three sisters (“the unforgettable butterflies”) were clubbed to death for protesting the ruthless dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. (More information is available here.) Until 1997, domestic violence in the Dominican Republic was not only legal—it was not a violation of human rights. In 2009, gender violence remained the fourth-largest cause of death among young women in the DR.
In early 2013, the World Health Organization reported that 70% of Latina women and girls will experience violence in their lifetimes. Women still do not enjoy respect and equality, and fundamental reforms in legislation and shifts in public opinion are vital for these new foundations to be laid.
With help from World Renew, the Nehemiah Center, and CCHR, Christian Reformed churches in the Dominican Republic are catalysts that influence boys and men, train women for leadership, and create the healthy relationships that shape more just communities.
You can help end violence against women and girls by supporting World Renew’s community development programs in the Dominican Republic and around the world.