WARC calls for end to impunity for violence against women

World Alliance of Reformed Churches, GENEVA, Suiza, March 7, 2007

The escalation of violence against women cannot be separated from the prolific levels of violence Taxi Heathrow Airport unleashed by powerful global forces, says the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) in its annual International Women's Day message.

International Women's Day is marked worldwide on 8 March with events that both draw attention to the advancements of women and raise awareness of suffering because of prejudice and abuse against women. The theme of the 2007 day is Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women.

"Women cannot be emancipated until patriarchy is dismantled and this aggression by powerful global forces ceases," said Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, executive secretary for the WARC Office for Church Renewal, Justice and Partnership.

"Women in the West cannot be liberated while war is being fought in their names and nations are being bullied into submission by those on a quest for a hegemonic place in this world. The fundamental divide between North and South and the demonizing of other peoples' religions and cultures must be a concern for all women who seek justice and freedom."

Sheerattan-Bisnauth called for a revival of women's activism and resistance movements, both locally and globally. There must be a dialogue of women from all parts of the world and including all classes, races, nationalities and religions, she said.

"As we grapple with the tension within our specific context, we must have eyes for the larger picture, addressing not only our specific needs but also the larger global struggles."

Benebo Fubara-Manuel, principal clerk of the Presbyterian Church of  Nigeria and a member of the WARC gender justice network, added that if the church had not "divinized" the patriarchy deeply embedded within its systems, violence against women would not have survived in the church.

"Christianity's starting point in ending the impunity for violence against women may be to humbly admit that its systems are not as divine as it has claimed for centuries and to honestly, under God, confront its own evils and name them courageously," Fubara-Manuel said.

Patriarchy is the root cause of much of the brutal military and economic violence against men, women and children in the world today, Sheerattan-Bisnauth added.

"People have been driven out of their homes, forced to flee to refugee camps; children are dying from enforced economic sanctions; soldiers are killed or maimed; civilians are slaughtered daily. Human rights abuses are being carried out every day in most horrific ways.

"Women are systematically raped, abducted and forcefully displaced while dowry-related deaths, honour killings and female genital mutilation continue with impunity. Trafficking in women and girls for sexual and economic exploitation thrives as a face of neoliberal economic globalization.

"The brutal aggression in our world today is one of the signs of deep and pervasive systems of domination derived from patriarchal ideology. This ideology thrives upon and is sustained by systems of hierarchy, domination and control."

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 216 churches in 107 countries - united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC's secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Source: www.warc.ch