FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA – November 22, 2021)
In response to pervasive violence experienced by women around the world, the Baptist World Alliance and BWA Women are launching the “Stand Against Domestic Violence” Global Initiative.
Worldwide, 18% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the past 12 months. Women in Asia and the Pacific report the highest rates of domestic violence, including 68% in Papua New Guinea, 46% in Afghanistan, 54% in Bangladesh, and 64% in Fiji.
To address this crisis, BWA and BWA Women have created an online resource hub to educate and equip individuals, churches, and communities to help bring an end to domestic violence. Through the high-quality resources available on the website, women and men will be informed about domestic violence and inspired to act – bringing about the change required for women, children, and families to thrive.
“It’s time to speak up. Never has there been a time where the voices of women have been needed as much or oppressed as greatly. Violence from one gender to the other is far from God’s heart and his good plan for us from creation,” said BWA Women President Karen Wilson. “We will stand together. We will support where needed. We will speak up for those who have no voice (Proverbs 3:8), and we do that alongside our Baptist sisters all over the world.”
The “Stand Against Domestic Violence” initiative grew out of a domestic violence workshop offered at the Global Conference of Baptist Women earlier this year. Workshop presenters Dr. Valérie Duval-Poujol (France) and Jenni Entrican (United Kingdom) were moved to share this information more widely and to create something long-lasting.
In collaboration with BWA Women, a team was formed to develop the global resource hub. Coordinated by Elissa Macpherson (Australia), President of the Baptist Women of the Pacific, the steering team also includes Duval-Poujol, Entrican, Patricia Ihlenfeldt (South Africa), Margaret Warren (Australia), Beulah Wood (New Zealand), and J. Merritt Johnston (USA), new Executive Director of BWA Women.
A virtual gathering to launch the new resource site will be held on Tuesday, November 23, at 8 am EST. The session will include information about the project origins, a preview of the new resource hub, and a special Question & Answer segment with the steering committee members. To register for this special event, visit bit.ly/standagainstdv.
The launch will be part of a long-term emphasis on this issue for Baptists worldwide, including observation of the 2021 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Thursday, November 25.
“As people of faith, we must be on the frontlines – responding to needs with the love of Christ. That’s why the BWA is committed to providing resources like Stand Against Domestic Violence to equip individuals and faith communities to respond to this global issue,” said BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown. “I am grateful for BWA Women’s leadership of this initiative, and I call on all of us to stand with them in love with a boldness that transcends and transforms violence.”
Visit the new online resource hub at StandAgainstDV.net.
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