The world has changed forever. A microscopic enemy has the world in its grip, threatening the world as we have known it. It has magnified our inequalities like nothing before it. The poor are staring hunger in the face, while women and children in fractured families are more unsafe than ever. 

As one of the Phephisa champions said in an online meeting the other day: “Many women will die of hunger or violence before they die of Corona…“

So what is the call on us as God’s church in these times? Jesus scolded his disciples for being unable to ‘read the signs of the times’ (Matthew 16:3). Again today, we as people of faith are challenged to understand what these times require of us. 

One of the most frightening consequences of COVID-19 is what the UN Secretary-General has called the “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” directed towards women and girls:

Peace is not just the absence of war.
Many women under lockdown for #COVID19
face violence where they should be safest:
in their own homes.
Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world.
I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic.

In the same way, we need to call on all faith communities to put women’s safety first as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

No religion condones violence in the home. 

But often we as religious leaders do not know how best to respond – even more so now that families live in isolation…

Religious leaders shared questions and experiences in a conversation about how we respond to GBV in the context of COVID-19 and the Lockdown on Thursday, 9th April on Zoom

The recording of the webinar is available below.

Download notes highlighting key issues raised

File: PDF iconWEBINAR Faith Leaders Summary Notes