Silent No More — a Call to Churches
FORWARD:
This report, SilentNoMore, calls all churches to account and to action. It paints a painfully honest picture of the way churches have perpetuated a culture of silence around sexual violence and have largely failed to respond to the crisis and may even worsen the impact by reinforcing stigma and discrimination experienced by survivors.
Yet communities continue to look to their churches for leadership and care to transform
this devastating situation.The study demonstrates how the largely untapped potential of churches can be released to help prevent sexual violence and reduce its impact. Some churches have embarked on such a journey over recent years,responding to the
pained voices of survivors around the world. At a recent gathering,the leaders of the
Anglican Communion discussed the appalling prevalence of gender based violence,
including sexual violence. In a joint letter to the churches of the Anglican Communion,
they stated: “Our churches must accept responsibility for our own part in perpetuating oppressive attitudes towards women. In penitence and faith we must move forward in such away that our churches truly become a living witness to our belief that both women and men are made in the image of God. In recent years we have seen a growing resolve to engage … and we commit to strengthening our mission and ministry in these areas.”