Statement by Faith Community Leaders to mark the commencement of the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women and Children

God has created men and women equally to complement each other and to work together in peace and harmony.

As leaders of the many faith communities interwoven in the fabric of South African society, we welcome the co-ordinated global effort by the various sectors of society to halt violence against women and children. We pledge our full support to this campaign.

As South Africans, we have covenanted together as a society in the adoption of our national Constitution. This reflects our common commitment to the values and principles enshrined in the Bill of Rights: namely, that every individual is worthy of equal respect and protection before the law; and that, as a society, we have a particular duty to protect the most vulnerable and marginalised. These values are consistent not only with the fundamental teachings of all of the great faiths, but also with the concept of ubuntu, which lies at the heart of our heritage as Africans.

As a religious and civilized society, we have failed in many instances to live up to these cherished ideals. We have often not truly given equal and meaningful recognition to the rights and dignity of women and children. In our families and communities, women and children remain particularly vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse.

The important place that religion has given to women and the lap and cradle of the mother continues to be undervalued. Women have often been misplaced in modern society. Some have been made to leave their homes - their fortresses of protection and dignity - and have fallen prey to the malicious, unkind and violent world of the male. Some have been made to compete unfairly in a competition where she has to measure herself against the immeasurable. Homemaking is touted as a disgraceful option to her and motherhood an additional burden to get over with as soon as possible. Women must find their rightful place in modern society and realise their full potential. This is essential in the South African context if we hope to redress the damage that apartheid has inflicted upon the family structure.

Even in religious communities, women and children are often silenced or excluded from positions of leadership and influence. Even those who have been entrusted with the care of vulnerable people - religious leaders, police, teachers and social workers - have often abused that trust and taken advantage of the very people they were meant to protect.

Therefore, as leaders of faith communities, we together recommit ourselves:

1. To building a society in which all individuals truly enjoy equal dignity, rights and protection.
2. To a wholesome return to the divine scriptures in order to rejuvenate our society which has all but forgotten God-consciousness.
3. To taking action to halt the abuse of women, children and other vulnerable groups, both within our religious institutions and in society at large. In faith communities, this means dealing frankly and transparently with incidents of harassment, discrimination and abuse, and developing policies and practices to prevent such incidents from recurring. It also means emphasizing the theological, Constitutional and cultural imperatives to respect the rights and integrity of women and children.
4. To recognising fully that we are responsible for our actions and that the abuse of women and children is a sin in the eyes of God.
5. To recognising - and promoting the recognition of - the capacities and contributions of women in the domestic, economic, political and spiritual life of the nation, including by reviewing the status and role of women within our respective faith communities.
6. To supporting, through prayer and pastoral guidance, all those who are entrusted with the care of children and other vulnerable groups, to assist them to discharge their duties faithfully and effectively.
7. To holding special campaigns and services during the coming 16 days and beyond, to highlight these concerns and to promote the principles of equality and non-violence.

We urge all people of faith to take seriously the task of eliminating violence and all types of abuse and discrimination against women and children, not only by halting abuse - whether physical, sexual, psychological, or economic - but also by ensuring that women and children enjoy equal rights, respect and opportunities. We challenge men, in particular, to embrace this effort and to model appropriate behaviour for other men, especially in subsequent generations.

Let us work together to end all forms of violence.

Approved by the National Religious Leaders Forum
Johannesburg