News and Updates

Member Article: 'Proteção emocional para meninas' (Portuguese Version)

by CNEDA Member, Elsa Correia Pereira (January 2024)

Proteção emocional para meninas - considero que este é um assunto não suficientemente abordado nos nossos dias, especialmente na igreja. Quando se trata de emoções e quando falamos para jovens, de acordo com a Bíblia, é comumente salientado o facto de que devemos salvaguardar a intimidade sexual para o casamento. Mas creio que existe uma realidade emocional a cuidar e a ter em conta para que isso aconteça. Assim, há alguns princípios que são importantes reter para que os relacionamentos com os pares não sejam causa de mágoas, bloqueios na auto-estima ou condicionantes negativos para os relacionamentos futuros.... (See article below for English translation.)

Member Article: 'Emotional Protection for Girls' (English Version)

by CNEDA Member, Elsa Correia Pereira (January 2024)

I consider this a subject not sufficiently addressed in our days, especially in the church. When it comes to emotions and talking to young people, according to the Bible, the emphasis is commonly on safeguarding sexual intimacy for marriage. However, I believe there is an emotional reality to be cared for and taken into account for this to happen. Therefore, there are some principles that are important to keep in mind so that relationships with peers do not become a source of hurt, low self-esteem, or negative influences on future relationships.... (See article above for Portuguese translation.)

The Rapha Project - Quebec

Heather Purdie and her team at the Rapha Project created and led the first widespread domestic abuse survey in Quebec, Canada. Check out their survey report and interviews at their website link below (French and English).

'Do We Handle Power Well?'

Article published by Mandy Marshall on 05 December 2023 on the Anglican Communion News Service website.

'Egypt: How Can I Forgive Her?' - A Poem (Arabic and English)

This poem was originally written by *Hannah on 15 June 2023 and given to Amani Khalil at Life in Abundance, Egypt.

*Name changed to protect her identity

"Identidade e amor próprio (auto estima) num contexto de violência doméstica" (Portuguese Version)

Article published by Elsa Correia Pereira on 12 August 2022 on 'benditas.' (See article below for English translation.)

"Identity and Self-Love (Self-Esteem) in the Context of Domestic Violence" (English Version)

Original article published by Elsa Correia Pereira on 12 August 2022 on 'benditas.' (See article above for Portuguese translation.)

'Shaped: What Survivors' Journeys Can Teach Us About Leading With Resilience, Courage And Truth'

Article published by Heather Purdie on 05 June 2023 on CBE International's website.

CNEDA Member Update - Canada & Malawi

"In December, Abundant Life Ministries in Malawi with whom we work in Malawi took what they have learned through our training programs and marched through their communities, in order to bring attention to gender based violence. This was the first time any of the communities had experienced a march."

Read more of Heather King's December update from the R.E.S.T. Relationship Foundation....

Member Article: "What Does it Mean to Walk with Survivors?" Part 1

by CNEDA Member, Erika Sebestyén (December 2023)

In August, our city celebrated the 14th edition of the Hungarian Cultural Days of Cluj-Napoca - a city in Transylvania, Romania; a region which once belonged to Hungary, which after the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, became part of Romania. The Hungarian cultural days is a week-long, rich cultural festival that attracts visitors from other parts of the country, as well as from Hungary.

With programmes taking place simultaneously in different locations across the city, it is always a difficult task to decide where to go. One programme that I knew I could not miss this year, was a presentation about a documentary film that had been shot here. ‘Too Close’ is the story of a mother and her two children....

Member Article: "What Does it Mean to Walk with Survivors?" Part 2

by CNEDA Member, Erika Sebestyén (December 2023)

What does a survivor need most?

To address the above, I won't go into detail about the do's and don’ts, which I'm sure anyone involved or interested in how best to support survivors will be aware of. In addition to providing a safe place, guidance, and practical help to access professional support, we need to gently embrace and love them, reinforcing the truth that they do not deserve to be abused, that it is not their fault, and that God would never want them to put up with any form of abuse, violence and oppression. Each of us should strive to be a listening, patient friend to a survivor, who must gather enough strength to make the decision that she wants to leave the situation of abuse....

Member Article: "What Does it Mean to Walk with Survivors?" Part 3

by CNEDA Member, Erika Sebestyén (December 2023)

What do people think of as "partnering with a survivor," that might not actually be that helpful?

To answer this, we need to listen to the experiences of any survivor. I think each of them has encountered at least one comment that was not simply unhelpful but also discouraging, emphasising their loneliness, helplessness, lostness. One such attitude is to tell a survivor that they should have pulled themselves together, that it is time to move on and forget the past. Imposing our healing rhythms on a survivor is counterproductive, even if our sincere desire was to help. Messages like this not only show that we do not understand the intricacies of the abuse and the complexity of its consequences, but also clearly express that we are not committed to walking with her....

CNEDA Member Update - Kenya

Read Domnic Misolo's October 2023 newsletter about IFAGE, as he and his team share updates about their work, including one of their latest initiatives called 'Safe Churches, Safe Communities - Building Faith Leaders for Gender Justice.'

CNEDA Member Update - Canada & Malawi

Read Heather King's November update from the R.E.S.T. Relationship Foundation, as her team works to reach out and build connections this Autumn.

Member Article: "What are some ways that we can end domestic abuse?"

by CNEDA Member, Amal Sarah (September 2023)

Domestic Abuse is a termite that has decayed the household structures for many centuries now. The growing population of the world has imposed damaging effects on the social and family life of people, because it has brought scarceness of resources, economic disparities and injustices along. It is a ‘flawed universal truth’ that only women become victims of domestic abuse, whereas the truth is that men too become victims of it, but they do not report; which apparently makes us believe that the percentage of domestic abuse is more in women and less in men. Nevertheless, when we know there is an existing problem, one should chase for the solutions that may eliminate or at least minimize its cause and effect....

CNEDA Member Update - Canada & Malawi

Read Heather King's update from the R.E.S.T. Relationship Foundation's work in Malawi, as her team works to educate about abusive behaviours such as domestic abuse, bullying and strong-arming.

CNEDA Member Update - Ethiopia

CNEDA member, Romina Istratii, has shared with us the trailer for her team's new film. If you have any questions for Romina, you can find her bio/contact info in our directory!

A bit about the film

Tidar (English title: Marriage, Tigrigna title: Hadar, Afaan Oromo title: Bultii) tells the story of Genet, an Ethiopian Orthodox believer who is experiencing domestic violence in her marriage. It narrates her search for a moral and practical solution within the Ethiopian rural context and her valued religious worldview.

Genet’s story is a collation of stories and testimonies of real people that were collected in long-term anthropological research in Northern Ethiopia and community engagements in south and central Ethiopia, synthesised into a single film script. These were re-enacted by Amharic-speaking actors in Ethiopia, with subtitles being produced in Tigrigna, Afaan Oromo and English by first language speakers.

The film hopes to educate on the complex role that religious rationalisations and the clergy's mediation can play in the experience of domestic violence in Ethiopia, influencing victimised women's responses and help-seeking attitudes positively or negatively, and to evidence how faith and religious leaders could become more resourceful and effective in responding to the problem.

The film was written and directed by Dr Romina Istratii and produced by Hermon Hailay and Max Conil of Exile Pictures in the UK and Yidnekachew Shumete Desalegn of KuratPictures in Ethiopia. The actors, film crew members, translators, theological specialists and other professionals who contributed to this film are too many to list here, and will be named in detail in the film's credits.

Ethics in filmmaking
This was a film made during a pandemic and a war with significant challenges faced along the way and many ethical and risk-related concerns to address, navigate and mitigate. Our team hopes that the film is received in Ethiopia and the diaspora as a humble and careful attempt on behalf of our project to raise awareness about the complexities of domestic violence in a religious rural context without offending or taking sides, but relying on real stories.

Open access license
The trailer and the film are intended as open access resources to be used by organisations working in awareness-raising. We understand that producing such resources is expensive and time consuming and grassroots actors responding to GBV on the frontlines may not have the capacity to produce them. Our hope has been to address this gap by using some of the project's resources for resource development. 

Film release
The release of the full film is anticipated in the coming month(s) and a public film screening in Ethiopia is scheduled for November. Should anyone be available to attend, kindly let us know to pin your name down. 

CNEDA Member Update - India

Read Aashima Samuel's update from Ashray's work in India, as her team works to protect children from trafficking and child marriage.

Asia Evangelical Alliance

Grace Hee and the Asia Evangelical Alliance has created a new Resource Centre on the topic of domestic abuse for Asian Christians and Churches. Please spread the word and this link: https://asiaevangelicals.org/heard/ 

CNEDA Member Update - Kenya

Read Domnic Misolo's update from IFAGE's work in Kenya, as they work with churches and local leaders to respond to gender-based violence.