Violence against women, often within the home, is a social tragedy that knows no cultural, language or national boundaries, says Ardis Stenbakken, women’s ministries leader for the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide.

“I have spoken with women from all around the world-from the mountains of Papua New Guinea to European cities-who have been devastated by ongoing abuse within the home,” says Stenbakken. “This is an issue that, in the past, has often been swept under the carpet. Denying the problem will not make it go away. It’s a problem that demands concerted action from governments, as well as social welfare and religious organizations.”

Stenbakken’s comments come in response to news that, without Congressional action, federal funding for a major anti-domestic violence program in the United States is due to run out on Friday, September 29.

Originally enacted in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act has provided funds for domestic-abuse education programs, women’s shelters and crisis centers, victims’ hotlines, and anti-violence law enforcement.  Two bills that would reauthorize funding for these initiatives, H.R. 1248 and S. 2787, are currently pending in Congress, but need action before the end of the week to avoid interruptions to programs.

Stenbakken, who has written to Congress in support of the renewed funding bills, says that more needs to be done to increase the level of awareness-especially within the Christian community-about domestic violence.

“Too often there is an assumption that domestic violence doesn’t happen in so-called Christian homes,” says Stenbakken.  “This is a dangerous belief that can prevent women from recognizing abuse and seeking help.”

According to Justice Department statistics released in May 2000, approximately one-third of all females murdered between 1993 and 1998 were killed by their husband or domestic partner.  Some 22 percent of all female victims of violence in the United States during the same period were attacked by an intimate partner (which includes current or former husband, or boyfriend). 

Stenbakken says that her department has taken a twofold approach to the issue of violence against women. First, it seeks to empower women who are caught in a cycle of abuse by providing information that will encourage victims to connect with local institutions that can provide physical, legal and emotional support. “Second, we’re committed to raising public consciousness about this issue both within the Adventist Church and in the public arena,” says Stenbakken. “As Christians, we believe we have a special responsibility to the disenfranchised, the vulnerable and the victimized in society-those to whom Christ ministered.”
Established in 1990, the women’s ministries department of the Adventist Church focuses on six critical issues that particularly impact women around the world: illiteracy, abuse, poverty, health risks, work loads and lack of mentoring and leadership training.