A new resource from the Adventist Church in Australia is providing guidance for dealing with domestic violence. An initiative of the Women’s and Family Ministries department, Breaking the Silence: Listen, Believe, Refer, was released after the recent Enditnow summit on August 23, 2024.

The booklet continues the discussion around family violence.

Designed for teachers, parents, pastors, and others who support individuals in challenging situations, the booklet covers topics such as child abuse, family violence, supporting victims of abuse, and self-care for support people. It also contains a list of emergency contacts that can be utilized for further support.

Sylvia Mendez, Women and Family ministries director, explained the importance of continuing the discussion. “It is important that we move beyond an Enditnow emphasis day where we highlight this issue once a year and instead work together to raise awareness, provide training and support the whole year round,” she said.

“Violence doesn’t only happen once a year and if we only discuss it once a year, we are failing at truly making a difference,” added Mendez.

About Enditnow

The enditnow campaign is a worldwide Adventist Church effort designed to increase awareness and call for an end to violence globally. Its primary goal is to engage Adventists across the globe, while also encouraging participation from other community groups to tackle this pervasive issue.

Initiated in October 2009, this campaign operates in over 200 countries and territories, born from a collaborative effort between the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and the Department of Women’s Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, both of which are integral to the Adventist Church's mission.

Marking a significant stance of the Seventh-day Adventist Church against violence towards men, women, and children, enditnow aims to galvanize more than 15 million Adventist church members. This includes men, women, and children, to spearhead a global movement focused on raising awareness and finding solutions to eradicate this widespread issue within their communities.

The original article was published on the South Pacific Division news site, Adventist Record.