The “worldwide epidemic of violence against women and girls” was condemned last week in a report released by the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF.  Citing a range of abuses, including domestic violence, female genital mutilation, sex-selective abortions, and weak laws against rape, the UNICEF report says that in some countries more than half the female population suffer sexual, mental or physical violence.

“The true scale of this abuse around the world, and the many different forms it takes, is not widely known,” says Ardis Stenbakken, director for Women’s Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide. “We’re committed to raising awareness of these issues, and to working with humanitarian agencies and other religious organizations towards providing practical solutions.”

“In many societies, women have few rights, and even fewer places of refuge if they encounter violence,” adds Stenbakken, pointing to the flourishing sex trade of eastern Europe, southeast Asia and South America (see ANN February 29) and to the two million-plus women who undergo female genital mutilation each year (see ANN April 25). “But this is not just a ‘developing world’ issue,” she adds.  “It’s important to recognize that widespread domestic abuse is also suffered by women in the West.” 

According to the UNICEF report, a third of all Canadian women are subject to violence from their husbands at least once. The report also tracked rates of spousal murder, finding that Russian women are two-and-a-half times more likely to be murdered by their partners than women in the United States, but that American women are twice as likely to be killed by their partners as women in western European countries.

As Christians, says Stenbakken, the Adventist Church supports the efforts of UNICEF to deal with the plight of women around the world who have been impacted by violence. “Christ, when He was on Earth, showed us that we have a responsibility to the powerless of society. Just as He sought out the sick, the helpless, and the poor, we also want to be active participants in efforts to end violence against women and girls, who are often the most disenfranchised members of a society.”

The UNICEF report, considered at a UN meeting in New York on June 5, calls for greater legal protection for women around the world and states that “governments should ensure that there is no impunity for the perpetrators of domestic violence and that incidents of family violence are investigated and punished.”