Jacqui Patterson of the NAACP shares global statistics on sexual and gender-based violence and addresses how Christian churches are handling the challenge, in both negative and positive ways.

1. Faces and Voices of Global
Sexual Gender Based Violence

2. FOUR STORIES

3. IPV and SGBV
Babita

4. Nepal
• “He would beat me to the point that he was too ashamed to
take me to the doctor. He forced me to have sex with him and
beat me if I refused. Even when he was HIV-positive he still
wanted sex. He refused to use a condom.” --Babita
•
“He used to force me to have sex with him. He would beat me
and slap me when I refused. He never used a condom with
him . . .. When I got pregnant I went for a medical check-up.
When I gave birth, and the child had passed away, they told
me I was HIV-positive. I cried. The doctor told me, “Wipe your
tears, the whole world is sick.”

5. Climate Change and SGBV
Susan

6. Conflict and SGBV
Famatta

7. Liberia
• During the 2002-2003 civil crises, Famatta was gang raped by
a general and his body guards.
• She reported the rape to her father but he felt powerless to
help her.
• A few months after the rape, Famatta began to feel ill;
suffering from chronic diarrhea. She was pregnant. When
she visited the hospital, she was diagnosed HIV positive.
• Her partner abandoned her and her twin sons. Famatta
believes that she acquired HIV/AIDS as a result of the rape.

8. SGBV and HIV
Joyce

9. SETTING THE CONTEXT

10. Global SGBV Statistics
• A multi-country study by the World Health Organization
(WHO) found that 59% of women in Ethiopia and 50% in
Bangladesh reported sexual violence by an intimate partner;
and 34% of women in Brazil and 47% in Tanzania said they had
experienced physical violence.4
• A multi-site study by the International Center for Research on
Women (ICRW) found that almost 40% of Indian women
interviewed reported physical violence; 26% reported severe
physical abuse – of whom half reported being beaten during
pregnancy.

11. Global SGBV Statistics Cont’d
• In Kenya, a Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)
showed 68% of women agreed that a husband would
be justified in beating his wife, including if she
refused to have sex with him.
• Reports from a range of nations, including Thailand,
South Africa, and New Zealand indicate that between
20 and 44% of men admit that they are violent
towards their wives or intimate partners.

12. Underpinning Social Determinants
• Patriarchy
• Sexism
• Racism/Xenophobia
• Unequal Distribution of Resources

13. Proximal Exacerbating Factors
• Community/Societal attitudes condoning
violence against women and girls
• Lack of access to quality, appropriate health
related messages and services
• Lack of Female Controlled Prevention
Methods
• Harmful traditional practices/norms
• Homophobia

14. High Risk Settings/Circumstances
• Marriage/Intimate Partner Relationships
• School
• Immigration
• Trafficking/Coerced Labor
• Commercial Sex Work
• Disability
• Injecting Drug Use
• Humanitarian Crises—Conflict/Disaster
• Food/Water Insecurity
• Immigration
• Climate Change and Its Myriad Impacts

15. THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH

16. Churches—Mixed Messages

17. MOTHER’S DAY AND FATHER’S DAY SERMONS FOCUS ON
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HUSBANDS, WIVES, AND FIANCÉS. THEY
SHOULD RESPECT AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
MESSAGES WE DELIVER, “HUSBAND LOVE YOUR WIVES. WIVES RESPECT
YOUR HUSBANDS.”-
“AS A PASTOR AND COUNSELOR I GO AND SAY TO THE HUSBAND,
‘ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. YOU CAN’T BEAT ON YOUR WIFE. YOU
CAN’T LOVE SOMETHING AND TRY TO DESTROY IT. YOU HAVE TO STOP
DOING THIS THING.’ USUALLY, AS A PASTOR AND RESPECTED PERSON, I
GET A GOOD RESULT.”
SOMEONE TRIED TO BE VIOLENT AGAINST HIS WIFE. CHURCH STEPPED
IN AND SUSPENDED HIM INDEFINITELY FROM MEMBERSHIP. HE WAS A
CHURCH LEADER. THEY TOOK DECISIVE ACTION TO DISCOURAGE SUCH
BEHAVIOR AMONG MEMBERS.
Churches—Mixed Messages

18. ‘IF YOU WANT TO PUNISH HER, WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS IGNORE
HER.”
“I TELL THE MEN YOU CAN’T ABUSE WOMEN IN FRONT OF CHILDREN
OR IN PUBLIC.’
“WHEN WOMEN OR COUPLES COME TO ME WITH A PROBLEM WITH
VIOLENCE, I TELL THEM THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS YOU HAVE TO
GIVE IT TIME. GIVE TIME A CHANCE. SOMETIMES, IF YOU DO NOT GIVE
TIME A CHANCE, YOU END UP CONCLUDING AND PUSHING AND USE
THE WRONG SOLUTION. AS A RESULT YOU END UP ENDANGERING THE
CASE AND THE RELATIONSHIP FALLS APART. SO I SAY, ‘I’VE HEARD THE
CASE. LET US PRAY OVER IT AND THEN COME BACK TOGETHER.’
COUNSELING IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL THING.”-
Churches—Mixed Messages

19. Christianity in Action

20. Multi-faceted efforts to address underlying dynamics that
drive gender based violence
Mechanical Flower
Snapshots

21. Education and Food Security Are Keys to Wellness
for Women and Girls

22. Taking it to the halls of congress as voices of
advocacy

23. FAITH IN ACTIVISM

24. Girls in Haiti
Courtesy of Women Thrive Worldwide

25. JACQUI PATTERSON
JPATTERSON@NAACPNET.ORG