“Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development. It imposes large-scale cost on families, communities, and economies. The world cannot afford to pay this price.” – Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General
We live in a world in which violence against women is manifested in a horrifying variation of ways: including physical violence, sexual violence, emotional violence, verbal abuse, and neglect. In 1993, the UN General Assembly Declaration on The Elimination of Violence against Women provided a framework for action, yet, more than twenty years on, one in three women still experience physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner. Globally, 4.5 million people are victims of forced sexual exploitation (98% of which are women or girls), and at least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in 30 countries, with this happening before the age of five in the majority of cases.
It can be easy to view these statistics as distant, impersonal perhaps, but the fact is that we are surrounded by these issues and their implications, even if we might not always realise it. Whilst the often idyllic St Andrews bubble might feel like the safest place on earth, it is certainly not untouched by violence. And where we may see a number, a statistic, God sees us individually as unique human beings, intrinsically loved and valued by him. We trust in a God who is bigger than our insecurities, and infinitely more powerful than the injustices of this world. He is a God who cares intimately about the pain of each person on this earth, and who shares in our suffering.
When we choose to look at how God views us as women, we see a stark contrast between this and the labels often forced on us by society. The society we are a part of tells us, sometimes inadvertently and sometimes intentionally, that we’re not good enough. We’re constantly told that we need to be better – not kinder, more loving, or more generous, but prettier, thinner and more feminine. God, however, has always seen women and girls as his children, made in his image (Genesis 1:27), and holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12). An encouraged lack of self-worth is perhaps a contributing factor towards high records of violence against women. If women view themselves negatively, then they will be unlikely to speak out about violence when they see or experience it.
In order to combat a culture in which violence against women is so often hidden, or even accepted, we need to stand up and speak out against injustice when we see it. The stigma of shame needs to be eradicated if we are to work towards a society in which women are protected and valued as equal to men. It is important that we lift one another up rather than tear one another down, because to God, we are more than enough. Any attack against women’s rights is an attack against human rights, and so both men and women should stand together in order to bring about positive change.
Zoë and Jo
