URUGUAY-
On a bright, new November 25th, international day for the elimination of any form of violence towards women, AIPRAL and its Women Department calls the ecclesiatic communities to be therapeutical communities of faith, love, service and violence-free. The pandemic has shred light to the sistematic violence suffered by women, adolescents and girls and has shown the need for us to continuously work towards its elimination.
STATEMENT IN OCASSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF ANY FORM OF VIOLENCE TOWARDS WOMEN.
NOT ANOTHER MISSING WOMAN, OR PRESENT BUT SUFFERING
November 25th is not just another ephemeris, included within the 365 days of a year. It is pertinent to consider it a reference to keep the memory and the awareness alive that the fight against violence towards women of any age is permanent. However, this year’s memory action has happened amidst the unexpected context of a pandemic that has shaken every people of the world in family, social, politic, economic and religious terms. This situation has generated new and various expresions of violence and inequalities towards women and has enhanced the increase of the old ones. Hence, we are today expressing once again our indignation and condemnation of such situations, which seem to happen forever and that pose a threat to the hope for significant changes in favour of the abundant life as promised by Jesus of Nazareth.
39 years have passed since the first commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Any Form of Violence towards Women and we can take a look at the statistics to know the number of women that suffer violence in different forms, and how often these acts are perpetrated, including the murder of women; we believe that this form of measuring violence against women, using numbers and pictures is cold, and there’s the risk of it becoming information simply destined to enlarge statistic files.
We think that this is the proper time to be taken as reference, and to let it drive our actions in favour of the fight against violence and inequalities towards women, the motto that we have so many times read and heard: NOT ANOTHER MISSING WOMAN, OR PRESENT BUT SUFFERING. We believe that violence is not a natural phenomenon, hence, it does not belong to us, and YES, it is possible to live a violence-free life.
During this year 2020, sickness, pain, uncertainty and moarning have been frecuent features for many women who, in addition to suffering the effects of the pandemic at a greater scale in terms of health, economics social matters, are overloaded with work activities and care chores at home. This way, inequalities experienced by women increase, which have found themselves supported by religious fundamentalisms and neoliberal strategies.
We can say that it has been amidst these moarnings and through sorority actions that hope has risen as the rain comes to mitigate the heat and give life.
Women may be considered as an expresion of resilience. From ther creativity, they have been able to deal with the quarantine and social shelter, forming strategic alliances, being able to make a liberating use of technologies to establish local and international connections of female support, creating places of educational gatherings to gain strength and continue to rise their voices, to avoid keeping quiet and continue to shred light on violence and inequalities, claiming for their, rights, which, in spite of the many conquers achieved, continue to be taken from them.
As women of faith, in the middle of the given circumstances, we make a call to the ecclesiatic communities for them to assume the challenge of being communities of therapeutic faith, love, service, hence becoming in violence-free places. We encourage women to keep hope, because we are certain that a different world is possible and because the fight for full dignity is legitimate and, therefore, necessary. This way, it is possible to live and promote a violence-free life, as a key element to reach a so-longed-for peace with social justice.
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:13
Rev. Maria de la Concepción Jiménez
Continental Women Director
Translator: ALC News, Camila Llobet