25th November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), and marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global movement to raise awareness, support survivors, and encourage institutions to address the crisis of violence against women.
Here in the UK — where one in four women have been subjected to domestic abuse, and a woman is killed every five days by a current or former partner — violence against women and girls has been labelled a national emergency.
Listen to Nikki Dhillon Keane, Head of Safe in Faith, on the Catholic News podcast:
How you can help
As Catholics, we have been called by Pope Francis to respond to this crisis. To that end, Safe in Faith has worked with the Catholic Social Action Network (CSAN) and the National Board of Catholic Women to create a calendar to help Catholics participate in the 16 Days of Activism. Each day, the calendar offers a simple suggestion about how to get involved, from supporting organisations that help survivors to praying or putting up a poster in your parish.
- We offer free training for clergy and others who help out in parishes and other community settings. Our programmes explore domestic abuse in society and faith contexts, as well as covering signposting and fostering safe, trauma-informed support. We can also come to your area and lead workshops for deanery groups.
- Our Signposting Toolkit helps parishes to point people who need support to other organisations.
- Sign your parish up to our ‘Ask for Mary’ scheme, which trains parish office staff to provide a safe space for people in danger to use the phone and internet to seek help.
Knowing how to recognise and respond to domestic abuse in your parish, family, or neighbourhood can make all the difference. “Ellie” (not her real name) was supported by a priest who had been trained by Safe in Faith: ‘My parish priest saved my life, and my children’s lives,’ she told us. She described the difference it made that he understood what she was going through and knew how to signpost her to the life-saving support she needed.
We would like to help more parishes support people like Ellie, who is now living safely with her children.
Resources
16 Days of Activism Calendar:
Do Justice Domestic Abuse worksheet:
CSAN Domestic Abuse Alliance Signposting Poster:
Read the joint Statement on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.
If you think you might be harming the people you love, contact Respect Phoneline on 0808 802 4040.
If you feel unsafe at home, or are worried about someone you know, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 999.