Praying For Peace Project
The Praying
for Peace Project was a one year funded initiative co-ordinated by
the Greater London Domestic Violence Project to further develop and
support faith communities in responding to domestic violence and to
encourage domestic violence services to be more responsive to faith
issues.
Background to the Project
In July 2005 a
roundtable event for faith leaders was held at City Hall. Faith
leaders from London's main religions were invited to discuss their
role in reducing and preventing domestic violence. The event
provided the opportunity to begin a dialogue between the London
domestic violence sector and faith communities, where expertise
could be shared and future possibilities building on existing good
practice could be explored.
The event
culminated in the publication of the report Praying for Peacewhich
contained a number of recommendations for building a greater
understanding of and ways of addressing domestic violence in our
communities, including recommending the publication of good
practice guidance.
Project aims:
- establish a more effective
response to survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence seeking
help from their faith community,
- increase the engagement by faith
groups with the domestic violence sector,
- increase the inclusivity of the
domestic violence sector by integrating faith issues into their
service provision,
- increase the number of people
working to reduce and prevent domestic violence,
- create an opportunity for all
faiths to work together on a social issue which affects all
communities,
- strengthen social cohesion through
better understanding between members of different faiths and the
domestic violence service providers,
- be a practical and visible example
of cooperation for the good of the wider community,
- bring the faith dimension in
constructive ways into the shared life of the wider local
community.
Why look at domestic violence and faith?
Domestic
violence occurs in all communities, across all faiths.
Domestic violence is everybody's business and faith leaders,
organisations and community members can play a vital part in ending
this abuse of human rights. Domestic violence affects survivors in
many ways, physically, emotionally, psychologically and for many
spiritually. Faith leaders and communities can be a
significant source of support and guidance for survivors of
domestic violence and their children. They can assist perpetrators
to access the appropriate help to change their abusive behaviours.
Moreover, faith leaders, organisations and community members have
an important role in prevention work - educating children and young
people, raising awareness and ensuring that the community condemns
domestic violence and supports survivors.
Working
together is crucial to providing effective responses. It is
vital that faith leaders and faith communities recognise the issue
of domestic violence. Faith leaders and community members can
increase their knowledge and awareness of domestic violence and
reach out to secular advocates and agencies that have a long
history of addressing domestic violence. By responding to domestic
violence and engaging with partners, faith leaders and communities
can also play a vital role in ensuring that the domestic violence
sector is providing services responsive to the needs of their
service users, including faith issues.
The GLDVP believes that:
- all survivors deserve access to
safety and justice,
- perpetrators must be held
responsible and accountable for their abusive and violent behaviour
both by themselves, by statutory agencies and by communities as a
whole,
- children and young people must be
given the information and skills to enable them to be able to
develop safe, healthy and loving relationships,
- a co-ordinated community response
to addressing domestic violence where men challenge men about their
violence against women is the route to reducing social tolerance of
violence against women,
- that all should have the right to
practice their faith without discrimination and without fear of
recrimination or abuse,
- faith has been, and currently
continues to be, used as a mechanism by abusers to allow or excuse
violence.
Praying for Peace Project outputs:
- Domestic
Violence and Faith: A Toolkit for Faith Leaders, Faith
Organisations and Members of Faith Communities.
- an e-forum
for domestic violence service providers and faith leaders and staff
/ volunteers from faith organisations. No longer active.
- guidance on
faith issues for domestic violence service providers,
- training for
faith community leaders and domestic violence service providers to
help build partnerships and understanding.
Order
the Domestic Violence and Faith: A Toolkit for Faith Leaders,
Faith Organisations and Members of Faith Communities .
Download the Domestic Violence and
Faith: A Toolkit for Faith Leaders, Faith Organisations and Members
of Faith Communities .
