The stark reality of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide in South Africa calls for a multifaceted approach that transcends societal divisions. In the faith sector, GBV is aided and abetted by its twin evil, spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse, a hidden but pervasive issue within many faith communities, exacerbates the impact of GBV. It involves the misuse of religious beliefs, texts, or authority to control, manipulate, or harm individuals, particularly women and children. This abuse often manifests in insidious ways: coercing victims into silence about their suffering, distorting sacred texts to justify violent or oppressive behaviour, or using the pretext of divine will to shield perpetrators from accountability or force domestic violence survivors to remain in abusive relationships, sometimes ‘till [femicide] do them part’.
Given that over 80 per cent of South Africans identify as religious, the faith community holds a metaphorical key to heaven in addressing these intertwined issues. Their involvement is critical beyond advocacy and offering support to survivors but also in challenging harmful interpretations of religious texts and practices that condone and perpetuate the cycle of violence. Faith leaders, often seen as moral authorities, have the power to influence attitudes and behaviours, making their role pivotal in the fight against both GBV and spiritual abuse.
However, faith communities do not operate in a vacuum. They are an integral part of the broader ecosystem working to eradicate the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV), with the faith sector playing a pivotal role. Pillar 2 of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) emphasises the importance of prevention and social cohesion, calling on the faith sector to educate and mobilise communities, promoting a culture of respect, dignity, and equality. While this is a government-endorsed policy, it is driven by stakeholders and calls for a unified, multi-sectoral approach. The fight against GBVF necessitates the involvement of all sectors—civil society organisations, community groups, traditional leaders, healers, the private sector, government, faith-based organisations, men, and individual citizens. This collective effort is essential in addressing the root causes of violence, including harmful social norms, inequality, and systemic barriers that perpetuate abuse.
Central to this endeavour to end GBV is the pioneering work of the Faith Action Collective to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which, in collaboration with We Will Speak Out South Africa, has led the collaborative development of the Interfaith GBV Prevention and Mitigation Strategy 2024-2030. This groundbreaking initiative, set to be launched on the 3rd of October in Johannesburg is the first of its kind—a strategic blueprint jointly crafted by a diverse array of faith communities, including faith-based scholars, activists and key leaders of society.
Building on the 2023 Joint Interfaith GBV Statement of Commitment and an online campaign that garnered nearly 700 signatories and over 5,000 views, the strategy is a clarion call for collective action. It leverages the faith sector's spiritual capital and moral authority to promote life-affirming values and transform faith communities into leaders in ending GBV. It calls upon faith leaders to act as true custodians of their congregants' well-being, holding perpetrators accountable and rejecting impunity cloaked in religious rhetoric.
In addressing spiritual abuse, the strategy seeks to confront the troubling pattern where faith communities have sometimes unwittingly provided refuge for perpetrators, often under the guise of forgiveness or restorative justice. This has sometimes perpetuated harm rather than fostering healing and accountability. The strategy represents a critical step in rescuing interfaith communities from the criticism that they have, at times, enabled harm rather than preventing it.
The new strategy represents a paradigm shift, uniting diverse faith groups, including traditional healers, to tackle gender-based violence and its twin evil, spiritual abuse, which often occurs within various places of worship such as cathedrals, chapels, temples, mosques, synagogues, monasteries, and idumba (healers' rooms). It urges these communities to critically examine their practices, eliminate harmful teachings, and ensure their spaces become sanctuaries of safety and empowerment.
One of the most contentious issues in the struggle against GBV within faith communities is the interpretation of sacred texts. Many perpetrators of GBV have historically misused religious texts to justify their actions. Consequently, a significant part of the interfaith strategy is dedicated to reclaiming these texts from the hands of charlatans and abusers, reinterpreting them in a manner that aligns with the principles of inherent human dignity and gender equality as espoused by our Constitution.
This undertaking is rooted in the traditions of liberation theology and feminist theology. Liberation theology views faith as a force for social transformation and social justice, standing with the oppressed. Similarly, feminist theology seeks to re-read sacred texts from the perspective of women, challenging patriarchal interpretations and advocating for gender justice and equality.
Rather than rejecting sacred texts outright, this strategy encourages people of faith to engage with these texts critically, using them as tools for empowerment rather than oppression. For instance, the Bible, which has often been misused to subjugate women, also contains stories of female strength and resilience. The story of Deborah, a judge and prophetess in the Book of Judges, demonstrates that women have always been part of society's leadership and moral fabric.
Interestingly, the interfaith strategy does not seek to replace the government's overarching National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF); instead, it aims to complement it by focusing on one of the key sectors that will need to contribute effectively for the NSP’s "whole-of-society approach" and "whole-of-government approach" to succeed. At the launch, key figures in the interfaith community will develop actionable, short- to long-term activities to implement the strategy and build the necessary momentum.
The Faith Action to End GBV Collective and its partners have long recognised that no single entity or sector can resolve the issue of GBV alone. The roots of such violence are deep and intertwined with cultural, social, and economic factors. Therefore, the collective response must be equally complex, rooted in collaboration and shared responsibility. The Interfaith GBV Prevention and Mitigation Strategy embodies this principle by uniting diverse religious traditions to collaborate with other sectors and Government service providers to confront GBV within their communities and beyond.
The new strategy is a living framework designed to inspire and mobilise faith communities across South Africa. It calls for the development of Gender—and GBV-competent faith Communities actively participating in achieving the outcomes of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF. It emphasises mutual accountability, resource optimisation, and harnessing the strength of solidarity and shared learning.
This strategy is not just a response to gender-based violence but a catalyst for introspection within faith communities, encouraging them to critically re-examine their practices and beliefs. It aims to lay the foundation for a society free from all forms of violence—spiritual or otherwise—by fostering a collective commitment to transformation, accountability, and healing.
Mncube is an author and columnist who won the national 2024 Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Award for columns/editorials, as well as the same category at the regional 2020 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards.
For further information on the Interfaith GBV Strategy 2030 or to join the movement through the Faith Action Collective, please contact coordinator@wwsosa.org.za or communication@wwsosa.org.za , call 0724537502 or WhatsApp 0845810622
Website by daniellehitchcock.me