BISHOP OF Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin, has thrown her support behind a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the one in three women world-wide who have experienced domestic and sexual violence.
The Mothers’ Union launched its #nomore1in3 campaign which forms part of its Global Day of Action, which took place on Saturday.
The campaign saw members of the organisation, a movement of 4 million Christians in 84 countries worldwide, come together at 1.03pm for three minutes of silence to highlight the work it says still needs to be done to tackle the issue.
Data collected in several countries have shown an increase in calls to domestic violence helplines since the outbreak of COVID-19. And campaigners have highlighted concerns that government resources and funding given to organisations which support victims of abuse have been diverted to efforts to tackle the pandemic.
In a statement to The Voice, Reverend Hudson-Wilkin said: “Abuse of any kind – be it physical, psychological or emotional – should not be tolerated in our communities and that’s why I believe it’s important to support the Mothers’ Union nomore1in3 campaign.”
The Bishop of Dover’s support for #nomore1in3 follows her active stance on tackling domestic abuse. In 2016, she supported the launch of a resource pack called Ending Domestic Abuse – A Pack for Churches. Published by Christian charity Restored it was aimed at empowering churches and Christian organisations to take practical steps to tackle the issue and support victims of abuse.
The #nomore1in3 campaign and The Global Day of Action is the Mothers’ Union response to the call for 16 days of global activism against gender based violence, a UN women’s committee initiative, launched in 1991. The Global 16 Day Campaign runs annually from November 25 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day).
The Bishop of Dover’s support was welcomed by Bev Jullien, the CEO of Mothers’ Union. Speaking about the campaign she said: “Our members will be meeting in venues across Britain and Ireland – from cathedrals to shopping centres and churches to their own living rooms, uniting to call for action on the abuse suffered by so many women and girls.
“Lockdown and the recent media coverage around the shocking deaths of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, only serve to confirm why more must be done on this issue now.”
Other senior Church of England figures have joined the Bishop of Dover in supporting the Mothers’ Union campaign.
Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, said: “So often abuse is hidden and so it’s fantastic that Mothers’ Union is bringing this to light by highlighting the dreadful statistic, that one in three women suffer abuse and violence.
“Despite our best efforts, I, along with Mothers’ Union, were very disappointed by the outcomes of the Domestic Abuse Bill, now Act, because we didn’t manage to achieve what we wanted, particularly for migrant women.”
She continued: “So, despite progress, more must be done and that will only happen if people are aware of statistics like this. Abuse is happening in churches, homes and communities and people simple are not aware – that is why this campaign is so important.”
Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: “The whole church needs to be involved in this campaign, and men and boys must step up and recognise the change that is needed to truly combat this issue.”