Proactive approach to GBV, Sarv

By LULU MAGINDE
CHURCHES will take a proactive role in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and sorcery-accusation-related violence (Sarv) by having gender desks set up and gender status cards accorded to them to show the action they have taken against the offences.
This is an initiative of the Council of Churches with chairman Rev Roger Joseph saying that churches need to take more responsibility about instances of GBV and Sarv that were happening in their parishes and among their congregations.
The council will use the information to track the progress of churches to address the issues and the actions they have taken.
“We’re trying to get all churches feel more responsible for what’s happening, because they cannot just continue to talk about wanting change,” Joseph said.
“We are trying to hold a workshop either in April or May, to introduce the idea of setting up a gender desk at churches from different denominations, after which we will introduce the idea for status cards.
“That will be the way forward because churches cannot continue to make statements. We want to be proactive and enforce the change that we want to see on the ground and gender desks will help with that as a more proactive approach.”
Joseph said the gender status of each church that has a gender desk would be monitored on a yearly basis by the council to track the progress of that respective church in how they have been contributing to eradicating GBV and Sarv.
“Churches seem to be quiet in addressing GBV and Sarv. We are going to be 50 in two years so we cannot continue to live that way because we live in a civilised world, where it is not acceptable to continue this sort of behavior,” he said.