Citation

Gallet W. Pointers Bull. Christ. Res. Assoc. 2017; 27(1): 16.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Christian Research Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

It is now 12 months since the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence (RCFV) released its final report. Chapter 29 of the Report is entitled Faith Communities and provides an overview of the importance of faith communities in providing support to women who experience violence. While being part of a faith community can be a great strength, there are also instances where an inappropriate or lack of response from faith leaders and other members of the faith community can do much damage and harm. There have been instances where woman have been disbelieved or blamed for the abuse they are experiencing. There have been many times where a woman's effort to seek help has been turned back on her and the only advice given is 'to be a better wife' or to 'not provoke her husband'. There are countless reports of this occurring in many denominations and church leaders need to examine their doctrines to ensure that these do not present a barrier to women seeking help.

Language: en