Gender-based violence and efforts to address the phenomenon: Towards a church public pastoral care intervention proposition for community development in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Gender-based Violence (GBV) is a huge concern in many African countries such as Zimbabwe despite the preventative and mitigatory interventions that have been proposed and implemented by various stakeholders. The interventions applied range from policies and programmes that are government initiated as well as those interventions by social actors such as non-government organisations and Faith-based Organisations (FBOs) like churches. Gender-based violence as a social structural issue is sustained and perpetuated by cultural norms, values and beliefs that are fed by patriarchy, among other things. To effectively respond to the situation, interventions should target multiple social levels, including policy, government officials’ attitudes, individual men and women, families, community leaders and structures and social institutions such as churches. Churches are a critical community social institution that could play a pivotal role in addressing GBV. To position churches as players on public issues such as GBV, the questions that emerge are: ‘What is the role of the church in a public problem such as GBV? How could churches conceive and perform a public ministerial role that addresses GBV?’ To respond to these questions, this article employs the idea of public pastoral care as a nexus that churches could utilise in performing a community and public role function in contributing towards addressing GBV. Firstly, the article sketches the context of GBV in Zimbabwe and the various efforts to address it. Secondly, it outlines the ambivalent role of churches in GBV. Thirdly, it conceptualises the notion of public pastoral care as an approach that could be employed by churches to address GBV. Lastly, it proposes some public practical approaches that could be employed in addressing GBV by churches.

The African Pastor as a Public Figure in Response to Gender-Based Violence in South Africa: A Public Pastoral Intervention

“…Fifthly, pastors and their congregations should strive to collaborate with other societal institutions in the fight against GBV in the country (Nanthambwe 2022). GBV is a pervasive issue nationwide, and it would be erroneous to believe that churches and their pastors alone can effectively address it (Magezi and Manzanga 2019;Manzanga 2020;Nanthambwe 2022). Nanthambwe's (2022) study conducted in Johannesburg indicates that many individuals recognize the significance of churches partnering with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to tackle various community challenges, including GBV.…”

John 8:3–11 and gender-based violence in Johane Marange Apostolic Church, Ruwa District, Zimbabwe

“…It is quite apparent that superficial interpretations of texts like 1 Corinthians 14:33-36; 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Peter 3:1, 5-6 will open biblical texts to abuse. As Magezi and Manzanga (2019) argue, weak hermeneutical skills in Christians are mainly responsible for the misunderstanding of scriptures like Ephesians 5:22-33. As noticed from the text under study, the enemies of Jesus weaponised the law of Moses in Deuteronomy 22:22-23 to trap Jesus between condemning the woman in accordance with the law or violating it.…”

“…churches. Such a hermeneutical model is a dire necessity against the realisation that in spite of protracted anti-GBV efforts by multiple social actors such as the government and non-governmental organisations, GBV still remains very high in Zimbabwe (Magezi & Manzanga 2019).…”

War on women

“…Gender-based violence has many serious consequences for women's health, including for example homicides, suicides, AIDS-related deaths, physical injuries, chronic pain syndrome, gastrointestinal disorders, pregnancy complications, miscarriage and low-birth weight of children (Enaifoghe et al 2021:118). Magezi and Manzanga (2019) reports how GBV, a huge concern in many African countries, is perpetuated by institutions such as the home, state, church, and communities. The increase in GBV cases can be ascribed to stereotyped differences that exist in gender form, which lead to an overemphasis on male dominance that ignores and underestimates women's power and active roles (Magezi & Manzanga 2019:3).…”