Paint your World orange: #Not one less!

"If I had wings, like the dove...

"If I had wings like a dove, I would fly and find rest." This sentence from Psalm 55 appears like a common thread throughout the memorial service on 25 November, almost an inner leitmotif that condenses the experiences of many of those affected. For anyone who has experienced violence knows this desire for escape, for a place without fear, for a break from the constant state of alarm. Just like the prayer service itself, which was organised that evening by Gabriele De Bona, ELM's Gender International Officer, Cornelia Renders, Abbess of Isenhagen Abbey, lector Anke Eggers and Katrin Dageförde (music).

This longing for peace was palpable as the warm sounds of the handpan filled the church. It created what the psalm calls for: a moment in which the soul is allowed to breathe. But the evening did not stop at consolation - it named the things that clip people's wings.

The speech took up the story of Queen Vashti, who draws boundaries and says "no" - and loses everything for it. An ancient text that sounds painfully topical today. Even today, those affected by violence often have to decide whether to defend their dignity or pay the price. Those who cut themselves off risk conflict, deprivation of affection, economic dependence or open anger. It is no wonder that many wish to fly away like the dove in the psalm, far away from control and humiliation.

The many faces of this humiliation became visible in the impulses from the nave: psychological violence that leaves no bruises but constricts the soul. Gaslighting that knocks people out of their own perception. Digital assaults that poison their internet retreat. Hate speech, cyberbullying, cybergrooming - modern forms of an old dynamic: abusing power to keep others down. Those who experience this often carry the desire for the "wings of the dove" with them for years without finding the words for it.

A violence barometer made this inner attempt to fly visible. The visitors categorised various situations on a scale - from mild harassment to existential threat. The results showed how early violence begins and how deep it goes. Some situations that are still trivialised by society triggered high ratings. It became clear that violence doesn't just begin when a blow is struck, but where people want to flee inwardly.

The intercessions gave space to all those who have no wings and still have to survive: Women, queer people, children. They also reminded us of those who fight back, who accompany, who create safe spaces and remain loud when others have become quiet. The blessing at the end created a protective space that many of those affected seek in vain in everyday life.

This psalm verse thus acted as a transmission belt throughout the evening: a symbol of the pain, longing and hope of people who experience violence. And at the same time a mission to all those present: To ensure that no one has to seek peace only by flying away.

This prayer took place on the International Day against Violence against Women, with which the local initiators deliberately launched the global "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence", an international period of action that connects churches, civil society organisations and committed people worldwide. It calls on people to name violence, show solidarity and take steps towards change.

A moving part of the evening was the video statement by Pastor Bertha Munkhondya from Malawi. She reported on her everyday pastoral work, in which she accompanies women who are subjected to various forms of violence. Her words make it clear that gender-based violence is not limited to individual countries, but is a global problem that challenges us as a church and civil society.

In its gender work, the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM) reminds us that all people are created in God's image and that in Christ, divisive categories such as gender, origin or status lose their power.

Gender justice is a central cross-cutting task of our gender work: not only should individual women be empowered, but unjust structures should change - so that all people can live with dignity and security.