"The number of unreported cases is high"

Interview with Gabriele De Bona, international gender officer at the Ev.-luth. Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM).

Gabriele De Bona is the international gender officer at the Ev.-luth. Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM). The topic of gender equality is a recurring theme in her work. She creates event formats and supports projects in the ELM's partner churches around the world. This year, she has once again initiated the ELM's participation in the United Nations' 16-day campaign "Orange the World" against violence against women and children. In many places, buildings are being illuminated in orange. The ELM has "dipped" its website in orange, but not only that ...

Gabriele, how did the ELM get involved in the "Orange the World" campaign?

In previous years, the ELM took part in the campaign with online formats due to coronavirus. It was a first step to establish 25 November as a day for the prevention of violence against women. From the very beginning, the concept was to have representatives from our partner churches speak as well as from our local context. This year, we organised an event in person for the first time. In the past, we had mainly provided information to raise awareness of the issue, but this time I wanted to focus more on the victims of femicide and so I came up with the idea of a memorial event at a church location. I immediately found good cooperation with the abbess Cornelia Renders and we were able to hold the memorial service in Isenhagen Monastery on 25 November as the start of the Orange Days.

Information, prayer and remembrance are certainly important. But does it really reach the people you actually want to reach?

We know from other areas how important a culture of remembrance is for those affected and their relatives. It is important to be together and to remember the victims, to bring them out of namelessness and oblivion and to give them a place. At the same time, there should be room for people who are touched and affected. The number of unreported cases is high and there is a lot of suppression and looking the other way. I think many more people are affected by domestic or partner violence than is usually admitted.

The statement by the first and so far only female pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi, Bertha Munkhondya, emphasised that violence against women and girls is a global problem. Not only in Malawi and not only in Germany. She also encouraged us as a "fellow sister". A strong sign of solidarity!

I'm sure it was good for everyone sitting there in the convent church. The women, but also the men.

Sexualised violence is obviously widespread all over the world. Has the church been blind to it for too long?

Sexualised violence is a form of violence and everywhere in the world it is also a form of expressing dominance relationships. In other words, it is systemic, in society and in the church. For me, the question is not whether the churches were blind in one eye, but rather where they were complicit, where they supported power relations and the people responsible for them, who practised and promoted these violent dominance relations. Where have the churches allowed or supported the teaching and promotion of a theology that justifies precisely these violent power relations? The Bible should be critically scrutinised and read for traumatising "texts of horror". A gender-sensitive interpretation of the Bible is important because it also takes a more critical look at these texts. On the one hand, these "texts of horror" are valuable because they reflect experiences of trauma and traumatised people, but if they are reproduced almost literally without reflection or gender insensitivity, people can be re-traumatised and/or violence is justified as a means to an end or violent relationships are glorified.

 

The ELM supports projects against violence against women and girls in partner churches around the world financially and provides them with content-related support. Would you give us an example?

The ELM has already supported a project in Brazil to prevent gender-based violence. However, we are currently supporting a project in Malawi, which is helping the pastor Bertha Munkhondya to combat gender-based violence in three different locations (Lilongwe, Mangochi and Lowershire).

 

Today, on 10 December, the Orange Days end with Human Rights Day. Does this mark the end of a conciliatory sign for all genders?

What does a conciliatory sign for all genders mean? I see it as clearly stating and showing that women's rights are part of human rights. It is not a niche issue. Everyone in families and society is affected by violence against women and girls. If a mother is beaten, humiliated, financially dependent or sexually abused in front of her children, then this does not only have negative consequences for the wife/mother and daughters. It also has fatal consequences for the sons who have witnessed this.

And yet I don't draw a line between the sexes. It concerns everyone. I perhaps hope for more co-operation and participation in campaigns and educational work from men, yes. But many are already there!