Resources

While progress has been made in creating conversations between the secular and faith actors involved in developmental issues, a distinct binary still exists. This could potentially be limiting a holistic response to gender-based violence, a global public health, development, humanitarian,…

Authors: Kirsten Laursen Muth, Chou Nuon, Vanessa Pizer, Abiy Seifu Link to other SVRI Faith-related Presentations

Exploring the Nexus between Harmful Traditional Practices, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Religion: Working effectively with Faith Leaders September 19, 2017 Lisa Le Roux and Brenda Bartelink Presentation For more information about the JLI SGBV Hub Study see here See…

The reality and influence of sexual violence and crime is enormous and already proving to have devastating effects. Some call the disregard for human life a feature of a culture of violence. The Unit for Religion and Development Research (URDR)…

This report explores the key findings of a baseline quantitative household survey undertaken across 15 communities in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in July 2015. The survey was conducted as part of the integrated research component…

Survey responses of 5,417 women were studied to obtain information about childhood sexual abuse, religion, and mental health. There were 653 (13%) who reported being sexually abused while growing up. When studying those who were sexually abused, it was found…

Despite the benefits of antenatal care, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa suggests that women often initiate these services after the first trimester of pregnancy and do not complete the recommended number of visits. This study examines the impact of mobilising faith-based…

Partners: Tearfund and Queen Margaret University, supported by the Universities of Duhok and the American University of Kurdistan, in the Duhok Governorate Location: Kurdistan Region of Iraq Religions involved: Yezidi and Muslim research participants. Tearfund is a Christian faith-based organization. The research…

Change the context not the girls: Improving efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone Concerns about signi cant increases in Sierra Leone’s already high rates of teenage pregnancy during the Ebola crisis have led to redoubled efforts amongst policy-makers…

The dialogue on 13 June represents a next step in a continuous effort by the World Food Programme to mobilize support for Zero Hunger. In support of this discussion a number of religious leaders representing various faiths and geographic regions…

An integrated approach to gender-based violence and child protection: Key findings from Mali, Niger and Pakistan, 2016-2017 This report is a summary of our key findings from a project that aimed to prevent GBV and provide support to survivors in…

A Compendium of Interventions in the East & Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region Zahra Mirghani, Joanina Karugaba, Nicholas Martin-Achard UNHCR Chi-Chi Undie, Harriet Birungi Population Council This document captures efforts by UNHCR and its partners in promoting…

Behind closed doors – voices against gender-based violence, human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Launched at an event on Wed 28th June 2017 in the House of Lords hosted by Baroness Butler-Sloss and presented by the Revd Dr Carrie Pemberton Ford, of CCARHT…

Religions for Peace (RfP) and ECPAT International present this guide to action to help religious communities harness their strengths to prevent, respond and end This guide provides some basic tools to equip religious leaders and communities to act, advocate, educate, and…

Key messages from Islam and Christianity on protecting children from violence and harmful practices This book explores the approaches to preventing all forms of violence against children from the perspectives of Islam and Christianity. It is intended as a guide…

Video of roundtable sessions with leaders from Muslim, Christian and Druze faith groups on Violence Against Women (VAW) in collaboration with both Oxfam as well as the Forum for Development, Culture, and Dialogue [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS5_bamajys[/embed] Boolket on ending VAW (in arabic):

This scoping research conducted by Oxfam America in Partnership with Harvard Divinity School, combining a literature review and interviews of more than 45 stakeholders, set out to examine the varying approaches and effectiveness in local humanitarian leadership by secular and…

102 UNICEF offices provided information about their extensive work with faith communities over recent years. Partnerships included sensitization activities, capacity development, and support for advocacy and social mobilization. The mapping report concludes: “With evidence of UNICEF’s extensive engagement with religious communities in plain view, UNICEF must now turn its attention to maximizing the benefits of its partnerships with these critical actors”

Achieving the goal of women and girls living healthy lives, free from violence, will require not just good intentions, but well-coordinated, funded strategies by international bodies, governments, civil society and communities. This call to action holds a common human rights…

Today more than 75 per cent of people affected by humanitarian crises are women and children. And adolescents aged 10-19 years constitute a significant proportion of the population in many conflict and post-conflict settings. In response to today’s humanitarian challenges,…

The Collective Action for Adolescent Girls Initiative (CAAGI) is a two-year pilot funded by Christian Aid, and jointly implemented by Development and Peace Initiative (DPI) and Gender Awareness Trust (GAT). The project aims to improve significantly the choices and opportunities…

Islam, like all religions, strongly influences social, economic and political spheres of life. Tenets that are perceived to be Islamic shape the status of and relationship between women and men. These tenets result in women – because they are women…

Widespread harmful traditional practices – child marriage, giving away girls for dispute resolution, forced isolation in the home, exchange marriage and “honour” killings – cause suffering, humiliation and marginalization for millions of Afghan women and girls.Such practices are grounded in…

The book is a result of men and women of God reading the word of God and daring to ask critical questions about how we can be more faithful to God in how women and men relate. The book has been developed…

Loving one another A biblical discussion toolkit on gender-based violence. This booklet is based on the invaluable work carried out by the Anglican Service of Diakonia and Development (SADD) of the Anglican Church of Brazil. Gender-based violence (GBV), especially violence…

Preventing Malaria in Our Communities A Guide to Help Faith Leaders Educate Congregations and Communities About Malaria Christian Joint initiative between IMA World Health and the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty. For more information [email protected]   Also see resource…

Role of Religion and Religious Leaders in Farmer-Pastoralist Conflict in Plateau State: An Inter-Religious Peacebuilding in Northern Nigeria (IPNN) Qualitative Research Report In the context of persistent, low-intensity conflict, which has characterized Nigeria’s Middle Belt for the past decade, Mercy…

An Exploratory Study to Examine the Effectiveness of Community Based Ebola Virus Disease Prevention and Management Strategies in Bo District Sierra Leone World Vision Sierra Leone and Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration on World Vision's Ebola Response in Sierra Leone.…

We Will Speak Out (WWSO) is a global coalition of Christian-based NGOs, churches and organizations, supported by an alliance of technical partners and individuals – chief among them Tearfund, a MenEngage Alliance member - who together commit themselves to see…

The U.S. and other Western governments are now turning to strategies known as countering violent extremism, or CVE. According to the White House, CVE addresses “the root causes of extremism through community engagement.” Instead of fighting violent ideology with bombs,…

Religious leaders are in a prime position to change harmful attitudes about family planning. They are some of the most important and respected opinion leaders in Ugandan communities who can help shift social norms. By virtue of their status and…

On World AIDS Day, the World Council of Churches launched Leading by Example: Religious Leaders and HIV Testing, a interfaith campaign that encourages religious leaders to inspire getting tested for HIV and especially to lead by example and have themselves tested for…

Channels of Hope research findings presentation- Building the evidence base on the role of local faith leaders to critical issues to enhance outcomes towards SDGs *Presentation for Dec 2016 Mobilization of Local Faith Communities Hub meeting Christo Greyling

This report produced by the Frontiers Programme explores why Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is linked with Islam. The practise of FGM among Somalis is investigated in this report and studies are carried out in the Mandera and Wajir districts and…

“Sustained Relational Collaborations”. Rev Bob Mitchell's words on behalf of the Church Agencies Network.

A multidisciplinary work that touches on law, religion, politics, and gender studies to explore the issue of domestic violence in Islam. To download "Domestic Violence and the Islamic Tradition: Ethics, Law and the Muslim Discourse on Gender", click here: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199640164.do#.UfFTUxYkOMM

This publication aims to amplify the voices of Syrian women and add new texture to the portrait of their lives inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. To download this publication, and other UNFPA resources, click here: http://www.unfpa.org/publications  

Early and Child Marriage, AJWS India Restrictive beliefs about gender often make it difficult for girls and women in India to gain access to high education or the job market. These barriers reinforce the idea that a girl’s best option…

Grandmothers play a critical role in family and community life in societies all around the world, especially in caring for young children and advising and educating younger women on all aspects of family well-being. In many non-western societies, grandmothers have…

This report on the observations of field staff working in a variety of countries where girls are commonly married before they are fully physically or emotionally grown. The report illustrates the causes and human costs of early marriage in 15 countries…

The  Review of Faith and International Affairs has just published a special series on Religion and Development See Journal here edited by Jill Olivier with a grant from JLIF&LC through DFID support Includes the following articles: Innovative Faith-Community Responses to HIV…

"Faith-based Interventions in Peace, Conflict and Violence: A Scoping Study" was launched at the World Humanitarian Summit on May 23, 2016 at the JLIF&LC & Soka Gakkai International Side Event "Evidence on Religious Groups' Contributions to Humanitarian Response". For more…

The Online Information Platform for the WHS Side Event hosted by JLIF&LC, Soka Gakki International, and others is available at www.jliflc.com/whs.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) sets high standards for children’s protection and well-being in the family, school, society and institutions – standards that religious leaders and groups are particularly well-placed to communicate and hold society accountable…

Article by Saferworld Bangladesh, January 2016 By involving religious leaders and using their influence in the local community, a Saferworld project in Bangladesh has been able to more effectively address safety and security issues and promote peace, write G.M. Shoeb…

Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty The center, with funding from the GHR Foundation, published an evaluation and analysis of NIFAA's early work in 2011, two years after NIFAA's founding. The report demonstrated NIFAA "offers a sustainable and replicable…

Presentation on the evidence for the role of faith communities in prevention and response to SGBV, prepared by Dr. Elisabet Le Roux, Stellenbosch University, on behalf of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities Gender-based Violence Hub. DFID provided…

Abstract Introduction: Sexual, intimate partner and other forms of gender-based violence (SIGBV) are a violation of human rights and a cause of morbidity and mortality in conflict settings. Faith based organisations often have access and influence in communities that few others have and…

This policy brief on "The role of faith communities and organisations in prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence" was completed by Elisabet Le Roux, Stellenbosch University, on behalf of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities Gender-based…

The Faith Alliance for Health commits from 2016-2020 to strengthen national and local faith networks of faith leaders and organizations to build their influence to bear and use their assets to eliminate preventable deaths of women, children, and adolescents. This…

A regional summary of the Tearfund’s “Men, Faith and Masculinities” studies in Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo.

Over the past decade, the issue of honour-related violence (including honour killing and forced marriage) has entered media and policy debates in immigrant-receiving countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Britain and Canada. In some of these countries, media debate has instigated policy debate.

This paper analyses how media, parliaments and other state institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) conceptualize honour killing and honour-related violence in order to uncover how such conceptualizations inform policy responses.

Copy of Dr Helen Liebling’s presentation at the DFID/Tearfund panel on the role of FBOs in combating violence against women and girls.

Julie Clague’s presentation to the UNFPA faith meeting for the UN General Assembly, September 2014: ‘A Call to Action: Faith for Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Post 2015 Development Agenda’. It offers a Catholic perspective on ‘Sexual And Reproductive Health And Reproductive Rights: Religious and Cultural Contexts for Development Effectiveness Post 2015’.

The purpose of this study was to explore the needs of survivors of sexual violence in South Africa. Despite sexual and gender based violence receiving increasing public attention globally, those affected remain
largely silent. Rape statistics do not begin to explain what victims experience and many survivors, particularly those who experience rape by their partner, do not report the rape. Survivors are often invisible and isolated. The wider public can have a negative, judgmental attitude towards them, particularly if they are commercial sex-workers.

FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING AMONG THE GUSII AND MAASAI OF KENYA

Following the declaration that President Mwai Kibaki was the winner of the Kenyan presidential election held on December 27, 2007, a period of post-election violence (PEV) took place. In this study, we aimed to identify whether the period of PEV in Kenya was associated with systematic changes in sexual assault case characteristics.

This resource states that FGM is NON-Islamic and is against the teachings of Islam, that it is putting the health of women and girls at risk and informs the reader of the legal implications in the UK of carrying out the practice.

Rape as Torture in the DRC: Sexual Violence Beyond the Conflict Zone analyses evidence from 34 forensic medical reports written by specially trained doctors at Freedom from Torture and indicates that rape is being used as torture by state security forces in prisons across the country to stop women speaking out about politics, human rights and, in some cases, rape itself.

Australian aid is funding an innovative approach to tackling gender-based violence in the Solomon Islands. In a country that is 97% Christian, a new project is working with churches to challenge traditional understandings and incorrect Bible teachings about gender roles and domestic violence.

Channels of Hope (CoH) for Gender is an innovative approach to exploring gender identities, norms and values from a faith perspective. The programme methodology challenges faith leaders to acknowledge and act upon gender injustices in their communities, as these are realities in many places where World Vision works.

When faith leaders promote principles of equality, and the shared access and utilisation of family and community resources, this contributes to harmonious relationships within families, faith groups and communities.

Channels of Hope for Child Protection (CoH CP) is a programme methodology that motivates and builds capacity in faith communities to address harmful traditional practices toward children, to support and advocate for children’s rights, to become better child protectors, and to ultimately strengthen the local child protection system.

CoH CP relies on Scripture-based guiding principles, interactive activities and scientific information. It builds on the desire of faith leaders and communities to be better parents within their own families. More than that, it aims to ensure that children can celebrate who they are and become who they were created to be with the love, respect and help of their parents and faith communities.

This report summarizes the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1 project titled The Role of Religious Communities in Addressing Gender-based Violence and HIV, which was designed and implemented by Futures Group International and Religions for Peace. Recognizing the importance of collaborating to prevent and reduce gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV among women and girls, the Initiative partners formulated the project to improve the capacity of religious leaders and faith-based organizations (FBOs) to respond to GBV and its links to HIV.

Tearfund commissioned some research in February 2010 on the role of the church in sexual violence in Liberia, in a preventative sense and as a caring institution.

Based on data collected on domestic violence over 10 years by the IRC in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast, said domestic violence is the “most urgent, pervasive and significant protection issue for women in west Africa”.

Tearfund commissioned some research in January 2011 on ‘The current situation regarding sexual violence in Burundi, the role of the church and possible avenues for intervention.’

Tearfund commissioned some research in February 2010 on the role of the church in sexual violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in a preventative sense and as a caring institution.

Sonke Gender Justice and UNFPA have completed a study on involving men and boys in preventing and responding to gender-based violence in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings.

A reflection on violent attacks on innocent civilians as a spin-off of armed struggle and proposals from a Christian standpoint

This article draws on a public lecture ‘Recent Scholarship in Religion, Ethics and Reconciliation: Shame, Silence and Human Dignity’, at the Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 29 August 2012.

Tearfund has launched a report (2013) into the potential role of the church in ending female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Tanzania.

The MRC Policy Brief looks at: The Scale of the problem; Why the problem? and What can be done?

Faith Health International have launched a report entitled: Exploring gender based violence against men who have sex with men, male sex workers and transgender communities in Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea

hildfund Australia and Papua New Guinea have launched a report looking at violence (including sexual violence) against women and children in Papua New Guinea and calling for an end to the violence.

There are many lessons that can be drawn from the movements of people with HIV, where they became key advocates in shaping the global response. The aim of this report therefore is to assess the depth and breadth of survivors needs in order to determine the legitimacy and potential
benefits of a survivor movement.

RWAMREC in collaboration with the Rwanda Men Engage Network is pleased to present this report which shows the results of the first national household survey ever done in Rwanda on perceptions about masculinity and GBV. The study, conducted from January 2010 to June 2010, examined the roots of GBV in relation to perceptions about masculinity within Rwandan society. This quantitative and qualitative research explored the experiences and opinions of men and women with relativity to how men are supposed to act and behave according to the socio-cultural norms and values in Rwanda.

This report is a compiled from two pieces of research commissioned by
Tearfund’s HIV & Sexual Violence Unit. The full reports and researchers are:
– Sexual violence in South Africa and the role of the church by Elisabet
le Roux at the Unit for Religion and Development Research at
Stellenbosch University
– Breaking the Silence (full report) by Robyn Curran, Bongi Zengele and
Solange Mukamana.

Evidence shows that men who experience violence or witnessed domestic violence as children are more likely to
accept violence as a means of resolving conflict both in their relationships and lives.

A Technical Brief for the Capacity Project describing faith leaders’ impact in low-income settings.

A background document used by the UNHCR on faith and development as it relates to refugees.

!is report has been produced as part of the Global Initiative for Faith, Health, and Development (GIFHD). GIFHD
seeks to serve as a bridge between faith and secular development communities, to give voice to the concerns and
capacities of the faith sector, and to advocate for the full engagement of the faith sector with governments, bilateral and
multilateral institutions, other civil society actors, and private philanthropy. !e Global Initiative is convened and
supported by the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA), a Washington DC-based organization committed
to building the collective capacity of the international faith community to increase its impact on poverty and disease.

This report presents findings from a mapping initiative that aimed to capture how faith-based organizations respond to violence against women and girls in the Asia-Pacific region. As a collaborative initiative between UNFPA and the Asia-Pacific Women Faith and Development Alliance (AP-WFDA), it sought to identify examples of strategies used by faith-based organizations. The report brings together the experiences of 58 organizations collected through an online survey, supplemented by in-depth interviews conducted with selected agencies. Importantly, the survey results represent only a small proportion of the faith-based organizations addressing violence against women and girls across the region.

A review of the results of a consultation regarding how faith leaders and groups can and are contributing to the development of Latin America.

Extending Service Delivery (ESD)

This document examines whether and how FBOs’ approaches to development work are unique to NGOs engaged in similar activities in the same contexts.

This paper reflects on CAFOD’s thematic review and recommendation for HIV-related care and on the indications of how they will contribute to our HIV-related care and response work in the future.

The goal of this document is to provide faith leaders who frequently work with HIV/AIDS patients tips for pastoral care.

This Report, a product of the JLI F&Lc Learning Hub on HIV AIDS and Maternal Health reviews the available data on the nexus between faith, maternal health and HIV AIDS development work, against the framework of specific questions. The report summarizes the evidence, discusses opportunities and challenges, makes recommendations for practice and for further research.

This report is background for the Berkely Center’s “mapping” of faith-inspired organizations worldwide and global development policy focusing on South and Central Asia.

This review documents Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and inter-faith initiatives in Cambodia and their varying response to HIV. This review highlights their contributions to HIV/AIDS and the important role they play in development of families, women, and children.