WCC central committee statement on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment calls churches to challenge injustice, build awareness

The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, in a public statement, called upon WCC member churches and ecumenical partners “to condemn or reiterate their condemnation of sexual and gender-based violence and of any form of violence against women, children and vulnerable people; to declare such rejection of the equal dignity of all people and such violence a sin; and to implement guidelines for the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.”

The statement strongly encourages the WCC secretariat, member churches and ecumenical partners to “establish and/or strengthen policies and practices which provide support to persons who are abused, ensure thorough, independent and impartial investigations, and hold perpetrators accountable for their behaviour to the fullest extent of the law.”

The WCC governing body also invited “WCC member churches and ecumenical partners to increase theological, educational and capacity building efforts to challenge the marginalization of women, children and vulnerable people, and to build awareness of right relationships and the processes to follow when harassment, exploitation and abuse may occur.”

Finally the statement welcomes “the initiative of the acting general secretary to develop a Code of Conduct to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment for the 11th Assembly and future WCC gatherings.”

WCC Central Committee Statement on Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

WCC Central committee meeting, June 2022

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