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A book discussion on “Ahead of Her Time: Pan-African Women of Faith and the Vision of Christian Unity, Mission, and Justice,” showed how women of pan-African descent are bringing the wisdom and fire of ecumenism into the hearts and minds of the next generation.

A webinar on 8 March—International Women’s Day—will address the societal norms and structures that perpetuate femicide—and steps for churches to seek healing and justice. 

A new book, "Ahead of Her Time: Pan-African Women of Faith and the Vision of Christian Unity, Mission, and Justice,” authored by World Council of Churches (WCC) president from North America Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith, debuted on 1 November, All Saints Day, during an online and in-person reception and awards ceremony of pan-African women of faith represented in the book. The event took place at Bread for the World (USA) in Washington, DC.

Leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC), by becoming Thursdays in Black ambassadors, are acting and speaking out for a world free from rape and violence. 

The Mothers Union from the Church of Uganda (Buganda region) in collaboration with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy and Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance programmes have been finding strength and inspiration during the 16 Days campaign against sexual and gender-based violence. 

As a crowd of more than 300 gathered, the St Paul’s University School of Theology officially launched Thursdays in Black, pledging to build an Africa without violence and to join together on a pilgrimage of justice, peace, and reconciliation.

A webinar on 24 November, held in South Africa and online, addressed “Overcoming challenges to end violence against women and girls ecumenically.”

As the global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” kicks off on 25 November, the World Council of Churches (WCC), Lutheran World Federation, and other ecumenical partners are calling on us all to “UNITE! Act to End Violence Against Women and Girls.”

In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, World Council of Churches (WCC) deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri offered reflections on “Women, Pain and Resilience from the African and ecumenical perspective.” The webinar, held on 4 March, was organized by the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. 

 

An “Out of the Shadows ” toolkit—a collection of resources to help churches protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation—is now available in French and Spanish in addition to English.

Two upcoming online events, entitled “Missing and Murdered: Addressing Femicide and Sexual and Gender-based Violence in our Global Context,” will address the shadow pandemic of violence against women. 

Christian educators and other church leaders in Togo are eagerly turning the pages of a new resource for children, a curriculum entitled “Because God Loves Me—Affirming My Value in Christ,” published by the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Thursdays in Black ambassadors are organizing a series of Bible studies, beginning 5 August, that will help people reflect on and respond to gender-based violence. The first series of 6 reflections is being launched to recognize National Women’s Month in South Africa, and particularly Women’s Day in the country – August 9.

Across the globe, World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee members demonstrated their commitment to end sexual and gender-based violence by marking “Thursdays in Black” in their online regional meetings today. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is publishing “Because God Loves Me—Affirming My Value in Christ,” a new curriculum written in French that is designed to help children ages 7-12 address gender-based violence.

Though the curriculum, edited by Yvette A. Kelem and Blandine E. Ackla, was developed for use primarily with churches and church groups in Africa, it is relevant and accessible for other French-speaking populations as well. 

 

As “16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence” drew to a close, churches around the world expressed their prayerful determination to keep carrying the message past 16 days, into the coming new year and beyond.

In a message on 15 October, Rev. Dr David Tswaedi, executive director of the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa, lamented that the voices of survivors and victims of gender-based violence have been muted, due to stigma and the perceived power of the perpetrators.

As the global ambassadors for Thursdays in Black gathered online, they looked ahead at what they can accomplish together, as well as ways to deepen their commitment even more to ending gender-based violence.

The Thursdays in Black campaign for a world free from rape and violence has been intensified in Namibia, bringing awareness of the heightened risk of violence against women and children during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The legacy of sexual slavery before, during and after the brutal Korean War weighs heavily on the shoulders of the thousands of Korean women who lived for decades under a brutal militarized patriarchy.