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During a visit to Angola held 21-28 January, World Council of Churches (WCC) staff met with local church and community leaders to discuss how preventing obstetric fistula is a matter of human rights.

An online webinar held 2 December brought a moving circle of hope to life even as women and men shared their tragic experiences of femicide and domestic violence in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Democracy at risk, increasing cases of violence against women and the threats to children's futures. A regional meeting with church representatives from Latin America during the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee 2021 showed that pre-pandemic problems now hit harder the vulnerable communities.

During a regional consultation on 27 April focused on how churches in Africa are living out their commitment to a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in the context of COVID-19, World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator, Dr Agnes Abuom, reflected that Africa is experiencing a number of socio-economic and spiritual challenges and opportunities.

As violence mounted in Washington, DC on 6 January amid the ongoing election-related tensions in the USA, World Council of Churches (WCC) interim general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed “grave and mounting concern” at the latest developments.

An upcoming symposium will explore “2021: A Defining Year for Accelerating Gender Equality, Equity and Justice.” Scheduled for 26 January, the event marks the 7th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs.

In a mood of hope, solidarity and compassion, the WCC olive harvest initiative continued on Wednesday with a live-streamed public webinar, addressing cultural, socio-economic and spiritual aspects of the olive harvest season in the Holy Land, as well as highlighting the impact of the continuing military occupation of the Palestinian territories.



 

Thursdays in Black grew out of women’s movements of resilience and resistance to injustice, abuse and violence. In the Pacific region, which has some of the highest recorded rates of violence against women, churches are leading conversations to change attitudes and actions. Domestic violence is prevalent throughout Fiji. According to UN Women’s Global Database on Violence against Women, almost 2 out of 3 women aged 18-64 in Fiji have experienced physical or sexual violence from their intimate partner – almost twice the global average.

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.

Women have a unique approach to peace-building that could strengthen communities facing conflict and other challenges, found participants at a side event during Geneva Peace Week.The World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance and Norwegian Church Aid organized a dialogue that emphasized new arenas for women’s participation in peace-building.

A report, “The Human Costs and Gendered Impact of Sanctions on North Korea,” presented in Geneva, Switzerland, on 5 November, provides a comprehensive and critical assessment of the impact of sanctions against North Korea. The report, launched during an event co-organized by the Korea Peace Now campaign and the Women`s International League for Peace and Freedom, shows adverse consequences particularly for women.

Gun violence in the United States, which over the last weekend alone took three dozen lives, continues to pose stark challenges for US churches.

It is confirmation season in Greenland. In churches across the country, bench rows are decorated with flowers and candles along the aisle. Joy is in the air and it is time for a vast majority of 14-year-olds to have their Christian baptism confirmed.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit condemned violence in the Netherlands, where a gunman opened fire on a tram in Utrecht, killing three people and injuring five on 18 March.

In the small village of Kaliki, men, women and children are on their feet, dancing, accompanied by drum rolls, as an international World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrim Team arrives. The pilgrims are given intricately-woven crowns of grass and flowers and their faces are painted with traditional patterns.