Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/481579
March/April 2015 11 Root Causes My assignment as a mission coworker for the PC(USA) is to be a facilitator for women's and children's interests, working with PC(USA) church partners in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and four other African countries. CPC staff members have given me a glimpse into the realities of violence against women and children in DRC, point- ing out how violence against some of society's most vulnerable is often rooted in economic, cultural and reli- gious systems. Understanding these systems (and their interplay) is essential in creating strategies to eliminate violence against women and children. Before coming back to Agnes' account and the initiatives by CPC women, let me briefly highlight a few of the root causes behind the various systemic forms of violence against women and children to which I was introduced during a visit to the church in West Kasai, last year. Religious Systems As an indigenous Christian church in DRC, the CPC has been trying to formulate a response to the deep- seated and widely held belief that secret powers (or witchcraft) cause misfortunes. During my visit to West Kasai, I hoped to get a better idea of the church's perception of sorcery as a core element of a traditional African belief system that determines the world view of most Congolese. Fear of witchcraft may hold communities together—because concern for repercussions keeps people within certain bounds—but the resulting paranoia also risks destroying the fabric of society. Accidents, deaths, job losses or showing deviating behavior or extraor- dinary abilities arouse suspicions of sorcery. Women and children, who have lower status in a patriarchal soci- ety, seem to be particularly vulnerable to witchcraft accusations. In the past, village elders explained to me, commu- nities found ways to reconcile these differences and absorb children back into the family, but nowadays, many are cast out and abandoned. Some revivalist churches subject those sus- pected of witchcraft to violent exorcist practices. Traumatized by these expe- riences, accused children are left to their own resources, vulnerable to exploitation, prostitution and delin- quency. The growing phenomenon affects families at all levels of society. I was invited to join home visits made by one of the CPC leaders who offers pastoral care to concerned families. Economic Systems In DRC and around the world, poverty, economic disparity and inequitable power structures fre- quently lead to human rights violations against the most vulnerable of society, which historically includes women and children. The way this plays out is often context-specific, like the struggle in Bakwa Mpika. In this rural and poor village, gem merchants prefer dealing with women and child Left: Educating people about what constitutes violence against women is a vital part of the Presbyterian Church in Congo (CPC)'s strategy to end violence against women. Right: Training through the CPC's Department for Women and Families equips widowed Congolese women with a marketable skill that will provide income for their families if their late husbands' families cast them out. Photos by Christi Boyd Presbyterian World Mission prioritizes three "Critical Global Initiatives" for its programmatic involvement with global and US partners. These initiatives—reconciliation in cultures of violence, poverty alleviation in a globalizing world, and evangelism for community transformation—acknowledge and link to the power of cultural, economic and religious systems. Learn more at www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/call-mission.