Preaching Tool Question 2: Are there opportunities to identify, name and call out Domestic & Family Violence and abuse or attitudes that support it?
Understanding the issues
Possibilities to watch out for
For Example:
| If I’m talking about … | Can I name … |
|---|---|
| Violence | DFV and abuse is never okay |
| Sin | DFV and abuse is a crime and not merely a matter of private morality |
| Power | Power used to control others is sinful |
| Finances | Coercive control of another’s money is abuse |
| Spiritual leadership | Leadership is not about domination or control |
| Daily living and community | We know DFV and abuse happens in our context and it’s not okay |
| Conflict and relationships | DFV and abuse requires intervention, it is not merely conflict that can be resolved by couples counselling |
Practical suggestions
Demonstrate reality of prevalence of DFV and abuse
– Use community statistics, latest studies and relevant research
– eg. “If 1 in 3 women experience sexual assault, we know that it likely affects women in this room or women that we know.”
Give explanation of language
– When you are using a term related to abuse and violence, give people a definition.
– eg “By domestic abuse, I mean ‘an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour.'”
Emphatically state the unacceptability of behaviours & attitudes
Identify pathways for accessing help for both victims & perpetrators
– eg “We encourage you to get help…these are the people you could talk to.”
– eg “If your behaviour is controlling, threating, degrading and violent, we want to assist you in accessing the help you need.”
Further resources
Trigger warning: Domestic abuse including sexual abuse within marriage
VIDEOS
No room for abuse
Victor Owuor, Cross-Cultural and Indigenous Ministries Pastor with Baptist Churches Western Australia
"FINANCIAL ABUSE"
Maria Comino, Child, Family and Youth Project Worker, Community Builders Team, Relationships Australia
Kelly Crawford, Public Engagement Coordinator Baptist Association NSW & ACT
Additional Resource: Women’s Financial Wellbeing Guide: https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus/womens-financial-wellbeing-guide.html
"COERCIVE CONTROL"
Kelly Crawford, Public Engagement Coordinator Baptist Association NSW & ACT
Carolyn Cousins, Director, Tuned in Consulting and Convenor of the Clinical Division of the Australian College of Social Work, Chair of Baptist Association NSW & ACT Standards Committee
Josh Dowton, Executive Pastor, Northside Baptist Church
Additional Resources: “See what you made me do” by Jess Hill
The Freedom Programme: http://www.freedomprogramme.co.uk/online.php
“Responding to domestic abuse from the perspective of a First Nations Woman”
Sharon Malone, Wakka Wakka, kabi kabi woman, from “A Sister’s Strength”
Elissa Macpherson, President of Baptist Women of the Pacific, Vice-President of Baptist World Alliance Women
“Addressing domestic abuse in Chinese and Korean Communities”
Kelly Crawford, Public Engagement Coordinator Baptist Association NSW & ACT
Sunny Kim, Child, Family and Youth Project Worker
Jian Hua, Child, Family and Youth Support Worker Relationships Australia, NSW
“Men's Behavioural Change”
Bruce Chan, Men’s Behaviour Change Practitioner and Trainer
Kelly Crawford, Public Engagement Coordinator Baptist Association NSW & ACT
The Attorney General’s Department accredits men’s behaviour programs. They also provide a list of principles you should look for before recommending any program. To locate one in your state (Australia) go to: https://mensline.org.au/family-violence/changing-for-good/
by Impressum