Religious leaders are developing a joint strategy to counter domestic violence

Experts in the field of social work and media, who represent different faiths, have developed a vision of joint activities in the area of preventing and countering domestic violence.

This was reported by the Institute for Religious Freedom.

The working group meeting was held on July 21 in Kyiv in the framework of the project of the Institute for Religious Freedom with representatives of religious communities, members of the All-Ukraine Council of Churches and Religious Organizations.

The participants of the interfaith working group identified the purpose and priorities of the communication strategy and the target audience for religious leaders to work with to respond to the problem of domestic violence in Ukraine effectively.

Oleksandr Zayets, Chairman of the IRF Board, Project Director:

“This project is very opportune, as Churches and religious organizations are already doing a lot of work in the field of countering domestic violence, but there is still a lack of communication with society both within religious communities and with secular people. By consolidating and providing expert advice, we aim to help different faiths unite their efforts, share positive experiences, act more professionally and interact with other civil society actors as much as possible.”

A typical communication strategy aimed at preventing and combating domestic violence in Ukraine, developed by the representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, the Church of Seventh-Day Adventists, Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, Ukrainian Lutheran Church, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, the Union of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine, the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine and with the participation of other denominations.

It should be noted that tis project by IRF provides for the creation of a thematic website that will become an information resource that will highlight the reaction of the religious community to the problem of domestic violence.

The Institute for Religious Freedom is implementing the project “Countering domestic violence in Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic by attracting the influence of religious leaders and the capacity of churches” with the support of the Canadian Foundation for Local Initiatives.

RISU, risu.org.ua