Churches can protect against harm, national gender violence conference told

Jenan Taylor

3 September 2024

Churches have been told they have the tools to stop men’s violence against women at the first of a two-day national conference.

About 200 people from a range of denominations gathered at the Anglican Church’s Ten Commitments conference to discuss faith community efforts and responsibilities in violence prevention.

Speakers included Our Watch chief executive Patty Kinnersley, and Queensland University Technology School of Justice Professor Michael Flood.

Professor Flood told participants faith settings had protective anti-violence advocacy tools and approaches, including religious texts and teachings that emphasised love, care and respect.

He said these resources could prevent perpetration of violence because perpetration was a social product

“Perpetrators are made not born. The husbands and male partners who put 30 people a day into hospital, they don’t come out of thin air,” Professor Flood said.

Read more: Melbourne churches offered training to tackle gendered violence

He urged participants to reframe the issue of domestic and family violence so that the perpetrators were far more visible and accountable.

Professor Flood said doing so enabled the formation of data about gendered violence, who perpetrated it, and why they did it.

He said it would also reshape the existing and limited legal and police data, which was otherwise largely drawn from the over-policing of Indigenous people and those from ethnic minority communities.

“It’s time to increase our attention to perpetrators and perpetration, to bring them into view. Perpetration, ultimately, is the problem we must solve if we’re to head off domestic, family and sexual violence,” Professor Flood said.

Anglican priest and conference participant the Reverend Monica Matoc said Dr Flood’s presentation resonated deeply with her because she knew victims of violence who had struggled to get justice.

“They suffered through a lot, and whenever they tried to report it to the police, no one wanted to listen to what they had to say. It is hard. This is a deep problem,” Ms Matoc said.

Participant Uniting church Reverend Charissa Suli said the presentation affirmed that as a church leader she could motivate youth pastors to nurture children and youth to have healthy attitude towards relationships.

“We have to take a step and be intentional about the programs we run and what messages are attached to those activities if we want to hope for a future that’s free from domestic violence,” Ms Suli said.

Read more: ‘Churches are uniquely positioned to prevent, respond and heal’

Tweed Heads Presbyterian church minister Michael Boyd said he was at the conference to be better equipped to lead his church to respond to domestic violence.

Mr Boyd said his local government area had one of the highest per capita domestic and family violence rates, and he wanted to link in with other church and community groups to help address this.  

McKinnon Reformed Presbyterian Church elders Brandon Fisher and Graeme Hart said they planned to use their conference learnings to encourage young men in their congregation to reflect on their identity.

They said they wanted youths to understand how what society expected of them could be different and in opposition to who they were in Christ.

Mr Hart said if the Church could wear a light for the gospel in addressing gendered violence in its communities, then people in the wider population could see that God made a difference, and find hope.

Attendee and Ridley college associate lecturer the Reverend Hannah Craven said it was heartening to see collaboration between churches, faith-based organisations, and other community groups, working together for the same goal.

“It’s been wonderful to see and hear about what dioceses across Australia are already doing, and to recognise the powerful and important influence faith communities can have in fostering equal and healthy relationships,” Ms Craven said.

Day two of the Ten Commitments conference will feature presentations and workshops around the theme of hope, including one by the Melbourne diocese’s PVAW manager Kerryn Lewis.

For more about the conference, see here.

If you or someone you love needs confidential information, counselling or support contact 1800 RESPECT.

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