In April 2018 the Pacific Theological College and the New Zealand Institute for Pacific Research hosted a conference at the PTC in Suva:
Churches Tackling Gender-Based Violence:
Preventing Violence, Reporting Perpetrators, Restoring Survivors
12-13 April 2018
Purpose
The primary purposes of the Conference will be:
- To explore church responses to violence against women in a wider regional context. It hopes to draw upon experience and expertise from Fiji, and the wider Pacific region, which might contribute knowledge and insights towards the work of the project. This includes both theological/biblical/church expertise and more practical/policy contributions, with particular attention to women’s experiences and church engagement.
- To share the vision and rationale, and progress to date, of the project’s investigations with interested stakeholders, and to discuss issues arising.
Venue
The Conference will be held at:
Jovili Mission Centre, Pacific Theological College
78 Vuya Road, Veiuto, Suva
Programme
The Conference will run from 8:30am to 5:15pm both days. There are also related evening programmes on Thursday and Friday nights. Teas, lunches, and dinners are provided both days.
Speakers are confirmed from these organizations:
- UN Women
- Fiji Women’s Rights Movement
- House of Sarah
- Pacific Community, Regional Rights Resource Team
- Pacific Theological College, Fiji
- University of Otago, Aotearoa
- University of the South Pacific, Fiji
- University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Here is the Conference Draft Programme (.pdf)
Public Lecture: “Responding to Domestic Violence: An Ecumenical Voice to Broken Families”
- Guest Lecturer: Rev Dr Cliff Bird, Council for World Mission
- Venue: Pacific Theological College Fale, Nasese, Suva
- Date: 12 April 2018, 7.00pm – 9.00pm
- More details on the IMR website
Registration
To register your interest or make inquires about the conference, please contact Dr Richard Davis Richard.Davis@ptc.ac.fj
Project Background
This conference is part of a larger project: Fola le ta’ui a le Atua: Rolling Out the Mat of Scripture: Church Responses to Gender-Based Violence Against Women in Samoa: Supporting Church Capacity for Transformative Social Leadership.
More details about this project can be found on these websites:
Conference Presentations and Materials
Day One: Thursday 12 April 2018
- Morning Devotion, Students from Pacific Theological College [Order of Service with Drama Script (.pdf)]
- Project Introduction: Fola le ta’ui a le Atua: Rolling Out the Mat of Scripture, Prof David Tombs, University of Otago [presentation (.pdf)]
Session One: Myths and Realities About Gender Based Violence
- The Regional and Global Context, Shabina Khan, UN Women Regional Office [presentation (.pdf)]
- The Difference Church Policy Makes, Rev Sereima Lomaloma, House of Sarah
- “Re-thinking the Fijian Man”, Ted Talk, Feedback, and Reflections, Jope Tarai, University of the South Pacific [video on Youtube and presentation (.pdf)]
Session Two: Preventing Violence
- Contextual Bible Study on Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1-22), Prof Gerald West, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa [presentation and Bible study (.pdf)]
IMR Public Lecture
- “Responding to Domestic Violence: An Ecumenical Voice to Broken Families” by Rev Dr Cliff Bird
Day Two: Friday 13 April 2018
- Morning Devotion, Members of Davuilevu Theological College [video on Facebook]
Session Three: Reporting Perpetrators
- Balancing the Scales: Improving Fijian Women’s Access to Justice, Nalini Singh, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement [presentation (.pdf)]
- Prevention of Violence against Women in Fiji’s Faith Settings: A Community Mobilization Approach, Alisi Qaiqaica, House of Sarah
- A Human Rights Response to Violence Against Women, Albert Seluka, Pacific Community, Regional Rights Resource Team [presentation (.pdf)]
- What Are We Afraid Of?: Theology, Culture, and Human Rights Discourse in the Pacific, Dr Richard Davis, Pacific Theological College
Session Four: Restoring Survivors
- Silenced, Shamed, and Stigmatised: The Complicity of the Church, Dr Beverly Haddad, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa [presentation (.pdf)]
- Forgiveness and Reconciliation and Cheap Grace, Prof David Tombs, University of Otago [presentation (.pdf)]
- Violation of the ‘VA’ by Pacific Island Men, Prof Fele Nokise, Pacific Theological College
Further Resources
- The Bible as a Site of Struggle – 2018 De Carle Lecture Series by Prof Gerald West
- The Ujamaa Centre (South Africa)
- The 2018 Payton Lectures at Fuller Theological Seminary by Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, on the topic of “Theology And Human Rights: Tensions or Convergence?” Lecture One / Lecture Two
- FWRM Report: Balancing the Scales: Improving Fijian Women’s Access to Justice (.pdf)
- SASA! Faith: A guide for faith communities to prevent violence against women and HIV
- The Nadi Accord (2014)
Related News
- Churches deny gender based violence (Monday, April 16, 2018)
- How Easter became a #MeToo moment (31 March 2018)
- Violence against women — the sin and its prevention (16 March 2018)
- #HimToo – why Jesus should be recognised as a victim of sexual violence (12 March 2018)
Social Media Sharing
If you wish to share thought and pictures about the Conference, our hashtag is #CTGBV2018