Creating a Nation Free of Domestic Abuse

The Church, charities, police and government came together on Friday 12th April for a domestic abuse conference organised by the Diocese of Llandaff, in partnership with Restored and Mothers Union.

The message of the event was ‘Together, we can create a nation where all live free from the fear of domestic abuse and sexual violence,’ and included inspiring talks, seminars and practical approaches your church can take and was open to all regardless of diocese or denomination. The conference was well attended by clergy and lay people from the Church in Wales and other denominations, as well as secular and faith-based charity representatives and general public.

Event Organiser and Social Justice and Outreach Lead, Christoph Auckland said, “Through the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) strategy the Welsh Government are committed to making Wales the safest place to be a woman, and we believe the church and faith organisations can and should play our part alongside public and third sector partners.”

In the year ending March 2023, 1.4 million women and 751,000 men experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales, and a staggering 1 in 4 women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes. Research from national charity Restored shows that that number, 1 in 4, is the same for women in church congregations, but just 2 in 7 feel their church is equipped to support them.

After Bishop Mary’s opening prayer there were presentations from Welsh Women’s Aid, Welsh Government and the Church in Wales Safeguarding team and Mothers’ Union as well as the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael.

On the discussion panel in addition to these guests were the Archdeacon of Gwent Valleys (a former police officer), the Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible & Violence, and the CEO of Restored (a domestic abuse Christian charity).

VAWDASV is the Welsh Government's strategy to ‘continue to build and sustain effective services which support survivors and hold perpetrators to account’.

At the conference, Welsh Government Head of VAWDASV Paul Webb made a commitment to Christoph to work with churches and Christian charities in a coordinated response to the domestic abuse pandemic.

Find out more about the VAWDASV strategy and hear Paul's take on how to tackle the problem.

The Diocese of Llandaff’s action on domestic abuse includes relationships with Welsh Government on VAWDASV and working with Restored establish Beacon Churches.

Restored Beacons are a network of churches around the country, standing together against gender-based violence and domestic abuse and providing a place of safety for survivors.

They seek to create safer churches for those subjected to abuse and challenge these cultural and societal norms that justify or ignore violence against women.

In a discussion at the conference about domestic abuse being a product of a culture where perpetrators feel entitled or even empowered, CEO of Restored, Bekah Legg, said:

“In churches we need to be creating good soil. To be talking about healthy relationships. Not just marriage but all relationships. What does it look like to have equality and to truly love one another in the way we are supposed to.”

At the event, all attendees received a copy of the new Welsh Edition of Restored's A Guide for Churches to Address Domestic Abuse.

More information on Restored Beacons can be found on the Restored website at www.restored-uk.org.

Also represented at the conference was South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael. Hear his perspective on the domestic abuse pandemic here:

A highlight of the day was the presentation from the Rev’d Dr Helen Paynter. Helen is Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, Tutor in Biblical Studies and Coordinator of Theological Education at Bristol Baptist College. She specialises in the Old Testament and author of half a dozen books including ‘The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So: Why you don’t have to submit to domestic abuse and coercive control’. Here her views on spiritual abuse and misuse of the Bible:

In the joint project ‘Behind Closed Doors’, the Diocese of Llandaff, Llandaff Mothers’ Union and Restored, pooled resources and expertise to engage and encourage churches in awareness and action against domestic violence.

The Behind Closed Doors exhibition has been touring churches in Llandaff, sharing real stories of survivors of different forms of abuse to bring lesser-known signs of abuse to the attention of our communities.

The exhibition includes cut out silhouettes which sit in church chairs and pews to represent people in congregations who may be experiencing abuse or abuse-related trauma placed with the case-studies of the survivors from Restored available to read or listen in English and Welsh.

To find out about having the exhibition in a public building or place of worship, please contact Llandaff Mothers’ Union President, Sue Rivers via susanrivers@hotmail.com.

Watch the exhibition videos here.

If you would like to find out more or get involved in action against domestic abuse in the Diocese of Llandaff, please get in touch with Social Justice and Outreach Lead Christoph Auckland via christophauckland@cinw.org.uk.