Abstract
Gender-based violence (GBV) and its threat to women's well-being is an insidious and widespread challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Cultural beliefs about gender roles and sexuality, and religious teachings on marriage, masculinity, and femininity make interventions on GBV in the DRC difficult. This chapter examines a faith-based intervention, ‘The Tamar Campaign', which sought to align the strengths underpinning religion and culture. Findings revealed that participants of the Tamar Campaign reported 1) low prevalence of GBV four years after the intervention as compared to results of previous studies in the region, 2) positive effect of the intervention on marital satisfaction, and 3) engaging in activism alongside their family and community to combat GBV. This study thus offers initial evidence for faith-based interventions in not only reducing GBV, but also holistically improving women's overall well-being.
TopIntroduction
In the aftermath of decades of war that reinforced patriarchal structures, dangerous conditions for women within and outside the home have earned the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the unfortunate moniker of the ‘rape capital of the world’. Systematically combating GBV in the DRC at the individual, family, and community levels has become an important priority for institutions dedicated to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals of gender equality (Goal 5), health and wellbeing of women and girls (Goal 3) as well as peaceful, just, and inclusive societies (Goal 16). Consequently, women’s health and wellbeing have been the target of many interventions deployed by international aid organizations and NGOs (non-governmental volunteer organizations), but with limited success. Why are common interventions against GBV inefficacious? The authors suggest that there are three main reasons. First, most interventions tend to adopt a western-centric, biomedical, and reductive approach focused on treating physical and reproductive illness and increasing women’s advocacy. However, inadequate attention to the social and cultural factors that perpetuate and maintain GBV undermines the efficacy of these interventions (Qasim & Vemuru, 2019). Second, interventions tend to focus on improving individual outcomes for women, rather than creating social change in communities where religious and social norms discourage open discussion of sexual violence. Third, interventions focus on the numerous problems in the region, but neglect to consider the embedded cultural strengths and assets among its people that can be harnessed to create positive change and individual and societal well-being.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Inter-Faith Boards: Boards made up of the leaders of the major Christian Denominations and Muslim leaders organized to deal with political crises and armed conflict. Their moral authority rests on their ability to “speak with one voice.”
Cultural Norms: Beliefs, attitudes, and customs of a cultural group that are articulated, passed on, and enforced by the group.
Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA): An inter-faith organization for the ten countries of the East Africa region to mobilize faith communities to come together for peace-building and conflict transformation.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Any act of violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women. Violence based on gender indicates that men as well can be victims.
Reverend Ghislain Bafunyembaka Nakabenge: Campaign Coordinator for the Tamar Campaign, South Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA): Norwegian Church Aid is an ecumenical humanitarian organization working with peoples struggling to eradicate poverty and injustice.
Contextual Bible Study (CBS): A Bible study method for groups used to help faith communities engage in a reading of the story that demonstrates how to use the Bible as a tool to analyze their contemporary situation.
North and South Kivu: The two northernmost provinces in the Republic of Congo and the ones that have suffered the most through decades of internal wars. These provinces were selected for the Tamar Campaign because of the high rate of gender-based violence.
Patriarchal Norms: Social norms that sustain a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.
Apostle Sampson Ilunga: Campaign Coordinator for the Tamar Campaign, North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tamar Campaign: The Tamar Campaign in East Africa seeks to acknowledge the existence of gender-based violence in African society with a particular focus on sexual and domestic violence, and to challenge churches and religious institutions to address the crisis. It is based on a Biblical story of the rape of Tamar.