Violence against women and girls: A cry for hope

I find myself, along with the women around me, feeling discouraged. What has changed? What concrete solutions to the problem have really been offered? There must be a better offer than suggesting that women wave down a bus or become ​‘streetwise’ when concerned about her safety. 

There are questions to be raised around the role the media has played, the government and police response, but at the heart of it there is very real pain as thousands of people cry out against a terrible reality: the systematic misogyny and mistreatment of women in the UK today. 

Of course, women’s rights and the role of women in society has improved almost beyond recognition in the last two hundred years – but a unique fear remains for woman that has no place in modern society and no bearing on God’s good design for how the genders interact. There are still many systems in place that are designed for the benefit of men and leave women at a disadvantage. 

God’s word, the Bible, does not avoid the subject of violence and mistreatment of women, and that the redemption plan carried about by Jesus speaks specifically to this reality in the world broken by sin we all inhabit. 

Jesus joins in the cry of anguish, He sees the abuse, the assault and the murder, and He offers solid hope in a world of flimsy solutions. He knows the name of each woman in pain, and He holds out unique comfort alongside a promise of perfect justice. 

God models the treatment of women time and time again. Jesus hears the cries of vulnerable women and meets their needs (Luke 7:13 – 14); Jesus has deep compassion and mourns as we mourn (John 11:33); God saw Hagar, a mistreated woman, ready to die, and gave her hope: ​“You are the God who sees me”(Genesis 16:13); God sought justice for the woman who was raped and murdered in Judges 19; Jesus offered freedom from shame to the woman at the well (John 4); Jesus offered freedom to the woman suffering from chronic bleeding, when no one else would even touch her (Mark 9:20 – 22); Jesus confronted, challenged and sought to revolutionise the perception and treatment of women, treating them as equals in teaching and partners in mission. 

Jesus is the perfect model of how women should be treated. 

A future hope

Those who trust in Jesus can be confident that one day, when Jesus returns or calls us home, we will know nothing of violence against women and girls. We look forward to the redemption of all things, where men and women can live in perfect unity and justice between the sexes exist. 

Women will walk the streets of the new creation with no shred of fear or suspicion of the men around us. We will spend every day living in an existence made totally secure and abundantly good by our loving Heavenly Father and our perfect brother, saviour and friend, Jesus. 

Our brothers in Christ will also know the goodness of a world free from violence against women. There will be no fear for their mothers, sisters, friends or loved ones. No longer will they worry about appearing threatening as they walk in the presence of a woman. No longer will men feel judged or mistrusted before they’ve had a chance to prove their character, carrying the burden of other men’s wrongdoing. 

As people who trust in Jesus, we have solid hope and trustworthy promises as we wait for Jesus’ return and the redemption of all things. This should bring real comfort now. 

A present call to action

However, we would be missing something of the character and calling of God if we were content to simply wait and hold out on the brokenness of the world today. 

Brothers

Jesus was radical and public in His treatment of women, and He challenged others on their actions and words (Luke 7:44 – 47; John 8:1 – 11). Christian men are called to do the same for women today. Brothers, if someone you know says something dishonouring of women, or treats women in a way that falls short of God’s design, graciously correct them and invite them to a better way to live. 

Churches

Our churches should be places that promote a beautiful picture of men and women sharing life the way that God intended. This should be reflected in the way we speak about the other sex (this goes for women as well as men) and also in our teaching. Just as God does not ignore the issue of VAWG, neither should our sermons and Bible studies when it comes up in scripture. We have a duty to be sensitive and perceptive to the fact that many women have experienced assault or abuse in some form, and the possibility that some could be living in abuse currently. 

Public life

We also need to use our voice in public life, particularly politics, to do everything we can to bring about the changes we long to see. We can write to our local representatives, alerting them to areas in our community that we feel to be unsafe and would benefit from better lighting for more CCTV. We can ask the government to do more about the harms of the pornography industry on the treatment and perception of women, and the use of internet forums to radicalise young men to hate women, as well as improving education of the subject in schools. With some suggestions on where to begin when contacting your local representative, take a look at our Connect resource. 

Following the government’s recent announcement to establish a new domestic abuse strategy later this month, the Evangelical Alliance will be engaged and working closely with Restored and MPs to shape government policy going forward. 

Prayer

Finally, let us be people of dependant prayer, knowing that God is the one ultimately powerful to bring about radical change. Let us take our cries of frustration and injustice at VAWG and turn them to the ears of the one who is attentive to our needs and powerful to act. 

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).