“Will the ripples move us beyond the bandstand?” we ask, in a conversation addressing the recent headlines highlighting violence against women, and what the church can do to speak into and change culture.
The abduction and murder of Sarah Everard sent shockwaves through the community of Clapham and the UK media, and scenes of unrest followed at the subsequent vigil for the tragedy, at the Clapham Common bandstand.
A UN Women UK report, released the week after Sarah’s disappearance, highlighted that more than four-fifths of young women in the UK have been subjected to sexual harassment, prompting further outpourings of anger and grief as women shared their own experiences widely on social media.
As Christians, listening and responding to the conversation about violence against women, how can we contribute? What does change look like and how can the church be a voice for change when it comes to violence against women?
The Evangelical Alliance’s Jo Frost, director of communications and engagement, and Jo Evans, advocacy researcher, who lives in the neighbourhood where Sarah Everard was abducted, sat down with Bekah Legg, CEO of Restored, a Christian organisation which works alongside churches to end violence against women, for a conversation about the issues, sharing their experiences and what the church can do to respond.
They remind us that Jesus treated women with equal dignity and respect and urge the church to be a strong voice against violence against women, explain what we can all do as individuals and as part of the body of Christ, to bring real change, and Bekah explains the important work of Restored in this space.
Please visit restored-uk.org to find out more about Bekah’s work with Restored.
