Women’s Ministries Addresses Abuse of Power
Belgium | EUD WM news | September 9, 2022 | Yvonne Ajinça-Briand
enditnow® booth at convention in Belgium motivates youth leadership to commit on-the-spot to end abuse and violence.
The Women's Ministries Department of the Belgian-Luxembourg Conference (WM) was invited to present a booth at the Convention of Committed Leaders (CLE) during the weekend of September 2-3, 2022. This is an annual meeting of leaders and directors of Adventist Youth (AY) in Belgium and Luxembourg.
One of the objectives of the WM booth was to make the AY leaders aware of the enditnow® initiative, and the topic for 2022 specifically addressing "Abuse of Power."
"If we look at the statistics in Belgium, 64% of people between 16 and 69 years old (81% women) have experienced sexual violence during their lifetime. Two out of five women and one out of five men reported having been victims of sexual violence involving physical contact between the perpetrator and the victim, with 5% of men and 16% of women reporting having been raped."
Unfortunately, many abusers have neglected to take precautions, thinking that they are not vulnerable. But anyone can get into trouble if no safety measures are taken. People who have power need to take steps to make sure they don't end up in a situation where they take advantage of their power and abuse others. This is not just about sexual abuse. In all cases of abuse of power, it is abuse when somebody takes advantage of another person or group for their own purposes. This can happen through economic status, influence in society, imposing appearance, and the information at a person’s disposal, in a spiritual or psychological, and emotional way.
If you know of cases of abuse, do not be deterred. Unfortunately, abuse does exist, and it does not stop at the doors of our churches.
To express their awareness and commitment to end abuse and violence on the spot, AY leaders were invited to take a stand and write their name on a hand-shaped sticker, sticking it on the enditnow® poster.
Photo credit: Belgium WM
originally posted at EUD WM news
Written by Yvonne Ajinça-Briand
Published in Mosaic newsletter, 2022 Q4
