The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe calls for access to land as part of its advocacy on implementation of the UPR and CEDAW recommendations. Photo: LWF/Sikhonzile Ndlovu
LWF member churches share success stories in engagement with UN to advance work of gender justice in their countries
(LWI) - “Engaging with global mechanisms to end discrimination against women and girls has taught my church to speak the language of human rights,” says Rev. Sandra Rosenberga Saavedra, a pastor with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (IELCH). “It confirms that we can bring a prophetic voice of hope, showing how faith is manifested in concrete actions for marginalized people,” she said.
Rosenberga’s comments came as part of an online advocacy event, organized by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to showcase successful strategies used by member churches to advance the work of gender justice in their different contexts. The virtual learning session shone a spotlight on ways in which churches are working together with government authorities, civil society organizations and faith-based partners to prevent violence and discrimination against women and girls. Members of Christian Aid, Norwegian Church Aid, ACT Church of Sweden and Finn Church Aid were among those partner agencies attending the event.
Speakers from Namibia, El Salvador, Sierra Leone, Chile and Zimbabwe shared experiences of preparing reports and recommendations to bring to the United Nations during sessions of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). LWF supports member churches and trains advocates to engage with both of these global mechanisms, as well as strengthening capacity for gender justice work at local and national levels.
As head of Women’s Pastoral Ministry for her church, Rev. Rosenberga was part of a Chilean civil society group that brought recommendations to CEDAW commissioners meeting in Geneva last October. Their report contains detailed research regarding education, women’s reproductive rights, the protection of vulnerable girls in state-run institutions and the prevention of human trafficking.
Our work is breaking stereotypes, broadening the ethical voice of our church and setting a precedent for other churches in Latin America
Rev. Sandra Rosenberga Saavedra, director of Women’s Pastoral Ministry at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile
Rosenberga said she has already seen progress this year as an anti-discrimination bill has taken on board many of the recommendations contained in the CEDAW report. Beyond that, she notes, the work of her church in this field has opened new doors for dialogue, strengthened feminist coalitions in Chile and led to a recognition that the IELCH can be a valuable partner in the work for equality and justice for all women and girls. “Government ministers have asked me to take part in discussions and events about gender justice. They were surprised to see that we can be an ally, so it is breaking stereotypes, broadening the ethical voice of our church and setting a precedent for other churches in Latin America.”
Elsewhere in the region, the Salvadoran Lutheran Church has also engaged with both CEDAW and the UPR process. Rev. Arisbe Abelina Gómez, coordinator of the church’s gender and family program, shared details of consultations with women in local congregations, listening to stories and gathering evidence to include in recommendations for strengthening gender justice in the central American nation, where levels of femicide, rape and other types of violence against women remain very high.
Justice rooted in faith
Rev. Gómez noted there have been no significant legislative changes yet, as a result of their work, but success can be measured in terms of “building a rapport with government authorities to discuss the needs” for such changes. “We take a non-confrontational approach but continue to call for justice rooted in our faith,” she said. The inclusion of men in the work for equality and gender justice has had a positive impact in ensuring that the voice of the church is clearly heard, she added.
In Africa, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) has been engaging with the UPR process since 2021, preparing recommendations on social and economic rights, as well as meeting with members of the UN’s Human Rights Council. Core thematic issues include the need for better social protection in a context where almost 45 percent of young people are unemployed. The housing crisis and the need for land reform are also major concerns in a country where 70 percent of urban dwellers live in slums or informal settlements. The country has recently been downgraded from a middle income to lower income status.
“In Namibia we have beautiful policies, but the challenges are implementation and adequate resourcing,” said Sharon Yolande Sabatta, program officer at the church’s Desk for Social Development. Working alongside ecumenical partners, the church has seen significant progress in lobbying the government to adopt a new “pro-poor housing policy” in 2023, increasing spending from around 50 million to 700 million dollars in the first financial year. Progress on land reform remains slow, Sabatta noted, but the church is lobbying for free plots of land for lowest income groups and is intensifying its campaign for a Basic Income Grant.
Success in strong partnerships
In Zimbabwe too, Lutherans are partnering with faith-based networks, civil society organizations, government authorities and local community leaders to advance policies for the protection of vulnerable women and girls. Doreen Hove, gender justice coordinator for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe and Rev. Dr Elitha Moyo, former LWF Council member, shared details of recent progress, including a change to the law outlawing marriage for children under the age of 18. The 2024 amendment calls for the arrest of anyone seeking to force girls into early marriages.
Other priorities include the economic empowerment of women and full access to ownership of land, said Hove, noting that the church has engaged with local banks in Zimbabwe to guarantee women access to loans and land titles in their own names. “We have also worked with schools on menstrual hygiene, achieving progress in building girl-friendly toilets and providing free sanitary materials,” she added.
Rose Bangura from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone talked about the way in which LWF has supported training and capacity building among pastors and congregations to understand the importance of advocacy and engagement with UN processes. “A key success has been the training of youth to develop strategies for community engagement," she said.
Child marriages, poverty and health care remain major challenges in Sierra Leone, she said, noting that less than one percent of the population has health insurance coverage. “People ask us what is the connection between faith and human rights,” Bangura said, “so we explain how our work grows directly out of our faith in the equal dignity of all people. It is a new area of work for our church, but we have seen a growing engagement, especially among young people,” she concluded.
