ABAAD dialogues with Religious Leaders to end GBV in the MENA Region
In its continuous efforts to involve religious leaders in the efforts to EVAW, ABAAD held in 2013 the regional roundtable, “What Roles do Religious Leaders have in ending GBV?” at the Crowne Plaza – Beirut, in partnership with OXFAM GB and the Forum for Development, Culture, and Dialogue.
Christian, Druze, and Muslim leaders from the MENA (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) convened to discuss ways of initiating common grounds with CSOs to end GBV.
Discussions highlighted the different forms of GBV assessed by religious leaders within their practices and communities, in addition to many causal factors behind the prevalence of GBV, as well as how civil society and religious leaders can forge positive partnerships for future EVAW work. The roundtable concluded with identifying the tangible roles that religious leaders play in ending GBV, including preventive, supportive, therapeutic, and legislative.
The roundtable was an important acknowledgment of the possibilities of reform from within institutions and the desire to work together for women in the different communities, in order to build a society of dignity, equality, and freedom from violence.
