Intersections of faith and culture in navigating against gender disparities

For over many decades religion and culture have been intricately connected, presenting themselves as key elements in construing behavior, responsibilities and roles which have been confined into the norms and cultures we were born into. However, though we have been eyewitness of the intricate positive change and how they have both shaped the lives of our forefathers and parents, on the other hand we have seen a significant wane on what we called UBUNTU, an adage that encapsulates the essence of the community, mutual respect and compassion, shifted by the erosion of a more modernized and globalized world.

The shift has somehow been a tug-of-war as many grapple with preserving the cultural and religious norms and values that have shaped the lives of past generations and the need to embrace change the new ideologies present. Yet, as it may be, globalization has also brought forth the discussions that have remained unabated for many years to the table, like the predominate gender inequalities that have left many women and girls boxed and modeled into the minority and disenfranchised effect.

From 1948, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; a blueprint document came into effect, the world seemed to have taken a step in the right direction, with the hope of uprooting the deep-rooted gender injustice. Eleanor Roosevelt played a huge role by bringing a unique voice that sought to emancipate the deep-rooted chains of gender injustice. To this day, we still face challenges, as many have no equal access to services like education, health, work and even opportunities. On the other hand, while religion and culture may also be equally vital in our daily lives, some of religions, cultures and institutions have framed systematic discriminations that continue to nail deeper the gender disparities.

It is critical to discuss these disparities openly, despite potential backlash in order to prevent a society blinded by injustice. Silence born out of fear of ridicule or shame perpetuates a society wounded by reprehensible actions of such leaders.

As a Christian myself, I fully understand that God created women as help mates and not objects of abuse. My goal is not to incite discontent within religious or cultural communities but to advocate for a free GBV society with leaders actively responding to the clarion call.  The fight against GBV is a collective effort and as we celebrate the 16days of Activism, it is essential to involve our leaders in amplifying their voices against this common enemy.