A social community caregiving approach towards gender-based violence and femicide : the role of men in Thembisa Uniting Reformed Church
The Church in South Africa can be considered as one of the largest social institution in the country. Manzanga (2020: 3) and Muyambo (2018: 20) argued that the Church comprised of almost eighty percent of the population. Furthermore, it is vital to mention that women make up the vast majority of the Church population (Chisale, 2020:2). (Chisale 2020:2) continue to argue that Church leadership structures are mostly comprised of men. This in itself can create a gap between how the Church can respond to an issue which mostly affects women such as GBVF. The researcher urges that, regardless of its formation, the Church continue to carry the responsibilities of social pastoral care within and outside its borders. The approach of social community caregiving becomes important to address community ills that affect women within and outside the confinement of the Church. Before Covid 19 pandemic, the issue of GVB and Femicide in South Africa was a thorny issue that needed to be address by most public institutions including the Church. Since the normal daily lives of so many people were impacted by the enforced restrictions by the authority in the Country. Domestic violence became the order of the day and as a result the limitation or restrictions of movement did not yield any positive result. The researcher argues that before, during and post Covid 19 pandemic, the most of women in this country have fallen victims of GBVF in different forms, being a direct victim or indirectly affected. Because of that, the affected majority and the alarming rate of reported cases of this violence resulted in GBVF. As a result, GBV and Femicide then became a second pandemic. This is in comparison with Covid-19 pandemic that took away many lives around the country and the globe. Many families were left in distressed because of multiple and unexpected death of their loved ones, families, friends, neighbours, colleagues, etc. The researcher further argues that declaring GBVF as South African second pandemic is befitting, like the devastation that was brought by Covid-19 pandemic so is the results of GBVF. There is always a profound sense of shock and horror when an unspeakable tragedy has occurred and innocent woman or child is murdered in a home. Often one hears regrettable reactions to such horrors from families, neighbours or friends of the victim, people who were aware could regrettably say ―we have heard the shouting‖, we have noticed the bruises battered faces but we were too afraid to act or speak out‖. This is a sad reality that often happens in the community that include members of the Church. The researcher argues that there is a need to move beyond the shock, move to be proactive and end the reactive action to the horror of GBVF in the community and in the Church. Being proactive require more actions, more active participation of every community member. The introduction of a social community pastoral caregiving approach which will be address throughout the study, it will enhance and empower those who practice it to be effective in addressing, restore and reignite the spirit of care and healing beyond boarders.
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