Religion and Gender-Based Violence: Global and Local Responses to Harmful Practices

This book explores the role of religion in perpetuating gender-based violence and offers potential solutions to address these harmful practices. It provides empirical cases of religious, non-religious, and secular actors working to reduce gender-based violence and highlights the importance of centering women's perspectives in this effort.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the complex issue of gender-based violence, utilizing religion as a focal point for a more profound exploration. International donors are steadfast in their commitment to reducing and ultimately eradicating gender-related harm, particularly violence against women. However, the quest for clear explanations as to why harmful practices persist often lags, leaving gaps in our understanding. Theological research faces challenges in establishing strong connections between religion and these practices, yet local communities frequently attribute them to religious beliefs. Female cutting, male circumcision, early and forced marriage, nutritional taboos, birth practices, mandatory (un)veiling, harmful spiritual practices, polygamy, gender unequal marital and inheritance rights, and honor crimes are just a few examples of the practices that are often linked to religion.

To address this issue, this book presents empirical cases involving religious, non-religious, and secular actors, including local and international governmental and non-governmental agencies specializing in development, health, and equality policies. By tracing their diverse interpretations of how religion intertwines with gender-based violence, both within specific contexts and throughout history, the book sheds light on both helpful and unhelpful as well as erroneous and harmful understandings of such practices from local and global perspectives.

By centering the perspectives of women themselves, this book assumes a crucial role for development practitioners, policy makers, and researchers across religious studies, gender studies, and global development. It offers valuable insights and perspectives that can inform and shape effective strategies for addressing gender-based violence and promoting gender equality.

Weight: 550g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032158709