On the Significance of Religion in Violence Against Women and Girls

Description

In this ground-breaking volume, the authors explore two sides of religion: the ways in which it contributes to violence against women and girls (VAWG) and the ways it counters it. Recognising the very real impact of religion on the lives of women and girls, it prioritises experiences and learnings from empirical research and of practitioners, and their activities at grassroots-level, to better understand the nature and root causes of VAWG. Drawing on research done in Christian and Muslim communities in various fragile settings with high religiosity, this book avoids simplistically assigning blame to any one religion, instead engaging with the commonalities of how religion and religious actors influence norms and behaviours that impact VAWG. If the sustainable development goal of ending all forms of VAWG is to be achieved, how should actors in the international development sector engage with religion and religious actors? This book unpacks the nature of religion and religious actors in relation to VAWG, with the aim of giving greater clarity on how to (and how not to) engage with this crucial issue. Combining cutting-edge research with case studies and pragmatic recommendations for academics, policymakers and practitioners, this concise and easily accessible volume helps instigate discussion and engagement with the incredibly important relationships between religion and VAWG. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Authors Acknowledgements Abbreviations Executive summary PART I: Introduction 1 Why religion matters in violence against women and girls PART II: Religion contributing to violence against women and girls 2 Orientation: The role of religion in contributing to violence against women and girls and its consequences 3 A Christian perspective: Religion contributing to violence against women and girls and its consequences 4 A Muslim perspective: Religion as intersecting risk in violence against women and girls 5 Joint reflections on religion contributing to violence against women and girls PART III: Religion countering violence against women and girls 6 Orientation: The role of religion in countering violence against women and girls 7 A Christian perspective: Drawing on religion to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls 8 A Muslim perspective: Religion as protective resource in violence against women and girls 9 Joint reflections on religion countering violence against women and girls PART IV: Looking to the future 10 Now what? Implications for researchers, policy makers and practitioners Index