Every year members of the Mothers’ Union participate in 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence in order to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.
This call to action is part of a wider United Nations campaign, which begins on 25 November and runs until 10 December.
Last year, Mothers’ Union Diocese of Leicester focused their efforts on raising money to send to our link diocese of Kiteto in Tanzania, where Ezereda Chambala and the local MU were launching a campaign to raise awareness of the harm caused by Female Genital Mutilation.
It takes time to change long-held beliefs and traditions, but the Mothers’ Union members were delighted to hear, at their recent Members’ Forum, that the campaign is now up and running and the first steps toward change have been taken. Fundraising for this project is ongoing.
This year, MU Leicester are shifting their focus from the project in Tanzania towards raising awareness of Domestic Violence, by supporting a nationwide Mothers’ Union campaign called RISE UP.
Respond
Inform
Support
Empower
Unite
Pray
Kate Cooper, member of the Rothley MU branch, says: “As Mothers’ Union members we are all too acutely aware that 1 in 3 women will suffer from some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime, as we share the ‘#No More 1 in 3’ message every year.”
According to statistics from The World Health Organisation (25 March, 2024), the majority of this is domestic violence with 27% of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship reporting that they have been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.
“The focus of the RISE UP campaign is to spread awareness of domestic violence and to debunk the attitude that domestic violence isn’t in - ‘my community’, ‘my family’, ‘my church’ - and to make it clear to all that domestic violence can and does exist in any setting,” explains Kate.
MU members around the country are being asked to ensure that as many churches as possible are displaying domestic abuse helpline numbers, and the MU Derby Diocese and female choir DALEDIVA have recently recorded a moving song called “I am not nothing” by singer songwriter, Beth Crowley, as the official anthem for the RISE UP campaign.
“We are hoping to share this in some of our church services during the 16 Days, but we would love you to spend a few minutes to listen to it now,” says Kate.
Central Mothers’ Union have provided some resources for the RISE UP campaign.
MU Leicester has chosen an action for each of the 16 Days, which they are encouraging everyone to get involved with.
Kate says: “One of the resources from the central MU website is this poem, which I found desperately sad, as it is 33 years old but still far too relevant in today’s society.
“Thirty-three years and STILL 33%. The first step to change is to lift your voices with ours in prayer during the 16 Days.”
WARNING: Please be aware, this poem contains reference to sexual abuse and rape.
If it were between countries, we’d call it a war.
If it were a disease, we’d call it an epidemic.
If it were an oil spill, we’d call it a disaster.
But it is happening to women, and it’s just an everyday affair.
It is violence against women.
It is sexual harassment at work and sexual abuse of the young.
It is the beating or the blow that millions of women suffer each and every day.
It is rape at home or on a date.
It is murder.
There’s no secret enemy pulling the trigger.
No unseen virus that leads to death.
It is only men.
Not all men, but far too many men.
By Michael Kaufman - White Ribbon Campaign 1991
For further info and resources, please email: mothersunion@leicestercofe.org
Mothers’ Union Diocese of Leicester is part of the worldwide Mothers’ Union, which has 4 million members in 84 countries.
If you've been affected by domestic violence or know someone who has and would like support and advice, you can find details of helpful organisations on the safeguarding pages of our website.