WCC NEWS: Student Christian movements urge support for Thursdays in Black

"There is a dire need to continually engage church leaders and society at large on how domestic violence can be reduced and brought under control. Thursdays in Black should continue to address and remind us of these problems, especially in the developing countries where gender-based violence prevails more,” said Ebere Ubesie, national president, Student Christian Movement of Nigeria. Thursdays in Black at the World Student Christian Federation General Assembly 2022 held in Berlin, Germany 23 June-1July Photo: WSCF   07 July 2022 She was speaking at the recent General Assembly of the World Student Christian Federation held in Berlin. “Our involvement and activities as Christians to end all forms of domestic violence against women should provide answers to some questions the society has raised,” said Ubesie. She further added that questions related to how every society and culture interprets gender-based violence, speculations related to laws in certain societies, and the patriarchal mindset that affects the disposition of men against women all need to be addressed. Thursdays in Black grew out of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women, 1988-98, as a form of peaceful protest against violence and rape. The World Student Christian Federation voiced support and encourages its members to dress in black to mark their support for gender justice all over the world. “Violence is not only represented in its last instance by death and rape; we are all part of a system that reproduces micro-violence towards women throughout the world,” said Marcelo Leites, general secretary, World Student Christian Federation and Thursdays in Black Ambassador. “At a global level the federation has been working on gender issues for many years and since the Thursdays in Black campaign intensified, both globally and regionally, we have carried out different initiatives where we publicly show our adherence to the campaign by wearing black” He added that for the federation, as well as for him, “On the one hand, young people have the opportunity to learn from the new generations of women who are mobilizing in the streets and, on the other hand, ecumenical leaders have the responsibility to listen to the leadership of women who have taken the initiative. We must promote a joint solution, where men support women’s leadership, listen to them, and accompany them along the way.” Fanny Chung, interim staff World Student Christian Federation Asia Pacific, commented that it is important for the federation to take up the role together with the WCC by joining the Thursdays in Black campaign and stand up for gender justice and against any forms of gender-based violence.   WCC Thursdays in Black World Student Christian Federation Thursdays in Black: Committed to eradicating gender-based violence See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland