Gender-Based Violence in Some Pentecostal Churches—A South African Study

Abstract

One of the most devastating practices to be normalised in modern times is gender-based violence. Women and girls in South Africa can no longer enjoy the freedom that was promised by the country’s Freedom Charter during the dawn of democracy. Rape, killing and other forms of female persecution have become common practices, and the most worrying part of this is that the perpetrators of this violence seem to enjoy more freedom than their victims. Unfortunately, this kind of violence is no longer a secular issue but something that is now encountered in religious circles, places in which most people would hope to be sheltered and protected. The article investigates these kinds of violence within the parameters of religious institutions, specifically Pentecostal churches, and also makes some suggestions as to what kinds of approaches we need as a country to eliminate this pandemic. This article uses a desktop/secondary approach to gather data and to reach the conclusions made as a bases for the argument.

Keywords

• Pentecostal churches
• gender-based violence
• rape
• sexual abuse
• religious leaders
• liberation & constitution