One tragic consequence of the Covid19 pandemic has been the dramatic rise in domestic abuse cases across the world. Lockdown has meant that perpetrators have 24 hour a day access to their victims; and the victims – mainly women and children – have no way out. In May 2020, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called it a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence”. 

The surge in cases and reporting on the topic has opened discussion in churches communities as never before. 

How should Christians respond to abuse and pain in families? How should they counsel women and men caught in abusive relationships? 

The Christian Network to End Domestic Abuse aims to bring together experts on domestic violence to encourage new learning, sharing of resources and to promote a Biblical response to the pain of the victims, mainly woman and children; and the abusive behaviour of perpetrators, mainly men. 

One of the first actions of CNEDA has been to update a WEA booklet on A Biblical Response to end Domestic Abuse. It aims to help us all understand what the Bible says about healthy relationships and how to prevent abuse. It aims to equip local church leaders to identify the issues, to affirm loving relationships and to respond with care to cases of abuse.