Religious institutions are uniquely placed in society to play a decisive role in the prevention and elimination of the different forms of violence against women and children. These institutions possess the moral authority, responsibility and capacity to minister to the needs of those who have been abused, deal with the perpetrators as well as help in the process of prevention and elimination of GBV.
The Tamar campaign seeks to acknowledge the existence of gender based violence in our society, with particular focus on sexual violence. The campaign’s primary goal is therefore, to work towards the prevention and elimination of sexual violence with an emphasis on allowing the readers to read and interpret the text within their own context, cultural background, and life experience, all with the aim of achieving personal and societal transformation.
Some of the interpretations by the various country groups on the TAMAR story were:
Society judges survivors rather than assisting and supporting,
Acts of sexual violence are sometimes perpetrated by relatives,
Rape and sexual violence is considered a taboo topic in religious institutions
All participants agreed that survivors must have the courage to speak out and that they must always be heard. It is a shared responsibility and common obligation to protect women from sexual abuse.