[ad_1]
Restored, an international Christian domestic abuse education charity, and Churches Together in Cumbria, which delivers domestic abuse training to churches across Cumbria, connected with the institutions to launch a survey on Wednesday.
The researchers want to hear from anyone who attends a church in Cumbria, to ask them their views about whether and how their church is responding to domestic abuse.
The Crime Survey in England and Wales found that approximately one in four women and one in seven men have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16.
Researchers added that in Cumbria alone police are called to, on average, 17 incidents of domestic abuse each day.
They said it’s the first major survey research into churchgoers and domestic abuse in the UK, and hope it will lead to a major national study.
Dr Kristin Aune, Senior Research Fellow at Coventry University and the project’s lead researcher, told Premier: “Organisations like Restored are working to try and train churches about how to deal with domestic abuse and sometimes churches say ‘well it’s not an issue for us’, so this research is going to show if it is an issue, which we sadly think it will be.”
Experts at Coventry University are also investigating the prevalence of the issue within families who go to church. They’re concerned domestic abuse remains a hidden problem at church.
Paula, a survivor of abuse, told Restored: “Many Christian women who are victims of domestic abuse end up having to leave their church.
“This happened to me and I still grieve for the fellowship that I was part of for years.”
Dr Aune told Premier: “People put on their nice clothes for church, put a smile on their face and someone asks them ‘are you okay?’. They say ‘I’m fine’ and they [other people] have no idea what’s actually happening at home and the abuser could even be someone who goes to church too.
“Of course, it’s a sensitive thing to have to talk about but until we actually address as a church these really difficult problems that are in our midst, we can’t move forward and work for change.”
[ad_2]
Source link