International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
The issues
- 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Most face this violence from a close partner.
- In Guatemala, two women are murdered, on average, each day.
- 700 million women living today were married before their 18th birthday. Child brides are far more vulnerable to sexual and physical violence.
- At least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone Female Genital Mutilation in 30 countries. In the majority of these cases, girls were cut before the age of 5.*
A prayer
Lord, we lift up women worldwide who have been the victims of violence. We pray for your restoration and peace for those who have experienced great trauma.
We pray for your protection and provision for those who are currently at risk. We ask in faith that you would raise up and equip your local church to provide women with emotional support and practical help.
Father we pray for the current generation of girls who have been born into circumstances which make them vulnerable to violence both now and in the future. Lord, be at work in their lives. Provide them with safety we pray. Grant them protection against harmful practices such as forced early marriage or FGM.
We pray for the women and girls our partner churches are supporting through Compassion programmes. We praise you for testimonies of women released from violent situations. We pray you would bless our project workers and partner churches with wisdom and sensitivity as they work alongside vulnerable women and children.
Amen
