IGI 25.2

Vol. 25 No. 2, June 2006

In God's Image is an Asian Christian women's effort to provide a forum for expressing our reality, our struggles, our faith reflections and aspirations for change.

Editorial

We are in the middle of the Decade to Overcome Violence, which is from 2001-2010. Declared by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the decade runs parallel with the United Nations (UN) observance of the “Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World.” The fact that these two big organizations have dedicated the same decade for overcoming violence and promoting peace is very significant. It means that all UN member states and all WCC member churches have in fact agreed to strive to achieve the goals of the decade.

Writing for the National Catholic Reporter (April 26, 2002), American author Michael True described the six principal components of the UN resolution for a Culture of Peace:

	Power is redefined not in terms of violence or force, but of active nonviolence. This builds upon the experience of active nonviolence as a means of social change and its proven success during the 20th century – e.g. the overthrow of President Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, and the 1979-83 peace movement that led to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.
	People are mobilized not in order to defeat an enemy but in order to build understanding, tolerance and solidarity – to liberate the oppressor as well as the oppressed. An example is the end of apartheid in South Africa and the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
	Hierarchical structures that characterize the culture of war are replaced by a democratic process that engages people in decision-making at all levels and empowers them by the victories they achieve – e.g. solidarity movement in Poland and the liberation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
	The secrecy and control of information by those in power is replaced by participatory democracy, through the sharing of information among everyone involved – the goals of the democratic uprising in China.
	Male-dominated culture of war and violence is transformed into a culture acknowledging and building upon special skills that women bring to the peace building process, with women at the center of institutions emerging from it. For example, the Madres de Mayo from Argentina succeeded in calling public attention to the plight of the disappeared.
	The oppression that characterizes the culture of war – e.g. slavery, colonialism, economic exploitation – is replaced by cooperation and sustainable development for all. Working towards this goal are the anti-globalization movement and the Jubilee Year’s campaign for debt relief.

The World Council of Churches set the following goals of the Decade to Overcome Violence:

	Addressing holistically the wide varieties of violence, both direct and structural, in homes, communities, and in international arenas and learning from the local and regional analyses of violence and ways to overcome violence.
	Challenging the churches to overcome the spirit, logic, and practice of violence; to relinquish any theological justification of violence; and to affirm anew the spirituality of reconciliation and active nonviolence.
	Creating a new understanding of security in terms of cooperation and community, instead of in terms of domination and competition.
	Learning from the spirituality and resources for peace-building of other faiths to work with communities of other faiths in the pursuit of peace and to challenge the churches to reflect on the misuse of religious and ethnic identities in pluralistic societies.
	Challenging the growing militarization of our world, especially the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

So we are five years into the decade observance. What has been achieved so far during this mid-decade? It is difficult to say. In fact it is too unrealistic to believe that at the end of the decade all violence shall be overcome. But the growing consciousness of people that violence is something that must and can be overcome is a sign of hope and an encouragement for those who are already engaged in peacemaking efforts and initiatives. May the peacemaking women, men and children, churches, religious and civil society groups increase in wisdom, strength and number!

This edition of In God’s Image is devoted to the stories and reflections of Asian women on various issues highlighted in the decade observance or on peacemaking, with or without the decade observance label. Issues and problems highlighted by the contributors are the cycle of violence, incest, child abuse, child sexual abuse, sexual violence against women with disabilities, rape, challenges of interfaith families and peacemaking by women in their different roles at home, in church and in society. Two poems that are featured here are reflections on the 911 attacks in the US that led to the so-called war on terror and on the December 2004 tsunami that killed and devastated so many.

We thank the contributors for sharing and entrusting their stories, thoughts and reflections. And we hope that these will inspire others to work for peace, overcome violence, and transform structures of violence.

Publications Secretary

CONTENTS
Hurt People Hurt People: Towards Healing and Growth Mayumi Mori, Japan/United Kingdom
	Close Family Ties and Incest Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro, Philippines
		Voice of Hope: Healing from the Effects of Child Abuse Mayumi Mori, Japan/United Kingdom
			The Church and Child Sexual Abuse Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro, Philippines
Sexual Violence against Women with Disabilities Ye Ja Lee, Korea
	Peace and its Manisfestations: Women as Peacemakers Surekha Nelavala, India/USA
		Rage against Rape Liza B. Lamis, Philippines
			Who Tolled the Bell for Thangjam Monorama? Moumita Biswas, India
Saying "No!" is Not Enough Leonila V. Bermisa, Philippines/USA
	*Some Herstories* of Filipino Women and Peacemaking** Phoebe A. Tan, Philippines
		Weaving the Human Web: Interfaith Families as Basic Human Communities Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, India
			A Bird Song Septemmy Lakawa, Indonesia/USA
Freeze Thaya Thiagarajah, Sri Lanka

If articles listed in the table of contents interests you, and you would like to have a copy of this journal, please write to igi@awrc4ct.org.

Editorial

CONTENTS