DUNDEE, Scotland -- In a pioneering consultation held here August 23-28, 30 delegates, all women, grappled with the issue of violence against women. The World Council of Churches invited representatives from 15 major Christian denominations worldwide to tackle the issue under the auspices of the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) 2001-2010. During these 10 years, WCC is encouraging churches and communities to acknowledge all aspects of violence in their own context and work to build a culture of peace.

Mennonite World Conference selected Elizabeth Soto Albrecht as its representative to the consultation. She has worked with two MWC member churches: Mennonite Church U.S.A. and the Colombian Mennonite Church. Soto Albrecht, trained in the U.S. to work on sexual abuse and domestic violence isssues, especially among Hispanic families, has developed Spanish material on these themes. For the past four years she has worked in public schools in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) at educating to prevent violence.

She has also worked with Mennonite Central Committee Women's Concerns to develop theological material for Hispanic churches. Soto Albrecht served as the main resource person at a conference organized by Women's Concerns for Hispanic church leaders and has participated in conversations on domestic violence among Anabaptist churches in Central America. This fall she began a new MCC assignment in Colombia as a community worker as well as teaching seminary, doing leadership training and working on development projects with the Armenia-Cali Mennonite Church.

Other participants, all chosen by their own church groups, included pastors, laypersons, teachers and theologians. Fewer than one third came from the Third World, two came from North America and the rest from Europe. Soto Albrecht was the only Latin woman there.

The WCC did not impose agenda for the consultation, said Soto Albrecht. Rather, it allowed participants to share how their communion was working to help overcome sexual abuse, domestic violence against women, abuse in church institutions and to explore what can be done together as well as individually on these issues.

Soto Albrecht offered words of appreciation from Larry Miller, MWC Executive Secretary, to WCC for launching the Decade to Overcome Violence and she read a statement on working with families to overcome violence produced by the MWC Peace Council in Guatemala in June. Some MWC members and networks are addressing the issue.

Delegates at the consultation worked in small groups in three areas: Church, Church and Society and Ecumenical Tasks. At the end of five days they agreed on principles for action and committed themselves to practical steps to move toward these objectives within their own faith communities at local, national and global levels. Soto Albrecht said she "dared to dream in a broad spectrum" about next steps and she hopes the issue can be on the agenda at the MWC Africa Assembly 2003.

"The time is right for our members to use our wonderful Anabaptist theological heritage of peace and nonviolence and give witness to this hurting world.... The time is fertile to work at building a peace culture that will reflect the values of the Kingdom of God," she said in her report to MWC.

Two project consultants in Edinborough, Scotland, Lesley Orr Macdonald and Helen Hood, will develop a collection of resources, responses and policies from around the world and facilitate networks of concern and expertise.

The Dundee Consultation confirmed for Soto Albrecht that many gifted women around the world are working to overcome violence against women and children but also that some denominations do not take the issue seriously. One delegate's story of being raped by an elder in her church moved her deeply.

"It became clear to us that we must work in the preventive as well as the intervention stage so this type of abuse does not happen in our churches," she said.

Soto Albrecht said that while it is better to work from the base of local churches, violence is a daily reality for many women and children and requires a unified force to deal with its many factors. She believes that Mennonites and Brethren in Christ have much to offer in the ecumenical task of overcoming violence.

-- Ferne Burkhardt, MWC News Editor