Lutheran Church in Liberia

  • Church Launches Weekly Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence in Liberia

    The Lutheran Church in Liberia has launched a weekly campaign agianst violence targeted at women and girls.

    A Press Release by the Church stated that   such violence,  according to  Rev. Janice Fajue Gonoe,“is not always physical. It can be verbal, psychological, economic. It can involve the environment”. 

    Rev. Gonoe, the  director of the LCL HIV and AIDS program, joined 600 people of all ages and backgrounds marching against sexual violence in Liberia’s capital Monrovia. The Lutheran church publicized its commitment to the global campaign in order to bring awareness to the wider society and encourage all Liberians to get involved.

    LCL Bishop Dr Jensen Seyenkulo in his address at the launch disclosed that he he learned of Thursdays in Black through his work with The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

    “Joining a global movement that includes brothers and sisters of faith from all over the world helps to underscore the reality that violence is a worldwide problem.”

    “Towards a world without rape and violence” is the theme of Thursday’s in Black. The LWF, which has a Gender Justice Policy, has endorsed the initiative started by the WCC in the 1980s as a form of peaceful protest against rape and violence, especially during conflict. Member churches and staff of both organizations are encouraged to dress in black on Thursdays to show individual support for gender justice around the world,'' Bishop Seyenkulo stated.