As the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence unfold across the globe, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission has issued an urgent call for a renewed, family-centred strategy to confront violence against women and children in the three member countries: South Africa, Botswana, and Eswatini.

In the statement signed by the Liaison Bishop for the Commission, Bishop Thulani Victor Mbuyisa invites every parish in the region to dedicate one Sunday during the campaign to prayer, reflection, and tangible action. Anchored in the words of Christ, it begins: “Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace to this household.” (Luke 10:5)

After 34 Years of Activism, a Call to Re-Examine the Root Causes

Reflecting on more than three decades of public campaigns, policy reforms, and international advocacy, the Commission asks a critical question:

“What is missing in our response?”

Despite strong legislation, national action plans, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols, “the suffering of women and children has not diminished,” the statement observes, as many communities are witnessing the crisis worsening.

While acknowledging the importance of advocacy and institutional frameworks, the Commission warns that “something deeper—something spiritual, moral, and human—is being left unattended.”

At the heart of the crisis, it writes, lies a painful truth:
“Violence against women and children is born in the human heart, and it grows in broken families.”

Appeal to Governments and SADC: Make the Family the Foundation of Policy

The Justice and Peace Commission calls on the governments of South Africa, Botswana, and Eswatini, and on SADC, to strengthen all national and regional responses by placing families at the centre.

“Our national and regional responses to gender-based violence are incomplete,” the statement reads. “They do not speak clearly enough about the family as the foundation of society.”

The SACBC Justice and Peace Commission calls for the strengthening of the family as a core pillar of national legislation and strategic plans, and for the integration of family renewal into the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

A family-centred approach, the Commission stresses, must support both the girl-child and the boy-child, and must address “absent fathers, wounded masculinity, substance abuse, and weakened parenting” as major drivers of violence.

Call to the Catholic Church: Self-Examination and Internal Reform

The Commission turns the spotlight inward, urging the Church to evaluate its own pastoral practices.

It invites dioceses and parishes to honestly evaluate whether family life is truly at the heart of their pastoral mission, whether sodalities are creating safe spaces for survivors and challenging abusive behaviour among their own members, whether parish leadership reflects the Gospel by refusing to tolerate misconduct in the home, and whether youth ministries are adequately supporting young people who face the pressures of violence, addiction, and destructive peer influence.

This internal reflection, the Commission notes, is essential for genuine renewal.

A Return to Prayer and Repentance

The Commission laments society’s “overreliance on policy and institutional solutions” and calls for a return to spiritual foundations—particularly the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Confession.

During this year’s Sixteen Days, Catholics are urged to pray the Prayer of St Francis within the context of their own families, beginning:

“Lord, make me an instrument of healing, reconciliation, and peace in my family. Where there is violence, let me bring repentance, healing, and deliverance.”

The Commission prays that each believer may be sent anew “like the seventy-two disciples” to carry Christ’s peace into broken homes.