Grooming gangs, paedophiles, human trafficking, sexual violence, domestic abuse, pornography, rape as a weapon of war… Our national and international news feeds are often full of stories of different forms of male violence against women and girls (VAWG). But did you know the Bible includes stories of VAWG? Have you ever read one in horror (the story of the unnamed concubine in Judges 19, perhaps) and wondered why it’s there, and what we’re supposed to learn from it? These are the questions I grappled with when God began speaking to me about my own past experiences of male violence.
In my teens I suffered two serious sexual assaults, and then in my twenties I was raped by an emotionally abusive boyfriend. Three incidents of sexual violence by three different perpetrators. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when I was in my early forties (and now in a safe, stable marriage), that God showed me He wanted to deal with those experiences and heal my trauma. I turned to the biblical stories of VAWG and cried out in prayer, “Lord, what do you say about what happened to me?” I had never heard anyone teach on the subject in a church.
In December 2025 the government published Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls. This strategy sets out the government’s vision and actions for meeting its ambition to halve VAWG in a decade. Whilst I certainly approve of this ambition and the three key areas of change the strategy addresses (prevention and early intervention, the relentless pursuit of perpetrators, and support for victims and survivors), I can’t help thinking that from a Christian point of view it’s missing something. The church is uniquely equipped to offer an additional weapon in this fight, one you won’t find mentioned in the strategy at all. We have access to the word of God, a deep resource with the power to fundamentally change lives. Jesus is our hope in the face of VAWG, and God’s word has the power to bring transformation, truth, healing and justice in this area.
As I studied the biblical stories of VAWG for myself, seeking healing from past hurts, I discovered a general lack of helpful teaching on the subject. Historically, poor interpretations of stories like the kidnap of Dinah (Genesis 34) and the rape of Tamar (2 Samuel 13) have led to victim blaming and the reinforcement of male entitlement. Although I am hopeful we have moved away from such mistakes, the tendency now is to avoid these passages altogether, rather than to handle them in a different way, naming sin and recognising the inherent dignity and value of women and girls as ones who bear the image of God. Our reluctance to preach on these difficult accounts is a problem, because our silence allows VAWG to continue, hidden in the shadows, instead of bringing it out into the light. Victims and survivors like me simply don’t know whether their church is a safe place to talk about their experiences. And it’s very likely that in almost every church in the UK there are victims and survivors of VAWG, and perpetrators too. The World Health Organisation estimates that one third of all women worldwide will experience physical and/or sexual violence by a partner, or sexual violence by a non-partner. And the statistics show that the rates of domestic abuse are similar within the church to rates in the general population. Ignoring the problem, and the biblical accounts which address it, isn’t doing us any good. Shouldn’t the church look different?
"Victims and survivors like me simply don’t know whether their church is a safe place to talk about their experiences."
With all that’s going on in the world, and as we mark International Women’s Day 2026 on Sunday 8 March, let’s step up to the challenge to halve VAWG in the UK over the next decade. And let’s start with the word of God. Taking seriously our responsibility to preach on the whole of scripture, and teaching into the life experiences of the people we are called to love, is surely the most valuable contribution we can make. There are women in our churches who need to experience God’s love for them through the healing of past hurts or through practical help to escape abuse. There are perpetrators of abuse in our churches who need to experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit and God’s loving correction and transformation. It is my experience that when a church teaches well on the biblical accounts of VAWG, the people feel safe to tell their stories, knowing they will be listened to, believed and loved.
"When a church teaches well on the biblical accounts of VAWG, the people feel safe to tell their stories, knowing they will be listened to, believed and loved."
There are resources, charities and visiting speakers ready to help you engage with this subject, including the Cover to Cover Bible Study on Violence Against Women.
Preventing violence against women and girls is a mission for us all
Zanna Meynell starts to unpack the government’s new strategy and why churches also need to get involved in prevention
