{"id":2960,"date":"2018-10-11T15:56:54","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T20:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/?p=2960"},"modified":"2019-05-14T16:18:47","modified_gmt":"2019-05-14T21:18:47","slug":"how-africas-women-are-breaking-free-from-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/2018\/10\/11\/how-africas-women-are-breaking-free-from-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"How Africa\u2019s Women Are Breaking Free from Abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Iringa, Tanzania, where I spent a week in August, most women have never heard of the #MeToo movement. Many women there are illiterate because school isn\u2019t considered necessary for girls. And women who can read don\u2019t spend much time on social media following reports about famous American movie stars who were abused by Hollywood producers.<\/p>\n

But Africa is ripe for its own version of #MeToo. So many of the women I met in Tanzania, and in the neighboring country of Malawi, shared painful stories of abuse, harassment, rape and forced marriage.<\/p>\n

For the first time, some of them are willing to speak about it publicly.<\/p>\n

One brave woman told her story in a conference last weekend at Bethel Life Church, an IPHC congregation in Iringa. She shared how a married man more than twice her age began harassing her. He dangled promises of money to tempt her. She felt intimidated because he held an important position in the government, so she reluctantly gave into his advances.<\/p>\n

When she found out she was pregnant, he refused to admit the baby was his\u2014and he took no financial responsibility. The man is an elder in another local congregation in Iringa.<\/p>\n

During my time in Tanzania, and in neighboring Malawi, I met so many women with similar stories. One girl went to the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar to work in a hotel. But her dreams of a better life were shattered when her employer raped her. She got pregnant and had her baby at age 15.<\/p>\n

Several other women told me they were raped as young as 14, and now they care for their children with no help from the men who took advantage of them.<\/p>\n

A woman from Mbeya, in the south of Tanzania, told me how her husband\u2014and the father of her two daughters\u2014abandoned her and then sold their house without her knowledge. A woman from Arusha, in northern Tanzania, pleaded with me to help the women from the nomadic Masai tribe. She said parents are selling their young daughters to older Masai men just to get the dowry payments.<\/p>\n

In Malawi, where IPHC Bishop Tony Mkamanga and his wife, Charity, are building churches, women have similar stories of rape, abuse, and forced marriage. During my visit there in August I learned of one young teenage girl who was tempted to go into prostitution to collect school fees. Her pimps would have enslaved her if her pastor had not intervened.<\/p>\n

I hear these stories everywhere I go in Africa, where the abuse of women has many forms: domestic violence, the cruel treatment of widows, forced prostitution, rape by soldiers, the degradation of polygamy, the sexual abuse of housemaids or the horrific practice of female genital mutilation.<\/p>\n

At one point during our conference in Tanzania, dozens of women streamed to the front of the auditorium to receive prayer for abuse or abandonment. Two of the women began to scream and writhe on the floor, obviously tormented by demons. IPHC leader Berrings Mlambya, who serves as bishop of Tanzania, said both women had experienced traumatic sexual abuse, and the man who abused the second woman was deeply involved in witchcraft.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of women here have been abused, and this often opens them up to demonic problems,\u201d Mlambya said. \u201cYet few pastors here are prepared to deal with this problem because they are so bound by African traditions. Our culture has told women that they must stay in their place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pastor Mlambya, who moved to Iringa from the city of Mbeya in 2014, has opened a shelter to care for abused and abandoned women. He provides a room, meals and basic job training for 11 single mothers. He also plans to instruct IPHC pastors in how to confront cultural traditions that oppress women.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf God does not help us, the change will be difficult,\u201d Mlambya said.<\/p>\n

Africa should be ground zero for the #MeToo movement, but women here don\u2019t have the platform to speak out like women in Western nations. Abuse is rampant but African women are expected to protect the status quo. So they suffer quietly. While abuse is discussed openly in the United States, Africa\u2019s crisis remains hidden behind a smokescreen of shame and cultural taboos.<\/p>\n

Yet I\u2019m encouraged because I see God breaking through the darkness. In our women\u2019s conference in Tanzania last month, male pastors from several churches gathered on the platform and knelt in front of the women. Before anyone could say anything, the women begin to wail. They had never seen men humble themselves and apologize for anything, especially sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

As Pastor Mlambya prayed in Swahili, repenting on behalf of the husbands, fathers, uncles, boyfriends, and bosses who abused these women, a wave of healing flowed through the church.<\/p>\n

I expect this miracle to be repeated all across the African continent in my lifetime. It is a blessing to see the IPHC positioned to bring this healing on a huge scale. As the Holy Spirit brings His freedom, the silence will be broken, and women who have been shrouded in shame will finally make their voices heard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article was published in\u00a0the October 2018 issue of\u00a0Encourage<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

LEE GRADY is an ordained IPHC minister who also serves as the executive editor for Encourage<\/em> magazine. Lee directs The Mordecai Project, an international outreach focused on confronting gender-based violence. For 18 years he served as an editor with Charisma magazine, and he is the author of several books including the newly released Set My Heart on Fire, a Bible study on the Holy Spirit. He and his wife, Deborah, live in LaGrange, Georgia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[305,1,610],"tags":[510,571,37,149,572,36,38,184],"class_list":{"0":"post-2960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-encourage-magazine","8":"category-general","9":"category-justice","10":"tag-510","11":"tag-africa","12":"tag-encourage","13":"tag-encourage-magazine","14":"tag-justice","15":"tag-lee-grady","16":"tag-magazine","17":"tag-october","18":"entry"},"title_es":"C\u00f3mo las mujeres de \u00c1frica se est\u00e1n liberando del abuso","content_es":"En Iringa, Tanzania, donde pas\u00e9 una semana en agosto, la mayor\u00eda de las mujeres nunca han o\u00eddo hablar del movimiento #MeToo. Muchas mujeres son analfabetas porque la escuela no se considera necesaria para las ni\u00f1as. Y las mujeres que saben leer no pasan mucho tiempo en las redes sociales siguiendo los informes sobre famosas estrellas de cine estadounidenses que fueron maltratadas por los productores de Hollywood. Pero \u00c1frica est\u00e1 madura para su propia versi\u00f3n de #MeToo. Muchas de las mujeres que conoc\u00ed en Tanzania y en el pa\u00eds vecino de Malawi compartieron historias dolorosas de abuso, hostigamiento, violaci\u00f3n y matrimonio forzado. Por primera vez, algunos de ellos est\u00e1n dispuestos a hablar de ello p\u00fablicamente. Una valiente mujer cont\u00f3 su historia en una conferencia el fin de semana pasado en Bethel Life Church, una congregaci\u00f3n de la IPHC en Iringa. Ella comparti\u00f3 c\u00f3mo un hombre casado m\u00e1s del doble de su edad comenz\u00f3 a acosarla. Colgaba promesas de dinero para tentarla. Ella se sinti\u00f3 intimidada porque \u00e9l ocupaba un cargo importante en el gobierno, por lo que ella cedi\u00f3 de mala gana a sus avances. Cuando se enter\u00f3 de que estaba embarazada, se neg\u00f3 a admitir que el beb\u00e9 era suyo y no asumi\u00f3 ninguna responsabilidad financiera. El hombre es un anciano en otra congregaci\u00f3n local en Iringa. Durante mi tiempo en Tanzania, y en el vecino Malawi, conoc\u00ed a muchas mujeres con historias similares. Una ni\u00f1a fue a la isla tanzana de Zanz\u00edbar para trabajar en un hotel. Pero sus sue\u00f1os de una vida mejor se hicieron a\u00f1icos cuando su empleador la viol\u00f3. Qued\u00f3 embarazada y tuvo a su beb\u00e9 a la edad de 15 a\u00f1os. Otras mujeres me dijeron que hab\u00edan sido violadas a los 14 a\u00f1os, y ahora cuidan a sus hijos sin la ayuda de los hombres que se aprovecharon de ellos. Una mujer de Mbeya, en el sur de Tanzania, me cont\u00f3 c\u00f3mo su esposo, y el padre de sus dos hijas, la abandonaron y luego vendieron su casa sin que ella lo supiera. Una mujer de Arusha, en el norte de Tanzania, me suplic\u00f3 que ayudara a las mujeres de la tribu n\u00f3mada Masai. Ella dijo que los padres est\u00e1n vendiendo a sus hijas j\u00f3venes a hombres masai mayores para obtener los pagos de la dote. En Malawi, donde el obispo de la IPHC Tony Mkamanga y su esposa, Charity, est\u00e1n construyendo iglesias, las mujeres tienen historias similares de violaci\u00f3n, abuso y<\/u> matrimonio forzado. Durante mi visita all\u00ed en agosto, me enter\u00e9 de una joven adolescente que tuvo la tentaci\u00f3n de dedicarse a la prostituci\u00f3n para cobrar las cuotas escolares. Sus proxenetas la habr\u00edan esclavizado si su pastor no hubiera intervenido. Escucho estas historias donde quiera que vaya en \u00c1frica, donde el abuso de mujeres tiene muchas formas: violencia dom\u00e9stica, el trato cruel de las viudas, la prostituci\u00f3n forzada, la violaci\u00f3n por parte de los soldados, la degradaci\u00f3n de la poligamia, el abuso sexual de las criadas o la pr\u00e1ctica horrible de mutilaci\u00f3n genital femenina. En un momento dado durante nuestra conferencia en Tanzania, docenas de mujeres acudieron al frente del auditorio para recibir oraci\u00f3n por abuso o abandono. Dos de las mujeres comenzaron a gritar y retorcerse en el suelo, obviamente atormentadas por demonios. El l\u00edder de la IPHC Berrings Mlambya, quien se desempe\u00f1a como obispo de Tanzania, dijo que ambas mujeres hab\u00edan sufrido abuso sexual traum\u00e1tico y que el hombre que abus\u00f3 de la segunda mujer estaba profundamente involucrado en la brujer\u00eda. \"La mayor\u00eda de las mujeres aqu\u00ed han sido abusadas, y esto a menudo las abre a problemas demon\u00edacos\", dijo Mlambya. \u201cSin embargo, pocos pastores aqu\u00ed est\u00e1n preparados para lidiar con este problema porque est\u00e1n muy ligados a las tradiciones africanas. Nuestra cultura les ha dicho a las mujeres que deben permanecer en su lugar \u201d. El Pastor Mlambya, quien se mud\u00f3 a Iringa desde la ciudad de Mbeya en 2014, abri\u00f3 un refugio para atender a las mujeres maltratadas y abandonadas. Proporciona una habitaci\u00f3n, comidas y capacitaci\u00f3n laboral b\u00e1sica para 11 madres solteras. Tambi\u00e9n planea instruir a los pastores de la IPHC sobre c\u00f3mo confrontar las tradiciones culturales que oprimen a las mujeres. \"Si Dios no nos ayuda, el cambio ser\u00e1 dif\u00edcil\", dijo Mlambya. \u00c1frica debe ser punto cero para el movimiento #MeToo, pero las mujeres aqu\u00ed no tienen la plataforma para hablar como mujeres en las naciones occidentales. El abuso es rampante, pero se espera que las mujeres africanas protejan el status quo. As\u00ed que sufren tranquilamente. Mientras que el abuso se discute abiertamente en los Estados Unidos, la crisis de \u00c1frica permanece oculta detr\u00e1s de una cortina de humo y tab\u00faes culturales. Sin embargo, estoy animado porque veo a Dios atravesar la oscuridad. En nuestra conferencia de mujeres en Tanzania el mes pasado, pastores varones de varias iglesias se reunieron en la plataforma y se arrodillaron frente a las mujeres. Antes de que alguien pudiera decir algo, las mujeres comienzan a lamentarse. Nunca hab\u00edan visto a los hombres humillarse y disculparse por nada, especialmente el abuso sexual. Mientras el pastor<\/u> Mlambya rezaba en swahili, arrepinti\u00e9ndose en nombre de los esposos, padres, t\u00edos, novios y jefes que abusaban de estas mujeres, una ola de sanidad fluy\u00f3 a trav\u00e9s de la iglesia. Espero que este milagro se repita en todo el continente africano durante mi vida. Es una bendici\u00f3n ver a la IPHC posicionada para llevar esta curaci\u00f3n a gran escala. A medida que el Esp\u00edritu Santo traiga Su libertad, se romper\u00e1 el silencio, y las mujeres que han sido envueltas en verg\u00fcenza finalmente har\u00e1n o\u00edr sus voces. Publicado originalmente en la revista Encourage<\/a> .<\/em> LEE GRADY es un ministro ordenado de IPHC que tambi\u00e9n sirve como editor ejecutivo de la revista Encourage<\/em> . Lee dirige The Mordecai Project, un servicio internacional enfocado en enfrentar la violencia de g\u00e9nero. Durante 18 a\u00f1os se desempe\u00f1\u00f3 como editor de la revista Charisma, y \u200b\u200bes autor de varios libros, entre ellos el reci\u00e9n publicado Set My Heart on Fire, un estudio b\u00edblico sobre el Esp\u00edritu Santo. \u00c9l y su esposa, Deborah, viven en LaGrange, Georgia.","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/10\/Africa-Featured-Image-727x392.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-LK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}