For Faith Communities

While religious and spiritual belief systems do not usually bring people together in communities, individuals who hold these beliefs usually share strong ethics that promote love and care and reject violence.

• Download the 2013 Faith Communities Guidebook

1. 1 Become a sanctuary. Make your place of worship or of gathering a safe place for victims of family violence. Display materials that include available resources for both victims and abusers. Let your community members know that faith leaders are there to help.
2. 2 Educate yourself. Study the problem, understand the issues, and learn what you can do. Get training from professionals in the fields of dating violence, domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, emotional abuse, abuse of older adults, neglect, and criminal harassment. Learn about the risk factors and warning signs of abuse.
3. 3 Get involved in prevention. Routinely include information on family violence in bulletins or newsletters, on bulletin boards, and in marriage preparation classes. Discuss issues around anger, power, control and the use of violence in its many forms. Invite a guest speaker or sponsor an educational seminar.
4. 4 Break the silence. A faith leader can have a powerful impact on people's attitudes and beliefs. Speak out on family violence from the pulpit and in prayer. Be an advocate for informing others on how to recognize abuse and where to go for help.
5. 5 Lead by example. Volunteer and support your local transition house, family violence outreach service, or violence prevention program. Train to become a crisis volunteer or seek out ways to support those who are doing the work.
6. 6 Partner with existing resources. Work together with PEI Family Violence Prevention Services, Victim Services, Child and Family Services, the Turning Point program for abusers, police, and others in the broader community whose job is to respond to family violence.
7. 7 Offer meeting space. Victims sometimes need a safe place to meet with supporters, and parents sometimes need a safe site for supervised visits. Find out from agencies what kinds of support and donations they most need and invite your community to help.
8. 8 Support professional training. Encourage and support family violence training and education for faith leaders, clergy, lay ministers, chaplains, and those studying for religious leadership. When abuse is the issue, ignorance can aggravate the problem and further endanger victims.
9. 9 Address internal issues. Encourage continued efforts by faith institutions and communities to appropriately respond to all allegations of abuse. These efforts must be taken seriously and acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner.

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• Legal and Justice Services