THE first female minister to hold the post of Church of Scotland Moderator is expected to say women throughout the world “suffer disproportionately” from violence.
Says a spokesperson: “In a service tomorrow marking the end to a decade of anti-violence campaigning, Very Reverend Dr Sheilagh Kesting will highlight the global plight of those affected by rape, human trafficking and domestic abuse.”
Dr Kesting, who was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 2007-08, will say: “Women throughout the world suffer disproportionately as victims of violence.
“It may be domestic violence or the violence of poverty or war, and none of these is mutually exclusive; or women trapped in dehumanising relationships, or left abandoned or widowed to try to make ends meet in patriarchal societies in which power is abused and women and their children become invisible, lacking in self-confidence and self-esteem.
“It is the poorest who suffer disproportionately – and women are always among the poorest.”
The former Moderator is also expected to praise the work of the Church of Scotland Guild in keeping these issues at the forefront of the Kirk’s work and prayers.
Tomorrow’s service in Perth North Church at 11.30am prepares for the end to the Decade to Overcome Violence in 2011 – an international campaign organised by the World Council of Churches.
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