Commitment Five

The world is not a level playing field and a host of factors can combine to influence whether a person does or doesn’t experience respect and equality. Gender, race, age, class, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, gender or sexual identity, religion, or ethnicity all play a role in how we are treated. This concept is called intersectionality and is defined as “the complex, cumulative manner in which the effects of different forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect” [8].

Not all people experience family and domestic violence, either as victims or as perpetrators, in the same ways or to the same extent. People who experience other forms of discrimination – such as racism, ableism, homophobia – are likely to have more complex experiences of domestic and family violence and to be targeted more frequently. Our church acknowledges the complex landscape in which we will work together to overcome victimisation.