Catholic Lawmaker Brings Religious Leaders Together to Fight Violence
By Ray Dyer
The Sooner Catholic
The argument that religion and politics should not mix didn't seem to carry much weight on Feb. 1 when close to three dozen of Oklahoma's top religious leaders, including Archbishop Beltran, came together at the State Capitol. They were there at the invitation of a Catholic lawmaker who asked "those who speak with a greater authority," to take a united and public stand against violence in particular, she asked them to speak out against the violence that is directed toward women.
Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City, a member
of Saint James Parish, told the religious leaders "every one
of us is created in the image and likeness of God." She went
on to say violence against women is against every Rep.
Rebecca Hamilton, holds up the declaration.
faith tradition
and must not be tolerated.
Hamilton
held up a large printed poster board that read: Declaration of Religious
Leaders In Opposition to Violence Against Women. It read, in part:
"We hereby pledge as a people of faith that we will use the
moral voice afforded us by our positions as religious leaders to
say clearly and unequivocally that violence against women violates
women's God-given dignity as human persons by treating them as objects
to be used and violated. We state in the strongest possible terms
that violence against women is gravely sinful and cannot be justified.
Every religious leader signed the declaration and many made brief comments. Archbishop Beltran said all 118 Archbishop Eusebius Beltran signs the declaration. Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City would join in the "First Annual Day of Prayer for an End to Violence Against Women" on March 6. He called violence and especially violence directed against women, children and the vulnerable of society a crime and a grave sin against God.
Hamilton said she was overwhelmed by the response from Oklahoma's religious leaders.
"For me as a woman, I felt supported and loved by all the religious traditions of Oklahoma," she said.
Hamilton said while violence against women is "an individual thing, it's also a cultural thing" and for the leaders in the religious community to come together and "use their moral voice to speak out against this" is something that Hamilton said gives her great hope.
"I think our religious community has drawn a line in the sand," she said. "It's something that has been needed for a long time."
Almost
three dozen leaders from various religious traditions gathered Feb.
1 at the
Oklahoma state Capitol to sign a declaration calling
for an end of violence against women.
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Rape: There are over 1500 reported rapes in Oklahoma each year. • That equals at least 4 reported rapes every single day. • Two women are raped every hour. • 80-90% of the victims are raped by someone known to the victim. • Rape is increasing while other violent crimes are decreasing. • According to OSBI, only one in ten rapes is reported. • That means 15,000 rapes occurred. • There are 13,500 victims who are not getting help or support. Domestic Violence: Oklahoma ranks 12th in the nation for domestic violence (FBI Uniform Crime Report) • Between 30- 40 Oklahoma women are murdered each year. • More than 15,000 women and children receive services each year from domestic violence shelters. • Over 25,000 domestic violence cases were reported to law enforcement in 2002 • Only one fourth of all domestic violence is reported. • 60,000-100,000 cases of domestic violence in Oklahoma are unreported each year. • Domestic abuse reports increased over 50% between 1993 and 2002 • 40% of physical battering begins during pregnancy, with the intent to end the pregnancy. • Women, ages 20-34, are at the greatest risk for partner violence and injury. References: OSBI 2002 |