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In the preliminary phase of the Mid-Year Meeting of the Inter-European Division on May 3^rd, an important vote was taken by the Executive Committee on domestic violence. During the November 2020 executive meeting, a commission had already been elected to study the issue of domestic violence. This commission elaborated the following vote:
“Considering the General Conference official Statement on Abuse and Family Violence (1995/2020), we Seventh-day Adventists, affirm the dignity and worth of each human being and decry all forms of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and family violence.
Whereas, abuse in any form of behaviour violates the dignity and respect of a person, whether young or old, and shames the victim;
whereas, the sad reality of abuse and domestic violence is present in our Church as well, and we are called to: a. raise awareness by education and information; b. protect and help the victim(s) and perpetrator(s), creating safe churches, shelters and promoting advocacy;
whereas there is no specific board to deal with Domestic Violence at the different levels of church organisation, and Domestic Violence is generally dealt with or by either pastor, or boards at the different levels of church organisation;
moved to recommend to every Union to establish a Permanent Domestic Violence Team, as soon as possible, but not later than December 31, 2022, made up by at least three members, including men, women as well as experts being social worker, lawyer, etc.”
With this vote, the Adventist Church once again declares its total disapproval of all forms of violence, especially domestic violence. It commits itself to training and informing its members effectively to ensure adequate protection for those who are victims of such unacceptable behaviour
This is an important step towards effectively dealing with violence and abuse in the church and the homes of church members.