THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN ENDING RAPE, TACKLING THE PROBLEM AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS BY ISRAEL KASHIM AUDU.

THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN ENDING RAPE, TACKLING THE PROBLEM AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS BY ISRAEL KASHIM AUDU.

While now in our present day society some Religious leaders are sometimes accused of Rape and gender base violence we need to focus, sit back and reflect on the root problem.

The core values expressed in the world’s major religions relate closely to human rights principles. These
values are also expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Buddhism. The numerous schools of modern Buddhism all spring from the original teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, which reject inflicting pain and harm on others. Non-violence is thus an essential feature of
Buddhist conduct in the Dharma (teachings of Buddha).
Buddhism is concerned with the welfare of all beings. Sigâlovâda Sutta makes the point that if everyone
develops compassion, mutual respect, courtesy and loving kindness, children will not be ill-treated. The
Buddha’s advice to parents is clearly to support children to become generous, compassionate, virtuous
and responsible. In the Buddhist view, true compassion has the power to uproot the causes of misery and
suffering in people’s lives and direct them to the cause of happiness.

Christianity. Christians believe human beings are created in the image and likeness of God and look to
the example of Jesus to live their lives. Jesus always treated the vulnerable with love and compassion.
The recorded interactions between Jesus and children demonstrated kindness and respect, and his reported
words about causing children to stumble (Matthew 18:6), and the consequences for doing so are among the
strongest in the New Testament. Children were central to the new social order Jesus initiated. When he set
a little child in the midst of the disciples and said, “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark
10:14), he demonstrated enormous regard for children. By blessing and laying his hands on children, Jesus
received children as people in their own right; he gave them status and dignity (Mark 10:16).

Confucianism. The traditional culture of a large portion of humanity has been shaped by Confucian principles of conduct, which, although externally strict regarding obligations among members of society – especially with one’s elders – are based on deep harmony of the part with the whole. The family, as one of the
smaller wholes, mirrors the harmony of the cosmos when all its members behave with respect, compassion
and love toward each other. Mencius states that everyone has a heart that ”can’t bear to see others suffer”
(Mencius 1.6) and illustrates this principle with the example of no one being able to bear the sight of a young
child being thrown down a well.

Hinduism. Hindu culture teaches ahimsa (non-injury) to all creatures and warns against committing himsa
(injury) to others, summarized in the Vedic injunction “Never injure others.” In the Hindu tradition, there is
no greater good than a child. Hindus believe their children are gifts from gods and products of their previous
karma. Many believe that their children were related to them or were their close friends in past lives. Hindu
parents are to lift their children into the higher nature of love, forgiveness, friendliness and security.

Islam. Islam views human life as a sacred gift from God. The Koran repeatedly stresses the sanctity of life
(hurmat al hayat). The life of every individual – regardless of gender, age, nationality or religion – is worthy
of respect. There is no distinction made between young and old, male or female.
Corporal punishment and other forms of humiliating treatment of children conflict directly with the advice
of the Prophet, which recommends treating those who are under the age of seven as children (employing
tenderness and compassion), treating those from age seven to 14 with care and concern, and from 14
onwards as close friends (with trust and cooperation).

 The noble Prophet of Islam emphasized: “Be
generous, kind and noble to your children and make their manners good and beautiful.”

Jainism. In Jainism, religion and culture have deep-rooted relevance to the development of humankind and
to the moral, spiritual and philosophical aspects of life. Jainism is a religion of love, compassion, respect
and the right to live, for all human beings. Jains strive to practice non-violence in action, speech and thought,
and they believe in “showering love and respect towards all living beings.” The Lord Mahavir has preached
that equanimity is the Dharma: “Know that violence is the cause of all miseries in the world. Violence is in
fact the knot of bondage. Do not injure any living thing.”

Judaism. The birth of a Jewish child is welcomed with words of blessing (Baruch haba, B’ruchah haba’ah).
The Talmud cautions parents from generating fear in children, citing the story of a child who died of such
fear (Semakhot 2:5-6). Prayers of blessing for one’s children for parents returning from worship are enjoined
in the siddur, or prayer book. Children are to be raised in a climate promoting tzedek (fairness) and kevod
(respect), and are to engage in the performance of good deeds (mizvoh). The Babylonian Talmud comments:

“Jews are compassionate children of compassionate parents” (Betzah 32a).

Religious communities and leaders are uniquely positioned to
prevent and respond to violence against children.
There is strong consensus across religious traditions
about the dignity of every child and the need to
protect children from different forms of violence.
The inherent rights of the child are present in the
teachings and traditions of the world’s major religions.
With their extraordinary moral authority, religious
leaders are able to influence thinking, foster dialogue
and set priorities for members of their communities.
They are frequently in positions to advocate for
social and legal change. As those who are often the
first to respond to problems, they have the trust and
confidence of individuals, families and communities.
With almost 5 billion people belonging to religious
communities, their leaders’ potential for action is
substantial. From the smallest village to the largest
city, through districts and provinces to national and
international levels, religious communities offer
large networks for the care and protection of children and the safeguarding of their rights.
The scale and extent of violence against children
provides a compelling and urgent call to religious
communities to take action and to be actively
involved in advocacy and policy-making to eliminate all forms of violence against children.
Increasingly, religious leaders are speaking out as
advocates for children and drawing on the teachings of their respective faiths to promote respect for
children and their rights.
Religious communities are also reflecting on and
confronting their own beliefs, traditions and actions.
Many are challenging those who use their religion
to justify, condone or ignore violence against children. As situations of abuse and neglect of children
within and by religious communities have come
under the spotlight in recent years, opportunities
have arisen for thoughtful dialogue on the relationships among tenets of faith, religious traditions and
international human rights standards. Efforts
towards advocacy and reform have demonstrated a
substantial commitment to safeguarding children’s
rights and enhancing religious communities’ role in
broader protection efforts.
At the 2006 Religions for Peace World Assembly in
Kyoto, Japan, almost 1,000 religious leaders from
all world religions adopted the ‘Multi-Religious
Commitment to Confront Violence against Children’
(the Kyoto Declaration). The Kyoto Declaration
outlines ways religious communities can work to
eliminate violence against children in line with the
recommendations from the United Nations
Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against.