SAFEGUARDING is not a threat to African church culture, Anglican bishops said before a conference on the subject being hosted in Zimbabwe this week.
The Safe Church Capacity Building Conference in Bulawayo, which began on Thursday and ends on 11 September, is being hosted by the Province of Central Africa. It is organised by the International Safe Church Commission of the Anglican Communion, which was set up in 2016 to support survivors of abuse in a church context, to respond well to allegations of abuse, and to promote a safe culture in churches by developing good safeguarding practices.
The commission produced guidelines on this that were approved by the Anglican Consultative Council in 2019 (News, 3 May 2019). The focus of the conference is to embed these guidelines into churches’ cultures. Each day is to begin with a biblical reflection on safeguarding.
The commission has previously said that it faces challenges to its work from the perception that safeguarding is a “foreign concept . . . something imposed from the Western world” (News, 24 November 2023).
Speaking on Monday, the Bishop of Matabeleland, the Rt Revd Cleophas Lunga, who is a member of the commission, said: “It’s vital that all churches know how to protect people, and how to support people if they disclose that they have experienced harm or abuse. This capacity-building event will be a significant opportunity to discuss safeguarding measures and how to grow a culture of safety, respect, and protection for everyone in our communities.”
It should not, he said, be perceived as a threat to the flourishing Christian communities in Africa. “The aim of the conference is not to disable the existing rich heritage of interdependence. It is, rather, an important step towards enabling every individual to experience relationships characterised by the love of Christ that never fails.”
The deputy secretary general of the Anglican Communion, Dr Jo Bailey Wells, who is Bishop for Episcopal Ministry in the Communion, said: “The role that church leaders play in modelling and implementing safeguarding practice cannot be underestimated.”