Gender Based Violence perpetrated against migrant women during lockdowns : a pastoral care challenge

Abstract

The study was a qualitative inquiry conducted with two set of participants (ZMW and Pentecostal/ Charismatic Clergy). The ZMW were victims of Gender-Based Violence during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the Pentecostal/ Charismatic clergy were pastoral care givers. Both these groups of participants’ lived experiences were used as case studies using the interpretive narrative analysis. The study is embedded in postmodern, interpretive narrative framework and practical theology and investigated the lived experiences of ZMW who were victims of GBV during South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdowns. Their responses will help to shape future pastoral care services that would be case by case sensitive. This study seeks to understand what social and spiritual determinants caused victims of GBV who are migrant women not to or to seek pastoral care during the Covid-19. Some of these migrant women already endured many other traumatic experiences that caused them to leave their native land. While those previous traumatic experiences were not under review during this study, their influence cannot be denied in how they responded to GBV during Covid-19 Lockdowns. The culmination GBV experiences are the essence for this research as it sought to enquire how the migrant women dealt with GBV trauma and approached available pastoral care services during lockdowns. The research study sought to also understand the lived experiences of ZMW who were victims of GBV and how they responded to the lockdown environment while facing GBV and the trauma of being in enclosed spaces with their abuser. The aspect of being migrants and GBV victims while dealing with the uncertainty of lockdowns that they were ill-prepared or inexperienced to deal with formed the basis of the study. This research study acknowledges that GBV was perpetrated against most women and children across the nation of South Africa during the Covid-19 induced lockdowns, however the targeted demography of this research are migrant women from Zimbabwe (in particular) due to their reduced support network considering that they are very far from their people. To deny spiritual and pastoral care to migrants by virtue of them being migrants is a denial of a human right. The difficulties faced by both ZMW in seeking and Clergy in offering pastoral care respectively during the Covid-19 Induced Lockdowns was a concern for this researcher. The role of the clergy to offer spiritual and pastoral care to migrant women during Covid-19 Lockdowns is of paramount importance that serves to close the limited or nonexistent support network caused by migrating. The spotlight of enquiry about the role of the clergy is predicated on the understanding of the unpredictability of the times for consistent spiritual and pastoral care, especially where access was limited as there were no church services. Sunday Church services usually have been previously (prior Covid-19) used as a time where most of pastoral care happened as most of the people in the urban areas work during the week. This study is also an enquiry of the pastoral care techniques that were applied to care for the migrant women who were victims of GBV considering that their services mostly require face-to-face interaction. The issue of lockdowns diminished face-to-face interaction, thereby making it difficult for laity to access pastoral care and for clergy to offer pastoral care to laity. The study looks at the Lockdown-induced hardships that these two groups (clergy and migrant women) sought each other out in order to give or receive pastoral care. While the “New Normal” for interaction during Covid-19 Lockdowns among people and most organisations was technology (WhatsApp, Zoom, etc), understandably so considering that we are in the fourth industrial revolution, humans are creatures of physical interaction. Migrant women are also part of humanity thereby making them desire physical interaction, which in this case became the reason for GBV. While appreciating the technological benefits that have been brought about by the fourth industrial revolution; there can be no avatar that could replace the benefits that come with physical human interaction especially when giving or receiving pastoral care. While most churches resorted to virtual preaching and virtual church services during most of the lockdowns, there was a continued outcry for an opportunity to have face-to-face fellowship. Virtual sermons and other technology-induced forms of communication could not eliminate a need for physical pastoral care.