Creating space for having difficult conversations

When considering the role of religion as it pertains to contextual embodied issues within the landscape of sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), the common perception is often that faith speaks with a singular, predominantly negative voice and that God's will can clearly be deduced through engaging with the sacred scriptures. Faith actors and religious leaders are often left out of processes working towards the enhancement of SRHR as much of the discourse developing from the religious sector have often aimed to entrench heteropatriarchal understandings of gender, sexuality, and reproduction (Beinlich, 2019). Beyond this, local religious leaders often function as the custodians of tradition and gatekeepers of change in local faith communities and are therefore frequently not considered the first choice for collaborative partners in the pursuit of affirming and productive SRHR.

The exclusion of the faith sector from civil society attempts to enhance SRHR is therefore not surprising, but simultaneously not sustainable if the aim is to work for comprehensive systemic change. This holds especially true if one considers the major impact of the faith sector on the SRHR decision-making process and action by those navigating complex personal and collective SRHR landscapes, and if one considers the widespread confessed religiosity of those in South Africa as 86 per cent of people claim a Christian religion orientation.

Historically the faith sector has played a central role, especially in times of crisis, in physical, spiritual, socio-economic and political landscapes (Lincoln and Mamiya, 1990; Gilkes, 2001; Orey, 2008). Faith actors often function as first responders in situations of distress or crises, as they offer pastoral care and psychosocial support. In light of this, rather than excluding faith actors from SRHR conversations, I argue that faith leaders in local communities who are conscientised and capacitated in terms of issues pertaining to gender and sexuality are vital in the quest of creating more socially just communities actively embodying values and practices that lead to greater justice, respect for human dignity and the commitment to communal and contextual wellbeing (Bartelink et al, 2017).

The Gender and Religion Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa, where I am currently based, aims to step up to the task of capacitating faith leaders and various faith actors to join and initiate initiatives and interventions to enhance SRHR awareness and action within the faith sector.