(Antigua Observer) St. Johns, Antigua – Counsellor and Feminist Joy-Ann Harrigan is accusing some men of using the Bible as a tool of oppression for women.
She told Observer AM, Observer media’s morning programme, that the church is also guilty of using the Bible as a weapon against women.
“Often, often, oftentimes when men want to regain the control and their right to be in control and hold on to that, they go back to the Bible. ‘I believe in God. I believe in Christ as the Messiah who came’. But, a lot of the things that are written in the Bible were written by man, and a lot of the churches use those to keep women who are married in their place and keep women down,” she said.
Harrigan also said that she has seen repeated examples of preachers encouraging women to remain in abusive relationships.
“And too often, I have done marital counseling with women (and) couples… who have already been to the church and they have been to the church pastors and they are encouraged to stay in that abusive relationship which perpetuates the abuse, and the Directorate of Gender Affairs and this 16 days of activism is to help to eradicate that,” she added.
Activities to mark 16 days of activism commence today with an orange flash rally.