Prayers | for Women Coerced and Forced Against their Will

Adapted from a prayer by Reverend Elenora Giddings Ivory

God of our lives, help us to find ways to break the silence that perpetuates the cycles of sexual abuse and violence in our families and in our communities and religious institutions. Help us break that silence when we see the evidence of the abuse of the beautiful gift of sexuality you have given us. Help us break that silence when we see this abuse throughout the world – forced sterilizations and forced abortions.

Give us the courage to speak out and break the silence that surrounds the abuse of your gift of sexuality in the name of culture – genital mutilation, rape and incest.

Help us find the voice of our outrage and denounce the violence against women and girls in the name of war and ethnic cleansing.

God, we know that you do not want us to misuse this beautiful gift of sexuality you have given us. Let us be loving and faithful to one another. We know that you would have us speak the truth to ourselves and to one another. Let us speak that truth lovingly and faithfully so that the secrets will no longer have power over generation after generation.

But most of all, God, let us be loving and faithful and supportive of the children we bring into this world.

Amen.