As countries around the world marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25, the Latin Evangelical Alliance Women’s Department (AEL Mujer) used the occasion to restate its commitment to defending women’s dignity amid persistent violence across Latin America.
The United Nations established the annual observance to draw global attention to discrimination, abuse, and violence affecting women and girls. In Latin America, where domestic violence, sexual exploitation and other violations of women’s rights remain widespread, AEL Mujer said the day underscores the urgent need for responses rooted in faith, dignity, and justice.
From its official Facebook page, the organization emphasized that meaningful change in a woman’s life begins internally. “The true transformation of a woman begins in her inner being. When her spirit is strengthened, her mind becomes clear, her identity as a daughter of God is affirmed, and her whole life finds direction,” the group wrote.
AEL Mujer said its work is grounded in a holistic approach that integrates “faith, formation and purpose,” and in the belief that “if God is at the center of your life, nothing can disturb your foundation.”
That position is articulated more fully in the Manifesto for Women’s Rights – Comayagua Declaration, adopted in 2022 during the first AEL Mujer Congress. In the document, Christian representatives from more than 15 countries acknowledge that women have historically faced “subjugation, neglect, discrimination and mistreatment,” and argue that national and international laws remain “insufficient in their application to resolve the problems of violence against women.”
The manifesto expresses concern that violence can begin even before birth, “by failing to respect the right to life from conception,” and continues throughout a woman’s life through varied forms of abuse and exploitation. It also condemns modern practices that commercialize women’s bodies, stating, “The intimacy of her womb is being turned into a rental commodity.”
The declaration identifies trafficking, exploitation and forced prostitution as among the gravest violations affecting women and girls. These crimes, it states, subject victims to “very cruel and degrading situations… kidnappings or abductions that force her to live a life of prostitution, exploitation, and sexual promiscuity.”
AEL Mujer says its advocacy is grounded in a Christian understanding of a woman’s identity as a daughter of God and her value within God’s design. Supporting women’s dignity, the organization argues, does not require embracing “socialist feminism” or narratives that incite hostility toward men or diminish the role of fathers. Instead, it calls for justice, protection and respect expressed through mutual recognition, family, and faith—foundations it views as essential for true equality.
Marking the international observance, AEL Mujer reiterated that its mission is to accompany, equip and strengthen women across Latin America, encouraging their holistic development and working toward the eradication of all forms of violence. Defending women’s rights, it said, is not an ideological cause but a biblical mandate, since God created women with purpose, value and dignity, and calls the Church to serve as a refuge and a prophetic voice against injustice.
The organization also invited individuals and churches to join “with one voice and one shared spirit” in a Day of Prayer on Saturday, Nov. 29, to be held digitally and streamed across its social media platforms.
In a region where thousands of women continue to face risk, abandonment and structural violence, AEL Mujer said faith-based action is urgent. Strengthening women, the organization stressed, is not about fueling antagonism or division but about helping them live full, violence-free lives in harmony with God’s design.
Original reporting by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
