“What does it look like for a religious community to work toward a gender-equal world free from violence?”
The Bahá’i Faith offers a unique and practical approach rooted in spiritual transformation and community building. Emphasis is placed on the process of spiritual education and social empowerment, at the heart of which is, is a commitment to assisting growing numbers of individuals to apply spiritual principles to their daily lives and to the broader challenges facing society. In this discourse, the ultimate goal being, the emergence of a new world – one where justice and equality are upheld, and women and men work shoulder to shoulder to build vibrant, prosperous and peaceful societies.
As part of this ongoing endeavour, The Bahá’i community of Malawi participated in the launch of the Southern African Shared Learning Hub on Faith and Gender Based Violence, hosted by the Joint Learning Initiative on 19th July 2025.
The Initiative seeks to establish a “shared learning hub for researchers and practitioners championing evidence-based approach to the role of religion in development”. Its mission is to build fair and equitable spaces based on learning and collaboration among researchers, policy makers and faith actors in the Southern African region.
The launch event brought together were representatives from Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, including members of the Islamic Faith, Bahá’i Faith, Christian denominations and Christian- based organisations. Also in attendance were representatives from government entities, such as, Ministries of Youth, Gender and Social Welfare and the Malawi Police.
From the perspective of the Bahá’i Faith, the equality of women and men is an unambiguous spiritual and moral principle – essential for the unification of the planet and the advancement of civilisation. Without the active participation of both genders, the full social and economic development of humanity cannot be achieved.
“The world of humanity is possessed of two wings — the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realised; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment.”
Bahá’i Writings
