Abstract:
The socialisation of women into self-silencing by religion has complicated pastoral care
interventions for the victims of domestic violence, particularly within the context of marriage.
This article is written from an intercultural approach to pastoral care and applies the theory on
silence. The aim of this article is to explore the way pastoral caregivers can extend caregiving
to the victims of marital domestic violence who have silenced the self. The article draws from
qualitative data that were collected through autobiographical narratives, in-depth interviews
and observations, and analysed through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that women
are forced to silence the self in contexts of domestic violence by not speaking about the abuse
that takes place in marriage. The self-silencing is justified by those who interpret Biblical texts
that address marriage naively; in this case one of the two women who participated in this
study confirmed that Proverbs 21:9 is used to justify self-silencing. Thus, the article concludes
that pastoral care interventions in such contexts should include a circle of the significant others
that women interact with such as the perpetrator and the broader community, including her
social networks.
