MENA (MNN) — As October comes to an end, we’re taking a moment to recognize it as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This isn’t just a national issue though; women around the world experience domestic violence on a daily basis.
You Are Beautiful
That is why SAT-7, a satellite TV ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, is creating a new program—You Are Beautiful. (Read about the experience of Arab women HERE.) In cooperation with Campus Crusade, SAT-7 is making God’s love known to these women through this program.
(Photo by M.T ElGassier on Unsplash)
You Are Beautiful is dedicated to women in the Arab world. It raises awareness of the problems they face, provides guidance for handling their situations, and introduces these women to counselors. The producers have set up counseling lines for women viewers in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and other Arab countries.
The program counters the idea that women are second-class citizens in the Arab World. It resources women living in abusive and unhealthy conditions with creative solutions to change their situations or leave altogether.
“We try to achieve the goal that we help women with their self-worth and make them realize that they are valuable and they have a purpose in life,” SAT-7’s Amgad Shafik says through a translator.
Domestic Violence Against Arab Women
In many households in the Arab world, discrimination towards women and girls is common, Shafik says.
(Photo by Thiago Barletta on Unsplash)
For example, boys in the family are offered education while girls are not. In some homes, chores rest on the girls’ shoulders while boys are allowed to relax. These situations contribute to societies in which men believe women have no rights.
“They continue living [like] that because women are convinced that they are second-class citizens and the men also continue to renew this legacy,” Shafik says.
Sherif Wahba, producer of You Are Beautiful, adds that women are not considered equal to men in some local religions, leading to intense mistreatment. You Are Beautiful covers related topics such as female genital mutilation, homeless pregnant women, rape, sexual abuse, and underage marriage.
A Woman’s Worth
Photo by M.T ElGassier on Unsplash
To further examine the value of women, You Are Beautiful hosts Christian and Islamic leaders and experts to explain each religion’s view of women and their worth. The program also features stories of women from various Arab countries who have triumphant stories of change.
“The women that invited challenge the society and faced their problems bravely and achieved the results that they wanted,” Shafik says.
You Are Beautiful is presented to women by women; the hosts include Dina from Egypt and Randa from Jordan. The program is currently in post-production and will air early next year.
Next Steps
Will you pray for You Are Beautiful and ask God to use this program to heal women?
“Pray for the staff. The staff here, they live in the Arab world and they face a lot of challenges in their lives and in their work. So, there are local challenges in terms of production. So, we need prayers for that…Also, we need prayers for the crew. We need prayers for the viewers themselves,” asks Mary Joseph, communications officer at SAT-7 Egypt office.
SAT-7 needs support to continue filming real women who have challenged societal norms and the idea that women are second class citizens. Promoting You Are Beautiful requires social media and marketing support.
If you want to support this work financially, please click here.
Header photo courtesy of SAT-7.
