A person who was ahead of his time was St John Paul II. In 1995, he wrote a letter to women of the world, still available on the Vatican website. In that letter, he said, “Unfortunately, we are heirs to a history which has conditioned us to a remarkable extent. … Women’s dignity has often been unacknowledged and their prerogatives misrepresented; they have often been relegated to the margins of society and even reduced to servitude.”

The Justice and Peace Commission (J&P) of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has partnered with UN Women through its HeForShe campaign and is working with J&P activists from various dioceses to take a stand against women abuse.