THEME: The reign of God: Children and the kingdom of God  
SUB-THEME: Biblical Perspective of Gender-Based Violence 
TOPIC: Unveiling Gender Based Violence in the Scriptures 
TEXT:   
Aims: 
Gen. 34:1-27 
i. To explore the concept of gender-based violence using scripture 
ii. To explain the contributing effects of social, cultural, and parental factors to GBV within the biblical context 
iii. To discuss the negative impact of GBV drawing examples from the Bible 
iv. To discuss the biblical recommendations of recovering from GBV 
v. To highlight the role of the church in mitigating the factors causing GBV 
INTRODUCTION 
Considering the text under study (Gen. 34), Dinah the daughter of Jacob was raped by Shechem the son of 
Hamor, and that inc ident led to a feud that claimed the lives of all of the males in the land of Shechem. This goes on to say that Gender-based violence could give birth to other kinds of violence or war between nations or tribes if care is not taken. 
STUDY GUIDES 
1. Read the following passages, Gen. 16; 19; Judges 19:22-end; 2 Sam. 12; Hosea 1-3; Ezek. 16; 23 and explain Gender-based violence in your own words. 
2. Discuss the repercussions attached to GBV cases in the Bible, focusing on the case of Dinah Genesis 34, also 2 Sam.13:8-14,  
3. Could the patriarchal superiority and dominance seen in the OT be a factor for violence against women today?Read Judges 19:22-end; 2 Sam.11:1ff; Gen19 
4. Why are women always at the receiving end in cases of gender-based violence? Read Exod. 21:7; 22:18; Deut. 22:22-23. Is gender violence against males prevalent in our society today? (Gen. 39:618). Discuss? CONCLUSION: Gender-based violence is seen in various forms and so requires various approaches to tackle it.  The word of God remains the surest tool to handle the various Gender-based violence seen above. Child or underage marriage should be discouraged with a strong voice. Awareness should be created of the dangers of rape and the perpetrators of such should be brought to book. There should be some sort of parental control on social media as to the kinds of content released. Besides, Galatians tells us that we have self-control (Gal. 5:23). Thus, we can handle whatever temptation the world brings our way. 
MEMORY VERSE: Psalm 119:11 
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”