To the Deputies and Bishops of The Episcopal Church assembled at the 81st General Convention:

As members of The Episcopal Church, we are called to live out the Gospel in ways that heal, support, and uplift the vulnerable among us.

Resolution 2022-C064, which designated Break The Silence Sunday, is an essential step in addressing and mitigating the profound impacts of sexual assault and domestic violence within our communities and beyond. Break The Silence Sunday provides a vital opportunity for our Church to bring issues of sexual violence to the forefront of our congregational dialogue. By dedicating one Sunday each year to this cause, we affirm our commitment to being a sanctuary for healing and a force against the injustices of abuse.

Break the Silence Sunday is the first Sunday during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to December 10, International Human Rights Day). In 2024, the first Sunday of the 16 Days is December 1.

By observing Break The Silence Sunday, we join with other people of faith around the world to take action to end the incessant violence against women and girls.

We observe Break The Silence Sunday so that “violence shall no longer be heard in our land.” Isaiah 60:18

Break The Silence Sunday is an effort to begin a dialogue within the church about domestic and gender-based violence and sexual assault. Within the context of our faith communities, we hope to:

1. Educate our communities about the realities and impacts of domestic and gender-based violence and sexual assault., incorporating theological reflection and scriptural context to guide understanding and response.
2. Support survivors by acknowledging their experiences, offering pastoral care, and connecting them with professional resources for recovery.
3. Advocate for justice by raising awareness, challenging societal norms that perpetuate violence, and encouraging legislative action that protects and empowers survivors.
4. Commit ourselves to the work of changing the world, creating a future where gender-based violence, such as rape and domestic violence is a memory.

Break The Silence Sunday began at the Diocese of Polynesia, in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia with a Diocesan Synod resolution in 2013, "That within the Diocese of Polynesia there be zero tolerance on violence against women and children within our homes, our schools, our communities and the church." In this part of God’s vineyard, the people have witnessed the transformative power of the observance of Break The Silence Sunday in fostering deeper compassion, greater awareness, and proactive advocacy within the Church.

We must realize we live in a culture of sexual violence, and we need a comprehensive set of solutions within our institutions and communities to address it. This culture of sexual violence, colloquially known as “rape culture,” refers to a complex set of beliefs that encourage male aggression, sex and sexual violence against women and supports this violence against women largely by normalizing it. It's a culture where violence is seen as sexy and where sex is seen as violent. This culture normalizes sexual violence as a fact of life and teaches us that sexual violence is inevitable.

In looking at the root causes of this behavior, we need to look at our Biblical texts and how we mishandle the prevalence of rape and sexual culture in the Bible. There are many instances of rape in scripture, of improper assertions of power: the story of Sodom and Gomorrah; Hagar being used by Abraham and Sarah; the rape of Tamar by her brother; the rape of the concubine in Judges; stories of women as spoils of war. We don’t talk about these passages enough, often because we’re scared of talking about sex in church and because we simply don’t know how to make sense of them. This is part of why Break The Silence Sunday is needed.

The Episcopal Church already believes in the importance of ending the epidemic of sexual violence worldwide. Indeed, The World Council of Churches Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women (1988-1998) heard stories of rape as a weapon of war, gender injustice, abuse, violence, and many tragedies; it created the global campaign of Thursdays in Black– wear black on Thursdays and wear a button towards a world without rape and violence – a campaign of awareness, advocacy, and solidarity. The Episcopal Church signed on to this global campaign with Resolution 2022-C063.

We urge this 81st General Convention to:

• Reaffirm the Church’s commitment to observing Break The Silence Sunday annually.
• Encourage continued theological education and training on how to effectively support survivors in our midst.
• Preach against rape, misogyny and sexual violence.
• Strengthen our resolve to be communities of refuge and healing, standing in solidarity with those seeking justice and peace.

The Diocese of New York Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault produced a toolkit for the observance of Break The Silence Sunday on November 26, 2023. Episcopal News Service wrote an article about the toolkit, encouraging observance throughout The Episcopal Church.

In the Diocese of New York Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault webinar, Breaking Silence: Exploring the Complexities of Sexual Assault at the Intersection of Race, Caste, Class, and Ethnicity, Dr. Brittney Cooper gives a powerful message on addressing sexual assault, not only in our communities, but in our churches; it is a message that needs to be heard. We invite you to listen to the webinar found on the Vimeo channel of the Diocese of New York (https://vimeo.com/933708474).

Here are some statistics from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center:

• 1 in 5 women in the United States experienced completed or attempted rape during their lifetime.
• Nationwide, 81% of women reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime.
• 1 in 3 female victims of completed or attempted rape experienced it for the first time between the ages of 11 and 17.
• It is estimated that 734,630 people were raped (including threatened, attempted, or completed rape) in the U.S. in 2018.
• 40% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to police in 2017, but only about 25% were reported to police in 2018.
• The prevalence of false reporting for sexual assault crimes is low — between 2 percent and 10%.
• Almost 1 in 4 undergraduate women experienced sexual assault or misconduct at 33 of the nation's major universities. 
• About half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance.
• The estimated lifetime cost of rape is $122,461 per victim.

And here are statistics from RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

• Every 68 seconds a person in the United States is sexually assaulted.
• 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).
• From 2009–2013, Child Protective Services agencies substantiated, or found strong evidence to indicate that, 63,000 children a year were victims of sexual abuse.
• A majority of child victims are 12–17. Of victims under the age of 18, 34% of victims of sexual assault and rape are under age 12, and 66% of victims of sexual assault and rape are age 12–17.
• 9 out of 10 victims of rape are female.
• The majority of sexual assaults occur at or near the victim’s home.
• 48% of victims were sleeping or performing another activity at home when the crime occurred.
• 29% were traveling to and from work or school, or traveling to shop or run errands
• 12% were working
• 7% were attending school
• 5% were doing an unknown or other activity

Additionally, for more statistics, please see the Fact Sheet from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

We live in a rape culture fueled by the belief that sexual violence is a fact of life. By breaking the silence, we can change the narrative and change the behavior. Let us continue to embrace the call to break the silence so that no voice is marginalized, and no story goes unheard. In doing so, we reflect the love and justice of Christ, making our Church a beacon of hope in a world in need.

Respectfully submitted,

Yvonne O’Neal
Lay Deputy, Diocese of New York

Endorsed by:

Dr. Martha Bedell Alexander
Mr. Joe McDaniel
Ms. Laura Russell
The Rev. Theodora Brooks
The Rev. Elizabeth Easton

Supported by:

The Right Reverend J. Scott Barker
The Right Reverend DeDe Duncan-Probe
The Right Reverend Mark D. W. Edington
The Right Reverend R. William Franklin
The Right Reverend Sally French
The Right Reverend Mary D. Glasspool
The Right Reverend Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez
The Right Reverend Matthew F. Heyd
The Right Reverend Carlye Hughes
The Right Reverend Stephen T. Lane
The Right Reverend Rafael Morales
The Right Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano
The Right Reverend Catherine S. Roskam
The Right Reverend Sean Rowe
The Very Reverend Kara Wagner Sherer
The Right Reverend Allen K. Shin
The Right Reverend Robert Wright
The Diocese of New York Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault