100 signatures reached
To: The General Synod Of The Church Of England
Treat Bullying In The Church of England As A Safeguarding Matter
We, the undersigned, request that the General Synod of the Church of England:
1. Formally acknowledges the substantial body of medical evidence indicating that the targets of bullying often suffer equivalent physical and psychological trauma to the victims of other forms of physical and mental abuse, and can be rendered immediately vulnerable by this, and that in the light of this
2. Instructs all those with responsibilities for safeguarding within the Church of England to treat complaints received from those who consider that they have been the targets of bullying as proper matters to be addressed under Church safeguarding procedures using appropriately qualified staff.
Why is this important?
A petition submitted to the General Synod is passed to the Synod's Business Committee to identify how best to respond to it within the Synod's procedures. One way is for a full debate on the topic. With sufficient signatures, the sponsors of this petition will feel able to submit a Private Members' Motion phrased to give the contents of the petition full authority within the Church.
It is intended to submit this petition to the Meeting Of The General Synod which will take place in York in July 2023
NOTE ABOUT SPONSORSHIP OF THIS PETITION:
This petition has been created by some members of ABEL - Against Bullying, Encouraging Love - a voluntary, non-profit group of researchers and specialists in the area of bullying in churches.
How it will be delivered
This petition will be presented to the next meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England when it meets in July 2023 during one of the sessions which will be broadcast via the Internet
