‘Beyond Borders’ is a podcast series exploring intersections of domestic violence, religion and migration in today’s globalised and conflict-affected world. The series aims to provoke new thinking and questions that can inform practice and policy in responses to domestic violence and interconnected forms of violence internationally, but especially in religious, migrant and ethnic minority contexts.

The fifth episode features Ms Selam Reta, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Holy Trinity Theological University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is currently pursuing a distance Master’s in Theology from Agora University based in the US. She has previously written a thesis on the tensions between Ethiopian Orthodox Christian approaches to gender equality and tensions with Western feminist understandings, and has supported our Project dldl/ድልድል with theological and linguistic expertise.

In the episode, ⁠Dr Romina Istratii⁠ and Ms Reta explore together numerous topical questions, including:

• Ethiopian Orthodox teachings and positions on gender equality
• Tensions with western feminist understandings of and positions on gender equality
• Ethiopian feminist movements and connections to indigenous worldviews and North American feminist movements
• The role of theology in domestic violence responses in Ethiopia

The podcast is intended for practitioners and policy makers who would like to understand better the current state of evidence and innovative research and intervention approaches to domestic violence in religious, migrant and ethnic minority communities.