{"id":3652,"date":"2023-02-22T08:42:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T08:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opendoorsuk.org\/?p=3652"},"modified":"2024-02-13T15:39:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T15:39:56","slug":"news-latest-news-christian-women-vulnerable","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/connect.opendoorsuk.org\/ireland\/blog\/news\/latest-news\/news-latest-news-christian-women-vulnerable\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are Christian women and girls particularly vulnerable to persecution?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Open Doors\u2019 See.Change.<\/em><\/a> campaign seeks to highlight and honour the worth, value and purpose of Christian women and girls across the world. But why is this campaign even needed? Here we explain why millions of our sisters are acutely vulnerable to persecution for their faith and their gender, and how you can help them see change.<\/p>\n\n\n

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You’re helping Kabita from Nepal see change in her life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whenever her sister shared the gospel, Kabita* from Nepal \u2013 who grew up a Hindu \u2013 refused to listen. But when she fell ill, she turned to her sister\u2019s God in desperation. Amazingly, she gave her life to Jesus, and gradually she was miraculously healed. \u201cIt was God\u2019s plan to bring sickness into my life so that I could believe in Him,\u201d she shares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But sadly, her decision to follow Jesus went down badly with members of her family \u2013 including her husband. <\/p>\n\n\n

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“I was despised and left alone. But all these hardships couldn\u2019t waver my faith in Christ”\r\n<\/p> ‘KABITA’<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the time, my husband was staying away from home for work,\u201d she recalls. \u201cWhen he found out about my new faith, he called me constantly and threatened me, telling me to renounce my faith.  After a few months, he returned home and abused me physically. He also gave me a choice: either to leave Jesus or him. But I was firm in my faith. So he left me and married another woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy family members constantly pressured me to give up my faith,\u201d she continues. \u201cThey stopped talking to me and didn\u2019t help me financially. But I never gave up. One day, my father-in-law gathered some villagers and provoked them against me. He told me to leave my house if I wouldn\u2019t leave my faith. But those threats didn\u2019t shake my faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kabita remained steadfast in her faith, even as her family tried changing tack. \u201cHe [her father-in-law] stopped providing electricity in my room,\u201d she explains. \u201cI had to use candles or a cell-phone\u2019s light to light the house during the night. I was despised and left alone. But all these hardships couldn\u2019t waver my faith in Christ.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tragically, Kabita\u2019s story is not unusual. Across the world, Christian women suffer not only because of their faith but also their gender. This persecution tends to be violent, complex and hidden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharp rise in violence against Christian women and girls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to gender-specific research released last year, there was a 31% increase in violence against Christian women and girls compared to the previous year \u2013 be that sexual, physical or psychological, with the latter two seeing the biggest increase in incidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual violence can be overt, such as Christian women being abducted by Boko Haram and used as sex slaves, or it can be covert, under the guise of forced marriage, for example. Given the honour culture of many societies, sexual violence is often used to intentionally shame and stigmatise victims as well as their families and communities. This can result in a breakdown in relationships \u2013 for instance, parents no longer want to be associated with their daughter. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Every \u00a325<\/div>\r\n\r\n
could mean a persecuted woman receives visits from Open Doors partners, to help encourage and strengthen her in her faith.\r\n<\/div>\r\n Give a Gift<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\n\n\n

This shame and stigma feeds into a key reason why physical violence is also common against Christian women and girls. Men attack with impunity because victims keep quiet for fear of the dishonour it will bring and poor legal frameworks mean wrongdoing often goes punished. This, in turn, makes women and girls increasingly vulnerable to psychological violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compounding vulnerabilities make this a complex issue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The persecution faced by millions of our sisters is complex because of the compounding effect one vulnerability has on another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kabita\u2019s story, she was reliant on her husband and immediate family for financial support. But when this was taken away from her because of decision to follow Jesus, she was left financially exposed \u2013 all the more so since she has children to look after. It\u2019s a similar story for widows like Peninah<\/a>. In Kenya, as with much of sub-Saharan Africa, widows are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. When her husband was killed for refusing to deny Jesus, Peninah and her son should have been supported by her in-laws, but they weren\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In North Africa, as in many countries across the world, women only leave home to marry. When Sarah was thrown out<\/a> (see below video) by her father after he discovered her Bible, she was left acutely vulnerable to shame and danger \u2013 all whilst having to deal with the rejection of her own family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other factors that make this a complex issue. As mentioned above, women and girls can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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