NIGERIA — On 24 December 2023, militant Fulani herdsmen launched a series of attacks on Christian villages in Plateau State, Nigeria. Ladi’s* husband had already been killed in a previous attack. She herself would only narrowly escape on that night last Christmas.But now she is receiving help to deal with the trauma she encountered in…
BANGLADESH — In northwest Bangladesh, nine-year-old girl, Rumana is persecuted because her family left Islam. At school, Rumana continues to face rejection and isolation every single day. But she now attends a Sunday school run by local Open Doors partners where she feels loved and accepted. Rumana: “They have been treating us badly ever since…
CENTRAL ASIA — Ailin’s* parents are deaf – and Christian – which makes them especially vulnerable to persecution in Central Asia. Rejected by their family, and even arrested, Ailin and her parents have since received practical and spiritual support from local Open Doors partners. *Name changed for security reasons. *Ailin – name changed for security…
NIGERIA — Rev. Jonathan Ugbede is deputy chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria. He shares what he’s seeing of the displacement crisis in sub-Saharan Africa and how the global church can respond. Rev. Jonathan Ugbede – Deputy Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria: The fact is millions of people are displaced from their…
BANGLADESH — Moryom aged 9 from Bangladesh is rejected, mocked and bullied at school for her faith in Jesus. The one safe place she and her family have is their church. And thanks to support from Christian charity Open Doors, Moryom can spend time with other Christian children at Sunday school, where she is accepted…
NIGERIA — Pastor Barnabas lives in one of many internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Nigeria, along with thousands of Christians who have been forced from their homes by Islamic extremist violence. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 16.2 million Christians have been forcibly displaced by violence and conflict. But most of the world doesn’t even know it’s…
CAMEROON — In the Far North region of Cameroon, Christians are high value targets for Islamist extremists from Boko Haram, leading to significant trauma among the local population. Believers like Ramata* live under the threat of attacks that can snatch away loved ones and uproot families from their homes. Thanks to support from Open Doors,…
NIGERIA — Christmas 2023 saw many largely Christian villages in Nigeria’s Middle Belt attacked by militant Fulani herdsmen. Magdalene* and Mafulul* recount their painful stories – but also God’s healing through trauma-care workshops run by Open Doors partners. Mafulul*: “By 5pm the attackers came. They started shooting everywhere. “My wife had just finished cooking. I…
AFGHANISTAN — Abraham is a chair of a displacement camp in Nigeria. He and his family have been there for three years, ever since their village was devastated by a Fulani militant attack that killed eight people, including his brother. Neglected by the authorities, food at the camp is scarce and conditions are awful, but…
MOROCCO, NORTH AFRICA —The church in North Africa is growing, with increasing numbers of people giving their lives to Jesus. But many are forced to keep their newfound faith secret because of the risk of persecution – people like Elmahdi* from Morocco. *Name changed for security purposes. Stock footage from Artlist / Pexels. Like many…
AFGHANISTAN —Afghanistan’s Christians have to keep their faith secret. If the Taliban find out, the Christian could be killed – as Khada (name changed) found out. Khada*: In the shadow of the Taliban’s rule, life in Afghanistan is very difficult. Yet, anchored by our strong faith, we press on through the storm. We have to…
NIGERIA — In the 2014 Nigeria kidnappings, Boko Haram kidnapped over 270 girls from their school in Chibok in northern Nigeria. Nine years on, nearly 100 girls are still missing, and their parents are in agony. Open Doors speaks to those mothers and fathers as they continue to deal with the trauma of their children…
NIGERIA — This month, Leah Sharibu from Nigeria turns 20. Her teenage years were spent mostly in captivity after bravely refusing to renounce Jesus after she was among more than 100 girls kidnapped in February 2018. Open Doors caught up with her mother, Rebecca, to find out how she and her husband are doing as…
AFGHANISTAN — Sitara* was already studying in a different country when the Taliban forcibly took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Here she shares what life is like for the women who remain in Afghanistan. *Name changed for security reasons. Sitara* – Afghanistan Christian: Taliban took Afghanistan and everything changed, like the days changed to…
EASTON, MD — Femicides are on the rise in Türkiye (formerly Turkey) as domestic violence against women soars to epidemic levels. A report in the Daily Sabah last month said Türkiye has seen 158 femicides — gender-related murders — in the first seven months of 2022. Last year, 166 Turkish women were murdered in acts…
NASHVILLE, TN — With an ex-boyfriend who is taking her money, a boss threatening to fire her, and a landlord who won’t fix her apartment, Amanda’s life may not be ideal, but she’s fine – she’s got things under control. That is, until her estranged father comes back into her life, diagnosed with a fatal…
CAMEROON — Fadi is a Christian from Cameroon who has been repeatedly displaced from her home by Boko Haram violence – but has now received much-needed emergency aid from Open Doors partners. Fadi – Cameroon Christian: “When I was in my village Barawa in 2013 Boko Haram came to attack our village. They came by…
AFGHANISTAN – As the underground church of Afghanistan faces the continued threat of attacks by the Taliban who are going door to door in search of believers, the Director of the Christian run Middle East Women’s Leadership Network is calling for the international community to stand with the many vulnerable women working in the media…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – “There are times that bad stuff is going to happen, no matter how much you try and prevent it. It’s what you do afterward that makes a difference.” – excerpt from the opening of the documentary movie, “Triggered.” All Things Possible is a unique faith-based organization founded by Victor Marx. Marx…
KAZAKHSTAN – Is it possible that three little words can heal the life of someone sexually assaulted as a little girl? That “God loves you” is really that powerful? Impossible? I can say that, with God, even this is possible. Growing up in the former Soviet Union, I was shunned by my parents, both abusive…
TUCSON, ARIZONA — When evangelist from Kenya Okongo Samson went on his first mission trip as a teenage boy he was kidnapped, tortured and raped by terrorists. But through a series of miracles he escaped. That didn’t stop him traveling the world to preach the Gospel despite being arrested and abused by his captors in…
CHIBOB, NIGERIA — In the Middle Belt of Nigeria, militant Fulani herdsmen kill and displace Christians and take over their farmland. Hajaratu, a widow from Chibob, Nigeria, has suffered immeasurable grief after fleeing from one of these raids. Find out how Open Doors is helping more women like Hajaratu to heal. Hajaratu: “I woke up…
VIETNAM — Chu is a courageous Christian woman in Vietnam whose husband tried to force her to deny Jesus. He had come under pressure from his local community leaders who threaten to demote or retire tribal leaders if they allow Christianity into their villages. However even though he beat her there was no turning back…
SOUTH ASIA — Covid-19 is fuelling a growing, hidden, “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence, abduction and trafficking, directed towards Christian women and girls around the world. This is one of the findings of a new report commissioned by Christian persecution charity Open Doors, released on International Women’s Day (Mon Mar 8). Global Gender Persecution Specialist…
UNANDERRA, AUSTRALIA — International Men’s Day Launched in 1999, and now celebrated in more than 80 countries worldwide, would like to honour and appreciate women. One of the six pillars of International Men’s Day is to improve gender relations and promote gender equality for both men and women. Our theme for IMD 2021 is “Better…
FALLS CHURCH, VA — In honor of International Women’s Day, Empower Women Media and the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation announce their 4th annual International Film Competition. The goal of the competition is to challenge filmmakers around the world to produce short films that explore how freedom of belief in the workplace and community empowers…
SANTA ANA, CA — There is a growing, hidden, “shadow pandemic” of violence, abduction and trafficking directed towards Christian women and girls around the world, according to a new report from Open Doors USA. “Same Faith, Different Persecution,” published ahead of International Women’s Day, explores targeted Gender-Specific Religious Persecution (GSRP) over 12 months between October…
ALPHARETTA, GA – It takes only one visit to Elam Ministries’ website to see the evidence that God is writing a beautiful story for Iran. What is that story, and how can it be possible? Isn’t Iran ruled by the Muslin ayatollahs? Haven’t Iranian officials called the U.S. and Israel “Big Satan” and “Little Satan?”…
WILLS POINT, TX — One of the world’s biggest poverty-alleviating organizations spotlights the huge “uphill battle” facing many of the world’s 258 million widows in a recently-released report. Treatment of widows is often startlingly unfair and cruel, catapulting them into a crisis of survival, says the new global report by Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA…
PHOENIX — Approximately 7,000 abandoned mothers and children remain in Colorado City after the leader of their polygamous sect, Warren Jeffs, was sentenced to life plus 20 years in 2007 for his child bride sexual abuse with some victims as young as 12 years of age. After his sentencing, one of Jeffs’ nearly 80 wives…
WEST DES MOINES, IA — A former domestic abuser turned non-profit leader has launched a new national campaign challenging churches across America to help “halt the epidemic of domestic violence.” Michael Clark — an ex-abuser jailed twice for domestic violence — is calling on America’s churches to tackle the nation’s domestic abuse crisis head-on during…
NEW YORK – The United Nations General Assembly declared the second day of October as the International Day of Non-Violence. It has been observed annually since 2007, yet its true meaning becomes less clear the more one studies the thought-leaders who address the subject. What Non-Violence Is Not In far too many thousands of cities…
Noel Yeatts, President of World Help, is an active advocate for social justice and humanitarian needs around the world, discusses women like Som who are trapped in the chains of poverty and the sex industry. Som had the deck stacked against her from day one. She was 20 when she got pregnant with her first…
EASTON, MD — A spike in domestic violence caused by the COVID-19 lockdown is sending shockwaves around the globe — and driving victims in some countries to live television chat shows and social media for help, a satellite broadcaster revealed today. Middle East satellite broadcaster SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) says interest in its live programs tackling domestic…
Noel Yeatts, president of World Help, discusses the women trapped in sexual slavery around the world and in South Asia, and the fight for freedom from sexual slavery. Pushana gently brushes soft kisses across her daughter’s brown cheek. Her toddler turns and gazes up at her. She reaches out her tiny hand, which her mother…
WASHINGTON D.C. – The wife of a Malaysian pastor who was abducted in 2017 was among 12 women honored Wednesday with the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award. Susanna Liew, the wife of pastor Raymond Koh, was honored by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and first lady Melania Trump for fighting on behalf…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and affiliates Gospel for Asia Canada, founded by KP Yohannan issued a Special Report update authored by Karen Mains on the chilling reality of missing and murdered indigenous women in North America. In my previous special report for Gospel for Asia titled “100 Million Missing Women,”…
Noel Yeatts, president of World Help, discusses the horrific reality of sexual slavery in South Asia — the ongoing tradition of “nari mata”. Pushana gently brushes soft kisses across her daughter’s brown cheek. Her toddler turns and gazes up at her. She reaches out her tiny hand, which her mother covers with another kiss. I…
NEW YORK – Many faith-based organization (FBO) workers witness the abuse of women and female children nearly every day. Some FBOs are entirely devoted to aiding women and those who are disadvantaged due to cultural discrimination. Many other FBOs that began with the objective of ministering to the poor in the name of Jesus discover…
WILLS POINT, TX — Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan, released today a shocking new report by that uncovers the “hidden epidemic” of murdered and missing women and girls globally and in America, and challenges people to “combat the culture of violence” in advance of International Women’s Day, March 8. Globally,…
https://gospelforasia.net/empowering-girls/Noel Yeatts, President of World Help, discusses the plight of many girls like Mia, in the grip of extreme poverty, live a life of abuse, prostitution, hopelessness, and the story of escaping the sex trade, freedom: the power to choose a different life. Here in the United States, if you saw furniture sitting beside the…
Noel Yeatts, President of World Help, is an active advocate for social justice and humanitarian needs around the world, discusses the women trapped in the sex industry by poverty and lack of education, and our need and responsibility to speak and act to give them a chance at freedom. For many of us, the holidays…
Business is booming for child predators in foreign countries – but a Virginia-based Christian ministry is working to reduce the problem.Young girls and women in countries such as Thailand and India often won’t dream of a good future because many of them will be sold – knowingly or otherwise – into the trafficking industry, which…
Missions Agency Confronts Violence Against Women During International Observance, Nov. 25 WILLS POINT, TX — A staggering one-third of women and girls around the world will suffer physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, missions agency Gospel for Asia (GFA) reports, as the organization marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women…
GREENVILLE, SC — Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse knows the physical, spiritual and psychological effects can torment an individual for a lifetime. Although the external wounds heal, the internal wounds and sickening images are either still very raw or have been pushed down so far that darkness covers them. But for…
Freedom should belong to the victim, not the abuser. But, unfortunately across the globe — and right here in America — that fact isn’t always the reality.Prostitution is jokingly labeled the oldest profession. But, working in the sex industry has rarely made a prostitute wealthy or given her financial freedom. Instead, girls who are paid…
Violence against women is a worldwide problem, even in the United States of America. One in five women in the United States have been sexually assaulted In the wake of the recent #MeToo movement, sexual assault and violence against women in American and other Western countries have made headlines in unprecedented volume. According to a…
KARACHI – The Pakistani Senate has passed a bill to end child marriage, making marriage illegal for girls under the age of 18 to marry. That sounds like good news in a country where it is estimated that 21% of girls under 18 are married, often being forced to do so as early as age…
On Mother’s Day, experts say up to 100 million women and girls mostly from Africa and Asia who should be alive today ‘simply do not exist’ WILLS POINT, TX — As many as 100 million women and girls are “missing and unaccounted for” – the victims of sex-selective abortions, female infanticide, sexual slavery and other…
KERALA – In an event unprecedented in India’s history, five million women gathered in a single line along a 385-mile stretch of National Highway 66 on January 1, 2019. The focal point of “the women’s wall” was a response to being prevented from entering the Sabarimala temple even after the supreme court ruled that women…
