NewsBytes - February 2010OM International CONTENTS:
1. HAITI’S CHILD SLAVESUp to 200,000 are estimated to have been killed in Haiti’s January 12 earthquake. Even before the disaster, unprecedented levels of poverty on the island had driven at least 225,000 Haitian children into slavery. These enslaved children were known as "restaveks," from the French meaning “one who stays with,” and were taken from poor homes to work for families less poor. These families raised the child in exchange for unpaid domestic service. Over 75% of restaveks were girls who went uneducated and commonly suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their owners. World Vision is asking that February be declared a 'Month of Prayer' for Haiti's Children. [MISSION NETWORK NEWS, 4 Jan.’10 & JUBILEE ACTION/ASSIST, 2 Feb.’10] 2. LOCKING UP ERITREA’S CHRISTIANSThe Eritrean government threw 20 elderly Christian women into its notorious prisons in December, adding to the 2,000-plus already believed detained. The women, who attend a Methodist-background Faith Mission Church, were taken into custody while praying together at a house. Eritrea has been charged with holding dozens of non-registered Christians in metal shipping containers, subjecting the prisoners to heat and physical duress. On Jan. 24, Hana Asgedom, 41, became the eleventh known Christian to pay with her life for her faith in Jesus Christ. Asgedom died of a heart attack while being kept in solitary confinement. [RELIGION TODAY, Dec.’09/ASSIST, 27 Jan.’10] 3. CHILDREN CONDEMNED AS WITCHES IN NIGERIAThousands of children are being accused of being witches by Christian pastors, and subsequently abandoned, trafficked, tortured and sometimes killed by their families. According to Stepping Stones, a Nigerian grassroots child rights charity, around 5 or 6 each day are being blamed for unexpected tragedies in families, such as a sudden death. The readiness of adults to believe the claims against their children has led to unscrupulous individuals charging families ‘deliverance money’ to ‘exorcise the evil spirits.’ The government’s failure to address the increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS and the belief that it is spread by witchcraft is worsening the situation. [CHARITY MATTERS/STEPPING STONESNIGERIA.ORG] 4. EX-SATANTISTS CELEBRATE SCRIPTURESatanic influences formerly gripped the 10,000-strong Hatam people of Papua, Indonesia New Guinea. As animists they even used to practice cannibalism. With the arrival of missionaries in the 1950’s, the tribe began turning to Christ. Books of the Bible were translated, printed and taught one by one until in 1993 the people had a New Testament. 2009 was a year for celebration—the Hatam finally received the whole Bible in their own language, raising a quarter of the money themselves that was needed to publish it! [Bible Society WORD IN ACTION, Winter’09] 5. LAOS: WORSHIP STOPPED AT GUNPOINTAbout 100 local officials, police and villagers put guns to the heads of Christians during their Sunday morning service in a village in Laos in January, forcing them from their worship and homes, according to advocacy organisation Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF). The 45 Christian adults and children were marched to an open field while officials confiscated all personal belongings from their homes and destroyed six of them. Since then, officials have posted local police at the entrance of Katin village in order to keep the Christians from returning. The men, women and children of the church have been sleeping on the ground in the woods with hardly enough food supplies or tools to survive. Laos is a Communist country that is 1.5% Christian and 67% Buddhist. [COMPASS DIRECT, 8 Feb.’10] 6. KAREN PEOPLE: NO PLACE TO HIDEChristian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that more than 70 houses, a mobile health clinic and 2 schools in eastern Burma have been burnt down by army patrols stepping up the offensive on the Karen Christian minority. Other schools have been forced to close. Thousands of people have been displaced and are still in hiding following the attacks, according to Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a relief organisation working in the conflict zones of eastern Burma. Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader at CSW, said, "These latest attacks serve as clear evidence of a brutal plan of ethnic cleansing against the minorities, instigated by Burma's military regime." Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Government and local military leaders are threatening to force 3,000 Karen refugees living in temporary camps along the Thailand-Burma border to return to Burma without protection. [RELIGION TODAY 12 Feb.’10/CSW] 7. HUNGER & THIRST IN NIGERIndigenous missionaries in the West African country of Niger report, “In some areas we have had excessive flooding. In others we have had drought. The effects from both are the same: severe famine, threatening starvation for up to 8 million people according to government sources. Even cattle and other livestock are affected due to lack of pasture. Food prices have drastically increased over the months, and children walk for miles to fetch water. Fewer than 1% of Niger’s 12 million souls know Christ. Most have never heard the name of Jesus. [CHRISTIAN AID, 8 Feb.’10] 8. INDIA’S PERSECUTION EPICENTREKarnataka state recorded the highest number of anti-Christian attacks in India last year, and it is keeping pace this year. Much of the violence occurs under the vigilante pretext of rounding up Christians supposedly involved in “forcible” or “fraudulent” conversion efforts. Hindu extremists have partnered with police to make false arrests and then torture Christians to admit guilt. Vandalism and destruction of churches is also taking place. Karnataka’s government has been led by the extreme Hindu BJP Party since 2008. [COMPASS DIRECT, 8 Feb.’10] 9. CHILD TRAFFICKING IN NORTHEAST INDIANortheast India has a high concentration of Christians, but there are fears that this fact is being exploited by criminals disguising themselves as missionaries and evangelists in order to traffic children. Families, particularly in Manipur, are reportedly sending their children off into the hands of traffickers who promise to give them an education or employment, as highlighted recently by the Times of India. It is believed that the children, aged from around 6 to 15, are being taken to unregistered children's homes where they are kept in poor conditions and made to do menial work such as cooking and laundry. There have been reports of children dying in suspicious circumstances and of others being molested and abused. Last month, over 70 such malnourished children from Manipur, Nagaland, and other northeastern states were rescued from a home. The National Council of Churches in India plans to hold a symposium to raise awareness of child trafficking among churches. [CHRISTIAN TODAY, 14 Feb.’10] 10. CHINA AID REPORTThe China Aid Association reports that the overall intensity of persecution in China rose by about 19% in 2009, and the total number of people persecuted was almost 45% more. Most of the action targeted the house church movement. A new tactic in 2009 was forcing churches to quit worship meetings through pressure on landlords, destroying buildings or other means. Heavy fines and long-term imprisonments on church leaders have also been characteristic. A number of raids carried out on Three-Self Churches indicates a move to tighter control. [chinaaid.org] 11. BHUTAN: BARS OK BUT NOT CHRISTIANSBars, pubs and discos have become legal in the isolated Himalayan nation of Bhutan, but construction of worship buildings other than Buddhist or Hindu temples is still prohibited. The National Assembly of Bhutan long ago banned the practice of non-Buddhist and non-Hindu religions, saying that would create tensions in the country. But Christians do meet secretly for Sunday worship, as many as 100 in an underground church is not unusual. However, sound teaching and general education of believers is lacking. Of Bhutan's more than 670,000 people, Christians are estimated to number between 3,000 and 6,000. Around 75% are Buddhist and roughly 22% Hindus, mostly of Nepali origin. Bhutan ranks twelfth in Open Door’s world watch of persecution list. [COMPASS DIRECT, 2 Feb.’10] 12. CAMBODIAN CHURCH FACTS62% of people who attend church (nationwide) do not have a Bible of their own. The average church size is 19 attendees. Actual percent of the population that are active Christians is .5% (half of one percent). The average church receives $8 per month in tithing, and the average pastor makes about $27 per month; the avage education level of a pastor is Grade 6. Only 12% of church leaders have read the entire Bible. 5% of pastors are full time (vocational) while 95% support themselves. 75% of pastors indicate they need more training. 75% of all church leaders have planted a new church themselves. [ACTION News & Views, 5 Feb.’10] 13. BUILDING THE KINGDOM IN IRAN70% of Iran’s population is under 30. Not surprisingly, the country has 23 million internet users and the 4th highest community of the world’s bloggers. 222 Ministries International provides Iranian Christians with thousands of free-to-download teaching materials in text, audio and video formats. An online Bible College is training and equipping hundreds of leaders for the church. In addition, a Farsi news centre on the 222 website allows users to keep up with news developments, and free online language training is offered: Farsi for non-Iranians who feel the call to Iranians and want to learn the language, and English for Iranians who want to develop their skills in English. [222ministries.com] 14. HELP FOR SURINAME’S CHILDRENSuriname has become sort of a hub for sex trafficking across South America. Since many people believe they are less likely to contract HIV from a child than from an adult, child prostitution is also on the rise. As a result, HIV has increased among children to total at least 3.5% —that’s 6,000 in the country’s small population of 490,000. Biblica (formerly International Bible Society /Send The Light/IBS-STL) is partnering with Feed My Lambs Foundation and the Suriname Bible Society in a Reach 4 Life programme in Suriname, delivering 20,000 books to educate youth on the risks of HIV/AIDS. The material, which also explains the gospel message, is distributed through local churches and schools. Biblica says the Minister of Health in Suriname is considering making Reach 4 Life a permanent in-school program as it is already being used effectively in other countries. [MNN, Jan.’10] 15. TURKEY: ID CARDS NO LONGER TO CARRY RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONA European court on Feb. 2 ordered Turkey to remove the religious affiliation section from citizens’ identification cards, calling the practice a violation of human rights. Religious minorities and in particular Christian converts in Turkey have faced discrimination because of the mandatory religion declaration on their ID cards, denied jobs and other basic rights. Since the country is a signatory of the European Convention of Human Rights, such discrimination is prohibited. Turkey has been seeking to join the European Union since 1987. [COMPASS, 5 Feb.’10] 16. OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITIESThe 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, run from 12-28 February, with the Paralympics immediately following, offering a significant chance to share God’s Good News with athletes and audiences. As many as 3,000 mission workers from across North America and Europe are on hand, coordinated by the interdenominational ministry More Than Gold. Volunteers are being stationed at 17 commuter stations across Vancouver, where they will help answer logistical questions and be a general love witness. There will also be 14 venues, including open stages, where Christian artists will perform. Athletes in Action is among those distributing a "Struggles and Triumphs" DVD giving 6 athlete profiles as well as the Jesus film translated into 20-30 different languages. [CHARISMA NEWS ONLINE, 11 Feb.’10/MISSION NETWORK NEWS, 12 Feb.’10/] 17. NEW PROGRAMMES FOR THE MIDDLE EASTTWR, in partnership with other organizations, has developed a discipling/mentoring programme for emerging house church leaders in the Arabic-speaking world. ‘Talmatha’ combines seminars, radio broadcasts, on-the-ground ministry and complementary study material to strengthen and educate leaders. TWR has also designed 4 programmes in an ‘Oasis of Hope’ radio series for 4 distinct audiences. ‘How Are You?’ provides practical health advice and opens the door for people to meet Jesus, the Healer. ‘The Way Companion’ helps Arabic young men through counseling and biblical application. ‘Healing Touches’ gives support to young women; and ‘I Long for You’ presents God’s love in a simple way for the area’s large illiterate population. [TWR online] 18. IN FACT!
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