Posts by Ewelina U. Ochab
One In Eight Christians Worldwide Live In Countries Where They May Face Persecution

The World Watch List 2021, a list compiled by Open Doors, an international NGO advocating on behalf of persecuted Christians, paints a concerning picture of the situation Christians face around the world. The most likely and violent place for Christians to be located is in North Korea, though the list grows daily as countries shift towards religious persecution.

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Why Do U.S. Politicians Oftentimes Neglect to Mention Religious Genocide?

(OPINION) The issue of genocide outside of the U.S. borders has been persisting for years in countries like Cambodia, Bosnia and Rowanda. There is a blatant disregard in the U.S. to understand and get involved, leading to very little preventative action before the genocide begins.

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International Court Says It Can't Investigate Crimes Against Uyghurs In China

(ANALYSIS) Last week, the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court confirmed that it would not go further with the trials for the alleged crimes against the Uyghurs in China. The court does not have jurisdiction over crimes in China, allowing for senior Chinese leaders to continue religious persecution.

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Buildings Turned Scarlet For Red Wednesday In Solidarity With Victims Of Religious Persecution

(OPINION) Based on reports by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Aid to the Church in Need, Open Doors and many more, Christians along with many other religious groups continue to be persecuted in the East. Red Wednesday, Nov. 25, attempts to raise awareness for this kind of persecution.

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Another Girl, Another Abduction, Another Forced Conversion, Another Child Marriage

(OPINION) Despite major societal progress, child marriage still persists in many Middle Eastern cultures. According to the Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP), around 1,000 Christian and Hindu women and girls are kidnapped each year, forced to convert and marry Muslim men.

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Ensuring An Equal Future For Girls Around The World

(OPINION) The United Nation’s International Day of the Girl Child uplifts young girls in countries where they are historically oppressed, many of them as religious minorities, to rise above gender-based violence, harmful practices and HIV and AIDS. This turns them away from harmful practices like child marriage.

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Executive Order Fuels USAID To Advance International Religious Freedom

(OPINION) A 2020 Executive Order prioritizes international religious freedom and promotes USAID and the U.S. State Department to infuse religious freedom with foreign policy. What will these organizations continue to do to advance the United States’s notion of religious freedom in and out of its borders?

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International Uighur Tribunal To Investigate China's Abuses

(OPINION) As Uighur Muslims and Turkish Muslims continue to be oppressed by the Northern Chinese through “re-education camps,” most of the world watches silently. Soon, though, there will be access to an assessment by an Independent Inquiry affiliated with the Uighur Tribunal.

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The U.K. Government To Lead The Efforts To Engage Faith And Belief Leaders In Ending Sexual Violence In Conflict

(OPINION) Lord Alton of Liverpool, peer at the U.K. House of Lords, and the Coalition for Genocide Response hosted an event to mark the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. Without engaging faith and belief leaders, the issue may remain unanswered.

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Six Years Ago They Came To Destroy But Faced No Legal Consequences

(OPINION) Six years ago, members of the Daesh organization launched an attack against Yazidis in Iraq. They have yet to face legal consequences for these actions, and organizations are still attempting to capture the violence enacted against women and children.

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Having Fled Genocide, The Rohingya Muslims Now Face COVID-19 Risk

(OPINION) The Kutupalong refugee camps in Bangladesh are inhabited primarily by the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group that fled mass atrocities in Myanmar. Amid the spread of COVID-19, there is a growing fear that the refugees will now face further threat to their lives, as the camps are more densely populated than New York City.

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Is Genocide Happening In Nigeria As The World Turns A Blind Eye?

(OPINION) Thousands of Christians in Nigeria have been affected by a litany of mass atrocities perpetrated by Boko Haram and Fulani herders. The Nigerian government should respond with comprehensive investigations and prosecutions, but it is clear that will not happen until we, as an international community, recognize the nature and severity of these crimes.

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The COVID-19 lockdown has allowed terrorist groups to expand

(OPINION) As the world begins to cautiously emerge from lockdown, it has begun to look beyond its own borders. For most, the lockdown has confined us to the four walls of our homes. Yet for some terrorist organizations, COVID-19 has provided an opportunity to consolidate and expand. This is particularly visible in the case of Boko Haram and Daesh.

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COVID-19 is creating new burdens for religious minorities

(OPINION) The chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed governments across the world the liberty to heighten existing religious persecution. Many religious minorities are discriminated against in healthcare provision and some are even being blamed for the spread of the virus.

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China and Human Rights: ‘Then They Came For Me, And There Was No One Left To Speak For Me’

(OPINION) With these words Martin Niemoller criticized our silence in the eyes of evil, silence that amounts to complicity in the crimes. These words are as relevant now as they were during War World II in the case of human rights violations in China. 

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U.S. Commission Warns About Violations Of Religious Freedom In 29 Countries

(OPINION) The United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) launched its annual report Tuesday, recommending India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam as “countries of particular concern” engaging in severe religious freedom violations.

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