[ePrayer – Pray for India’s Candlelight Vigil for Stopping Human Trafficking]
India is the origin, in-transit, as well as the destination country of adults and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking. The Ministry of Home Affairs in India estimates that 90 percent of the victims in sex trafficking are locals. Many NGOs also observe that human trafficking is increasing in the areas in which they work.
Churches of India held a candlelight vigil in Delhi on 12 December, asking God to bring an end to all forms of human trafficking and to restore the freedom and dignity of millions.
Pray for the Current Situation of Human Trafficking in India:
May our God have mercy on the victims, let them receive the real freedom and protection, and their total-being be healed.
May our God direct the believers in every area to work together, live as the light and salt in this unjust and poor society, and bring God’s love to the victims.
May all human beings have “the image of God” restored, that everybody respect and treasure each other.
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Yunnan pastors map out the progress and achievement to evaluators on their social ministries in the past six years.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
In early March, CEDAR invited several experienced development workers to evaluate our six-year Church Mobilisation programme in Yunnan, China. Their findings and appreciation give us great encouragement.
[ePrayer – Pray for the situation of undocumented children]
It is estimated that there are between 1.6 and 3.8 million irregular migrants in the European Union. Many of them are children. Most come from other European countries like Turkey, Hungary and Romania, but a large number also come from Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. The reason for migration includes family reunification, protection from persecution, better living conditions, education and economic opportunities. A large number of these undocumented children, mostly from Hungary and Romania, are also victims of trafficking. They can be exploited in prostitution, forced labour, organised begging and can be compelled to commit crimes. [IPS]
Pray for the situation of undocumented children:
Pray that the basic human rights of these Europe’s ‘invisible’ children can be protected.
Pray also that they can have access to education, healthcare and shelter.
Pray that there can be effective measures to combat human trafficking and to reduce the risk of children.
[ePrayer – Pray for better civil registration system in Asia]
Stronger civil registration systems are needed in Asia, home to 60 percent of the world’s population, to ensure the legal and human rights of all. Civil registration is the most basic requirement for individuals to establish legal identity and to formalise family relationships, and is thus a basic responsibility of the state. Without a legal identity, individuals may be deprived of the right of access to key public services such as health, education, social welfare and recourse to justice. Statistics show that only one quarter of the world’s seven billion inhabitants live in countries with registration systems that record births and death efficiently. 51 million children go unregistered each year globally, while in South Asia two out of three children are not registered at birth and thus have no official record of their names, family and place or date of birth. Birth certificates are crucial forms of social protection for vulnerable and marginalised groups such as people in poverty, and such registration can be an effective tool for preventing human trafficking and child marriages. [IRIN]
Pray for better civil registration system in Asia:
Pray that governments of Asian countries can take an active role to improve the civil registration system and remove the barriers such as geography, cultural differences, inadequate legal frameworks and provide funds for such changes;
Pray for public awareness towards the importance of civil registration and more marginalised group will get registered to protect their rights.
Numerous protests in Delhi broke out and there is now a global concern on the situations and rights of women in India after a female victim of a savage rape died recently. In recent years, Indian women have more opportunity going out to work and participating in politics, but crimes against women in India are rising too. Reported rape cases rise by 9.2% and trafficking by an alarming 122% in 2011. Each year more than 100,000 women are killed by fires in India. Analysts say deep-rooted changes in social attitudes are needed to make India’s women more accepted and secure. Many citizens queried if the political parties and politicians would take any actions to protect the women when the political parties in the last five years have fielded candidates for state elections that included 27 candidates who declared they had been charged with rape, as well as there are six elected state legislators who have charges of rape against them. [BBC]
CEDAR’s partners in India are addressing this issue on violence against women in their own respectively programmes. Our partner EFICOR is bringing awareness collectively among women self help groups on such incidents and to pressurize local administration with prompt actions.
Let us pray together:
Oh God, we are deeply aware of our afflictions and pains in the face of the death of a savage rape victim in India. We lift our hands in prayer. Hear us from Your heavenly dwelling.
May the victim be granted eternal rest in Your peace. May Your comfort be with her family and friends. May women and girls from India who have suffered from sexual abuses receive healing. May Your presence be felt in their difficult times.
We thank You for the quick response of Indian government and the law court. We seek for Your justice.
Pray that the offenders can have a broken and repentance hearts. Pray that the society in India to deal with widespread misogyny and take appropriate measures to protect the women.
Please raise up Your church to be peacemaker. Where there is hatred, there is always light from You. Where there is sadness, may Your church bring Your love and comfort.
