Worldwide: Insecurity - The Gender Report 2024

Contexts of violent insecurity, such as criminal violence, religiously targeted violence and armed conflict, exacerbate certain forms of gender-specific religious persecution (GSRP). This is one of the key findings of the recently released report on the subject, Insecurity: The gender report 2024, published by Open Doors on 1 March 2024. Christian men can be at particular risk of physical violence, including lethal violence, and Christian women at risk of sexual violence.

A shocking example of this is the story of two Kuki Christian women in Manipur experiencing severe sexual violence, with the father and brother of one victim also being beaten to death (BBC News, 23 July 2023). The case study of the conflict in Manipur is explored in more detail within the report.
“It’s a common saying that rape is a weapon of war,” said Rachel Morley, Senior SRP Specialist attached to World Watch Research. “We get this image of a faceless attacker who just comes into a village, kills the man, rapes the woman and leaves. But that’s just part of a much wider picture – one that often begins long before an actual conflict.”

“What precedes those viral moments are months, years, even decades of marginalization, of impunity,” said Rachel Morley. “It’s a million little everyday things. It's the police officer that doesn’t act. It’s when you see smaller acts of violence taking place on your walk to school or work. It’s the growing assumption that the minority, whether it’s Christians, Muslims, or whoever, don’t deserve the same protection and concern. Those little things build up and normalize violence and impunity.”

“In light of this, it’s crucial that wider patterns of gender-specific religious persecution are taken into account, in order to identify the specific vulnerabilities of Christian communities, as well as opportunities for local faith actors to support building the resilience of those communities.”