Prayer – Kallos

Seeing the Old Anew

Alina Teo — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 11:12:00 +0000

WHAT IS LITURGICAL PRAYER?

For a while now, I have been pondering about the meaning and place of liturgy in our lives. Liturgy can be understood as the way in which public religious worship, in particular Christian worship, takes place.

You see, I come from the background of a charismatic church which barely sang hymns, but often rocked the latest Christian hits. Prayer was mostly a spontaneous affair that came “straight from the heart”, not pre-written and read out during the service.

So, liturgical ways that involved prayer books and traditional services were lost on me for a long time. But in recent years, I have been mulling more particularly on liturgical prayer and its significance and place in our lives because of various books I have read, experiences I have lived through, and people I have spoken to.

THREE INFLUENCERS OF FAITH: ELISABETH ELLIOT, RICHARD J. FOSTER, STEPHEN CROTHERS

For starters, reading Elisabeth Elliot’s works has been thought-provoking. Elliot was a missionary to Ecuador who lost her husband to martyrdom. Yet, she went on reaching out to the same people who had hurt her (Read more about her in our article In Acceptance Lieth Peace). Throughout her life, she wrote many books and had radio broadcasts about her experiences and thoughts towards God. Elliot did not mince her words and her works have challenged and influenced me to always live in light of who God truly is and to have faith.

In some of her writings, she shared how praying through the prayers of saints have helped her in her own journey of seeking God and finding the words that she could not articulate herself. Adding on to that, she believed that we are joining in with the long history of fellow believers who have prayed these prayers and have sought and found God. We, who are the body of Christ, are not alone in our walk with God, but are carrying that same refrain to God, who is the same God over all time.

When I was younger, I always saw traditional liturgies — these set lines to recite — as boring and old-fashioned. Using them was as if we could not come up with something better or more relevant for our time. But is that really the case? Or was I perhaps a bit immature and letting pride take the place of a humble heart to learn and grow in ways I wasn’t open to explore?

The heartfelt cries of the saints of old who felt lost, broken, disappointed, or angry, the real anguish and pain they brought to God and penned into prayers to remind themselves of God’s faithfulness, are the prayers that we now have the privilege to also utter as a way of saying, “Yes, God, I need You as much as the saints before me did.” These written prayers are still very relevant to us today.

We, who are the body of Christ, are not alone in our walk with God,
but are carrying that same refrain to God, who is the same God over all time

Another author who has highlighted liturgical prayer is Richard J. Foster. Years ago, my pastor passed me this book as I was searching to have a deeper prayer life. In his book, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, Foster highlights five points for us to consider through liturgical prayer to grow in our prayer life:

1. Liturgical prayer enables us to express the longings of our heart that are at times hard to put into words. Perhaps at times, we do not even want to pray. These liturgical prayers act as a crutch for us to still limp towards God in times of our woundedness.
2. Liturgical prayer helps us to join in with the community of saints. The act of uttering the very words spoken by so many who have gone before us can be likened to us marching to the same beat in the grand marching band of Christ.
3. Liturgical prayer helps us to stay away from the enticement of a prideful show of self. It relinquishes the need for skilful words or any sort of appealing personality. It is simply praying the words that have been prayed. It enables us to focus more on God, rather than the person leading the prayer.
4. Liturgical prayer pushes us to shy away from letting the frivolous concerns of our lives dominate our prayers. Through the liturgy, we are constantly brought back to the Word of God, to open our hearts to the poor and regard the turmoil of the world.
5. Liturgical prayer keeps our reverence for God, remembering that He is the Almighty God our Creator. Through the stately and formal ways that liturgy is presented, we are reminded of the distance between God and us, and we are to fall in reverent awe before Him.

Holding liturgical prayer and our own personal prayer in tandem may be the answer to a greater growth in our own Christian journey.

These liturgical prayers act as a crutch for us to still limp towards God
in times of our woundedness

Stephen Crothers of A Liturgy Collective (a group that comes together to reimagine ways of worship needed in all seasons of life) shared in a workshop titled, “Worship, Liturgy and Seeking Renewal in Public Worship”, about how we should not sideline liturgies in our worship to God but instead see them as a way to deepen our worship of God.

Perhaps for those who have grown up knowing liturgies, this might be a start to look at liturgies with fresh eyes and see how you can worship God deeper through this means. For others like me who have not had much chance to delve into liturgy, there’s always a place to start and reap the riches it has to offer.

Holding liturgical prayer and our own personal prayer in tandem
may be the answer to a greater growth in our own Christian journey

THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

The prayers in The Book of Common Prayer are called Collects and there are patterns and structures set in place in these prayers that model after many biblical prayers. Scot McKnight in his book, To You All Hearts are Open: Revitalising the Church’s Pattern of Asking God, introduces these structures.

Firstly, liturgical prayer often begins with addressing God by a certain quality we know Him by.

Then, it goes on to confession and repentance.

Finally, it goes on to supplication based on related promises and characteristics of God, and the purpose that would be fulfilled through the answered prayer.

SHALL WE PRAY?

As an example of liturgical prayer, I have chosen part of a daily morning prayer from The Book of Common Prayer that we can pray through together. The use of older pronoun forms are simply because that was how language was used in the past and also a way of showing reverence to God. This is a simple prayer reminding us of our need for God and the grace He offers us when we humbly come to Him.

You may join me in prayer together here:

Almighty and most merciful Father,

We have erred and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against Thy holy laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.

But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to Thy promises declared unto humankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy Name.

Amen.

Come, My Beloved – God’s gentle call to us in times of uncertainty

Alina Teo — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 12:50:00 +0000

WHAT'S GOING ON?

I’ve found myself finding it a little harder to hope. With uncertainty looming from so many fronts — from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria, to the almost monthly shootings in the USA. Sure, these events are not happening to me, but somehow, I feel their effects. Not too long ago, with the decrease in supply of chickens to Singapore, even the seemingly simple task of buying a plate of chicken rice proved to be a feat in itself. What is happening in our world?

Sometimes, I don’t know how to feel or process these happenings. It is hard. At times, I feel hard-pressed to hope for some semblance of good news next month. Because to be honest, I’m not even sure what next month holds.

WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD HAVE TO SAY?

But as I sat in church the other day, with the preacher declaring God’s Word from Psalm 17, I realised that these feelings of being surrounded and pressed in from all sides may not be unfamiliar to the people of faith in the ancient past. David, the shepherd boy who became king of Israel, was in that place of distress and anguish. He described his enemies “as a lion [being] eager to tear his prey” and “a young lion lurking in secret places” (v. 12 NKJV).

Although his life was in danger from his enemies and fear must have been mounting, David refused to take matters into his own hands. Instead, he cried out to God to “attend to my cry” and “give ear to my prayer” (Ps 17:1)! David’s response was not to go against his enemies with his own might or cleverness. In contrast, David laid himself bare before God and asked God to test his heart; David “purposed that my mouth shall not transgress” (v. 3).

David refused to take matters into his own hands.
Instead, he cried out to God to “attend to my cry” and “give ear to my prayer”!

David was not going to fight his battle his way (v. 5). He determined in his heart and had the humble faith to allow God’s vindication to come in God’s own way and God’s own time. Trust is what David resolved to do. In the midst of trouble, he turned to God and relied on God’s help and vindication. He actively sought God and remembered who God is — a God who saves those whom He loves and who trusts in Him (v. 6–9).

AN ENCOURAGEMENT

Maybe today, your battles aren’t because of global wars or local unrests, but your battles take the form of war and unrest inside of you — the despair you carry around that no one sees; the crippling thoughts about yourself that you keep under wraps. Perhaps your battles are hardships in school or among friends or colleagues, or the difficulty of fitting in or having someone close enough to confide in. Perhaps it is the heavy burden of work placed upon you that is crushing you. The same encouragement holds true for you too:

“I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God …
O You who save those who trust in You” (vv. 6–7)

Today, God is calling to you to come to Him, you who are His beloved. He is asking you to give Him your despair, your heartache, and your pain. Turn to Him, and He will save you.

He actively sought God and remembered who God is —
a God who saves those whom He loves and who trusts in Him (Ps. 17: 6–9).

This brings to mind the hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. The lyrics sing of us beholding Christ again in our everyday lives. Despite our circumstances, good or bad, there is a call to be present and to “turn your eyes”! Not tomorrow, not later, but turn now. Sovereign Grace Music composed a modern version of this song, adding a chorus:

Jesus, to you we lift our eyes
Jesus, our glory and our prize
We adore You, behold You, our Saviour ever true
Oh Jesus, we turn our eyes to You

When we turn our eyes to His beauty, goodness, and faithfulness, when we behold Christ, we turn our eyes away from the craziness, the messiness, and the despair that we may be experiencing. It doesn’t take away these circumstances, but it changes our focus to the One who is in control.

Today, God is calling to you to come to Him, you who are His beloved.
He is asking you to give Him your despair, your heartache, and your pain.
Turn to Him, and He will save you.

To behold means to observe or to see, usually something remarkable to us. When we behold Christ, we are intently looking upon, we are gazing, taking time to appreciate Him. We let Christ be our centre. We can keep our eyes fixed on Christ and say, I trust in You, God, my hope and my light.

Would you come and behold Christ today?

Man-made Famine in Tigray, Ethiopia

Kallos Team — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 15:08:00 +0000

STATISTICS

0% OF THE POPULATION NEEDS ACCESS TO EMERGENCY FOOD AID (TUFTS UNIVERSITY, 2021)

400,000 AFFECTED BY FAMINE, WITH ANOTHER 1.8M PEOPLE ON THE BRINK OF FAMINE (BBC, 2021)

How did it begin?
In November 2020, war began in Tigray when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attempted to disarm Tigray’s dominant political party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), after an attack on a military base. Caught between the TPLF and Ethiopian government troops, local civilians are stuck in the crossfire. To worsen the situation, Eritrean troops have also joined the fighting in support of the Ethiopian government, and are widely accused of sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and outright massacre of Tigrayans. While all involved in the conflict have been accused of human rights violations and mass killings, the man-made famine is now one of the most pressing humanitarian concerns in the region.

Why is there a man-made famine?
In February this year, Tigray’s most effective aid groups were disbanded by the Ethiopian government (The Guardian, 2021). Subsequently, food aid and medicine that should have reached the most vulnerable in Tigray were blocked by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers from entering the region or stolen. Alarmingly, soldiers are also preventing farmers from planting, harvesting, or plowing their land. Livestock has also been killed, creating a long-lasting problem with the nation on the cusp of widespread famine.

Local humanitarian groups report that if these methods of war do not stop soon, it will quickly become irreversible. Locals simply cannot wait for the next round of harvest when no food is available now.

While Ethiopia’s government denies that starvation and rape are used as weapons of war, the fact remains that farming has become scarce, and those engaging in farming have not only been beaten, but those given food by the government have not been given enough to live on (AP, 2021).

According to the U.N. World Food Program, the full extent of this hunger situation is hard to pinpoint. Officials and food aid are unable to access remote locations due to inaccessibility and armed groups blocking major entrances. 1.4 million people in Tigray have been reached, but that’s barely half of the population who need access to resources.

What else is happening?
While families and children have been gravely impacted by the famine, perhaps the most disturbing evidence is not just the starvation and malnourishment, but the fact that these point toward a larger aim of ethnic cleansing. Gang rapes and sexual abuse committed against Tigrayan girls and women by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops are commonplace, and worse still, increasing reports are surfacing of women being violently assaulted to prevent them from giving birth in the future. Horrific accounts of a hot metal rod being inserted into a woman’s genitals, or of nails, rocks, and pieces of plastic being found inside rape victims tell a disturbing story of the extent of torture these women face (Al Jazeera, 2021). Many are gang raped over days, and have reported their limbs being broken or even being shot for resisting. Some victims are as young as 9 years old, a sickening revelation.

The combination of widespread starvation and sexual violence is a devastating situation that demands action, yet very little is being done to condemn and stop the fighting, and provide help to the vulnerable civilians who are in need.

PRAY FOR:
– Victims of sexual violence who have been deeply traumatised by their physical and emotional wounds.
– The leaders of the TPLF, Ethiopian government troops, and Eritrean troops to come to a ceasefire.
– Government officials and humanitarian aid groups to work together to create long-lasting and effective measures to combat starvation and violence.
– The troops committing these atrocities to be convicted of their wrongdoing and show compassion to their perceived enemies.

Uighur Genocide In Xinjiang

Amber Ginter — Sat, 01 May 2021 13:38:00 +0000

STATISTICS

BIRTH RATES DROPPED 60%
FROM 2015 TO 2018
AS A RESULT OF FORCED STERILISATIONS
(ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2020)

OVER A MILLION
Uighurs have been detained in re-education camps
(BBC, 2021)

MORE THAN 570,000 Uighurs
involved in forced cottonpicking
(Centre for Global Policy, 2020)

In recent months, increasing attention has been brought to a series of human rights abuses against the Uighur population in what has been termed the Uighur genocide. AMBER GINTER explores what is happening in Xinjiang, China.

HOW DID IT START?
The Uighurs (also known as the Uyghurs) are a Turkic ethnic group originating from Central Asia. There are 12 million of them in Xinjiang, China, roughly half its population. A largely Muslim minority, the Uighurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang have experienced rising tensions in recent years, as the Uighurs have had limits imposed on their religious freedoms, and believe the Han Chinese are given preferential treatment in jobs and education. The unrest and violence reached its peak in 2009, with large-scale rioting in the capital Urumqi, as well as the infamous knife and bomb attacks in 2014.

As a result, the Chinese government launched a “year-long campaign on terrorism,” with controversial methods used to manage the violent separatists and others sympathetic to the Uighur cause. These include forced “re-education camps” and “vocational education centres,” which the Chinese government claims aims to stop the spread of religious extremism. However, they are now widely believed to be aimed at erasing the Uighur culture completely.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Recent reports by the BBC revealed that these re-education camps and vocational centres are a guise for ideological indoctrination, systematic rape, forced sterilisations, and sexual and physical abuse — all with the aim of destroying Uighur identity. Tursunay Ziawudun, who was detained in one of these camps, recounted horrific accounts of women being removed from their holding cells nightly and being raped by 1-3 masked Chinese men in black rooms. She herself was tortured and gang-raped three times, but remained silent for fear of being sent back to said camps. She later fled Xinjiang after her release. And she’s not the only one. Numerous other women have spoken up about similar abuse.

In March 2021, the first independent, non-government report into China’s treatment of the Uighurs revealed that the Chinese government has breached every single article in the UN 1984 genocide convention with an “intent to destroy” the Uighur population, an accusation the Chinese government has vehemently denied.

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?
Since the report was released, a spotlight has been shone on the human rights abuses faced by the Uighurs. In particular, there is a growing awareness of Uighurs forced into cotton-picking in Xinjiang, which produces over 20 per cent of the world’s cotton supply. Many of these Uighurs are also forcibly relocated away from their families because their lifestyle and customs are seen as a barrier to modernisation (BBC, 2020). The Chinese government maintains that cotton-picking is a way out of poverty for the Uighurs.

Major brands like H&M, Nike, and Adidas, all members of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) have expressed their concerns over the forced labour used to produce cotton in Xinjiang, and have faced boycotts in China as a result.

WILL THE SITUATION IMPROVE?
The Chinese government has categorically denied all allegations of human rights abuses, and these camps continue to exist. While the international attention on the issue is certainly a cause for hope, it has proved mostly ineffective to change things in China. Many Chinese citizens have expressed their support for Xinjiang cotton and the boycott of Western brands who raised concern about the Uighurs. However, the growing awareness about the potential abuses in Xinjiang could also gain important momentum as more pressure is placed on the Chinese government.

WHAT NOW?

PRAY FOR:
• The Uighurs, who are loved by God. He grieves for the abuses they suffer.
• The Uighur women who are sexually and physically abused, and those that have undergone forced sterilisations. Pray that they can find healing from the trauma.
• International brands to value ethics over economics, and continue to place pressure on the Chinese government to ensure ethical cotton-picking.

Rising Porn Exposure In USA

Amber Ginter — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 08:01:00 +0000

STATISTICS

9.1 MILLION SEARCHES
FOR PORNOGRAPHY
USING
COVID-19-RELATED ITEMS
(E.G. MASKS, GLOVES, MEDICAL SUPPLIES)

11% INCREASE
IN GLOBAL TRAFFIC ON PORNHUB
FROM FEBRUARY TO MARCH 2020
(JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS, 2020)

Since the initial onslaught of Covid-19 one year ago, it is startling to see just how much porn usage has advanced alongside this deadly disease. As the pandemic rages on, porn exposure in the US has risen as well. AMBER GINTER explores why.

WHAT’S HAPPENING?
With worldwide lockdowns and the pandemic raging on, the demand to be comforted is at an all-time high. People are lonely, so victims are more easily seduced, and sexual means are seen as coping mechanisms to stressful life circumstances. Covid-19 lockdowns have caused a surge not only in the use of websites like Pornhub but also an increase in those seeking help when their intimate pictures are posted online without their permission.

According to Pornhub, 42 billion visits to the site were made in the last year, an average of 115 million visits per day. At the same time, the BBC reported that traffic to Revenge Porn Helpline, a UK-based service for adults experiencing intimate image abuse, nearly doubled in the first four weeks of the pandemic, more than any other reported time. None of this is new — but the pandemic has certainly made things worse.

WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?
While some media posted to pornography sites like Pornhub is consensual, much is not. In a now-famous investigation by New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof, it was revealed that Pornhub’s defense from rebuke is that they provide solicited adult images, for adults, and fight to remove videos of rape or abuse. Victims like Serena K. Fleites, 19, however, would say otherwise. Fleites attempted suicide twice after her naked videos were posted on Pornhub by a boy she had a crush on. Her naked videos, since they were taken at 14, are tantamount to child pornography, yet remain online for the world to see.

And she’s not the only one. The Internet is rife with child pornography and videos of non-consensual violence. As porn exposure in the US (and around the world) rises, these precious souls are victimised again and again, for years and years, for as long as these media remain online.

WILL THE SITUATION IMPROVE?
Covid-19 has only amplified what was already in existence — the insatiable hunger for love, devouring lust as a substitute, with the huge increase in traffic to pornography sites as testament.

G.K. Chesterton, an English writer and lay theologian who died 100 years ago, is thought to have said, “Every time a man knocks on a brothel door, he is really searching for God.” Unless people recognise that the false comfort they find in pornography will never satisfy, pornography consumption will continue; there are no immediate, simple, or permanent fixes to end porn exposure for good.

Encouragingly, following Kristof’s journalistic expose on Pornhub, some concrete actions have been taken by the company to make access to non-consensual pornographic material more difficult, including disallowing downloads on videos and improving moderation to remove videos of rape and child pornography. In addition, Visa and Mastercard have blocked the use of their cards for payment on Pornhub. All of these give hope that the situation can improve as more people recognise the evils of being complicit in another’s suffering, or worse still, using their abuse for enjoyment.

WHAT NOW?

PRAY FOR:
– Those whose lives have been compromised by their intimate images being leaked online, or who have been sexually abused for someone else’s pleasure.
– Companies who can make a difference to take a moral stand against child pornography and rape videos, and to stop enabling companies like Pornhub that profit off the sexual exploitation of millions of victims worldwide.
– Those seeking comfort in pornography, to find healthier outlets and find their true fulfilment in Christ.

The Plight of Foreign Domestic Workers

Eunice Sng — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 03:39:00 +0000

STATISTICS

APPROXIMATELY
400,000
FDWS IN HONG KONG,
ROUGHLY 5% OF THE
POPULATION

PAID MINIMUM
HK$4630 PER
MONTH (SGD800)

Imagine living and working within the confines of the same four walls, far from the comforts of home. To make matters worse, your ‘bosses’ are the housemates from hell. How does one navigate that — and is there help? EUNICE SNG shines a light on the plight of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Like many before her, Wanda* (name changed for her protection) left home in hopes of greener pastures abroad, hoping to provide enough for her family back home. However, it was not to be. Like many foreign domestic workers (FDWs), Wanda faced abuse at the hands of her employers. She was physically and verbally abused by her employers and their children. Not only did she have to endure an unsafe work environment, she had no rest days and had her mobile phone confiscated from her. When she was running a fever after being bitten by the family dog, she was even told to pay for her own medical expenses.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Unfortunately, Wanda’s case is far from unique. A 2014 survey of 3000 FDWs revealed that 58% experienced verbal abuse, 18% experienced physical abuse, and 6% experienced sexual abuse (Mission for Migrant Workers). Due to a law that prohibits FDWs from working while allegations of abuse are being investigated (which can take months or years), many of these cases often go unreported. The global pandemic has only made things worse, as it is even tougher for FDWs to get out of the house and get help due to the ever watchful eye of employers and the lack of work-life balance. Social-distancing also prevents FDWs from taking a breather with their friends on their off-days, and in Hong Kong’s infamously small flats, many do not even have their own rooms in their employer’s homes.

Even if they do try seeking help with local migrant worker agencies, they are often rejected because of how complex the case might be. This is when non-profit organisations like Justice Without Borders step in, because they are able to deal with complicated, cross-border, legal process, such as mediating between employers and the domestic workers when disputes arise that cannot be resolved. Most FDWs find it difficult to remain in Hong Kong to seek justice, and unfortunately, the legal aid systems cannot extend to these workers when they return to their home countries, since they lack the networks and knowledge to access justice there. As such, many workers end up giving up their rights altogether. At the same time, bad actors in the host countries understand that they can act with impunity, escaping responsibility once they send a worker home.

WHY IS THE SITUATION SO BAD?
Many acknowledge that one of the reasons abuse of FDWs is so rife is the “live-in requirement” that FDWs must reside in their employer’s home, resulting in long working hours and very little privacy if they do not have their own rooms. Global Voices reports that this makes FDWs more vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse, with few avenues to seek help when it happens.

In the event that an FDW decides that she has had enough and wants to find a new employer, she faces further complications. Immigration laws stipulate that FDWs need to leave Hong Kong if they do not find a new employer within two weeks, which they know is difficult and unlikely. As these domestic helpers are often made to pay exorbitant agent fees in order to get a job in Hong Kong, leaving and re-entering the country (and paying the fees again) is typically not an option. As a result, many FDWs simply have to endure the abuse they face in hopes of making it through their contract so that they can pay off their agent fees and earn enough money to send home.

WHAT NOW?

THINK:
– Is Hong Kong the only place where this happens? How can we fight for the rights of FDWs in our own country?

PRAY:
– That Hong Kong’s lawmakers will value the dignity of FDWs and pass laws that give them the rights they deserve.
– That those equipped with relevant skillsets (e.g. lawyers, doctors) will be moved to volunteer to help FDWs who have been abused.

ACT:
– Donate to organisations like Justice Without Borders or PathFinders, who serve the migrant community in Hong Kong by offering them legal and social support.

Kenyan Women Affected By COVID-19

Amber Ginter — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 01:11:00 +0000

STATISTICS

WORKING MORE TIME FOR LESS WAGES,
WOMEN IN KENYA HAVE BEEN
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED
BY COVID-19
(BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
RESOURCE CENTRE, 2020)

50% DECLINE
IN ACTIVE TRADES
BY EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
(EAC) WOMEN TRADERS
(THE AFRICA REPORT, 2020)

All across the globe, many are settling into what has become one of the most unprecedented times in history. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, lives have been turned upside down. In Kenya, Africa, specifically, the women impacted by this deadly disease are at a much greater threat. AMBER GINTER explores why.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?
With border closures and a reduction in regional help, countries like Kenya and its women are on the forefront of fatal repercussions. Due to a disruption in trade routes, imports and exports have ceased in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19, and trades have now declined by 50-60%. With an increase in caring for needs at home while attempting to still provide for those needs amid a pandemic, this tension is creating immediate financial inadequacy, leading to poverty and hunger (Foothold International, 2020). Women are among one of the most vulnerable groups exposed to the negative impacts of COVID-19, as they are direct caregivers and essential providers. They are therefore directly exposed to the virus by more than 60%. As traders, these women are the primary breadwinners, and with few avenues for success due to limited time, lacking resources, and accrued debts, existing inequalities are widened.

According to Cherie Catron from Foothold International, young women are particularly at risk during this outbreak due to schools being closed. Schools often provided one meal daily and menstrual pads, and with the closure of trade routes and schools, many girls are now at higher risk of facing early marriage, sexual abuse, or turning to prostitution in order to provide food and extra materials now needed for their families. As a result of these increased risks, teen pregnancies are now beyond what Kenya has ever seen, showing thousands in each region (Kenya Department of Health, 2020).

WILL THE SITUATION IMPROVE?
Like many East African countries, the rates of infection due to COVID-19 are not nearly as high due to younger populations, cultural distance, environment, and the government’s response; however, the effects of the virus have directly impacted a lack of supplies, transportation, and food scarcity beyond the disease (Foothold International, 2020; Advisory Board, 2020). Therefore, on their own, it is unlikely that Kenya’s women will recover successfully from this major impact.

HOW CAN WE PRAY?
– Women in Kenya to find support so that they do not have to resort to extreme decisions like prostitution in order to provide food for their families.
– Organisations in Kenya such as Foothold International or World Vision as they assist women with better avenues for these needs.

The Women Giving Away Their Children

Amber Ginter — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 03:42:00 +0000

STATISTICS

AN ESTIMATED 6.5 MILLION VENEZUELANS
WILL HAVE FLED TO ESCAPE POVERTY BY THE END OF 2020
(New York Times)

70% INCREASE
IN ABANDONED BABIES IN 2018
(BBC, 2020)

90% OF THE POPULATION
LIVE IN POVERTY
(INE, 2020)

Having to give your child away is a reality no mother wishes to face, yet it is one that many in Venezuela face on a daily basis. AMBER GINTER explores why.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Venezuela has been in the throes of what the United Nations has called one of the worst humanitarian crises. In fact, according to the U.N. World Food Program, 9.3 million people — nearly one-third of Venezuela’s population — are unable to meet their basic dietary needs. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has only worsened overall conditions, as access to food, resources, safety, and adequate education are increasingly out of reach. For women in Venezuela, however, another heartbreak is present.

Under socialist president Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan women are encouraged to have as many children as possible to heal the economy, a solution with fatal results. For most families, the crippling economic situation means that caring for the children they already have is a struggle in itself. More children means more mouths to feed, resulting in older children being kicked out of their homes or voluntarily sleeping on the streets to find food for themselves.

With the 2020 demand to re-populate, more women are forced to give up their newborns or live on the streets to survive. From warning signs to not abandon children in trash cans to beggars on the streets, Venezuela’s economy is increasingly declining, even with additional births.

WILL THE SITUATION IMPROVE?
With Venezuela in the midst of an ever-worsening economic crisis, the problem can only worsen. With an urgency to reproduce, women are forced to give up a child they can’t provide for, become homeless, or leave the area in attempts to find a new life. Children are often left behind with neighbours, other family members, or simply abandoned when their parents leave the country or region in search of better prospects (The Guardian). As a government-wide authorisation (U.N. Population Fund 2019), 17,000 hormonal contraceptives have been distributed at hospitals and clinics to prevent pregnancy. For those not receiving the implant, however, pregnancy is still possible. Once a child is born, the vicious cycle of reproduction, homelessness, and malnourishment begins all over again.

HOW CAN WE PRAY?

– For children living on the streets after their parents have been unable to care and provide for them to find the help they need.
– For government officials who have citizen’s interests at heart to be elected so that children can be better cared for.

DONATE TODAY

1. UNHCR
The UN Refugee Agency that works on the frontlines of providing food, medicine, shelter and water to those in need.

2. Save the Children
An organisation that provides safe spaces, emotional support, and learning centers for children.

Victims of Revenge Porn

Amber Ginter — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 16:20:00 +0000

STATISTICS

207,405 VIEWS OF PORN ARE ACCESSED EVERY MINUTE
(Forbes, 2020)

27% of non-consensual media is retrieved through images, videos, and recording,
23% privacy violation,
20% voyeurism,
11% peeping,
9% a combination,
and 11% disorderly conduct
(Psychology Today, 2020)

Non-consensual and Revenge Porn is the release of intimate images and videos without proper consent. Through sex tapes, explicit photos, upskirting, or hidden cameras, voyeurs and ex-partners have one goal: to expose an individual in a sexual way either for personal pleasure or to harass, threaten, coerce, or intimidate the person depicted (revenge). AMBER GINTER explores how it can affect young women and how we can pray for them.

WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHEN DID IT START?

Dating to the 1800s, porn is said to have originated as “a powerful vehicle for social and political protest” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2020). Deriving from a desire for pleasure, however, the exact origin is impossible to pinpoint because of its subjective definition. While many scholars side with the 1800s, others argue that the artistry of sexual religous art or explicit Rome sculptures could be the guilty culprit as well.

Nevertheless, fighting porn can be increasingly difficult. According to the NCSL(2020), non-consensual porn is popular as human trafficking with often deadly results. In a recent study, 1 in 20 females, 53% of 3,044 surveyed, reported revenge porn. As a result, these victims received numerous hate claims because of the leaked selfies.

Although many releases come from consensual uses sent to a lover, the difficulty is stopping the widespread availability once publicly exposed, especially when victims are unaware of its exposure. This can lead to significant mental health stresses and affect a young woman’s very identity.

BECAUSE CONTENT REMOVAL IS NOT CHEAP, PERPETRATORS MAKE BETWEEN $300 AND $550 ON EVERY CLICKED LINK.

WHY IS NO ONE DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT?

Porn is more accessible than ever before. With more social media platforms comes an increased risk of content spread. Because of accessibility and a low likelihood of being caught, non-consensual and revenge porn are in high demand with little repercussions for its viewers. Most victims never report the crime due to embarrassment, therefore, it goes unpunished. The Internet is always capturing our past, present, and future. It’s almost always irreversible and impossible to retrieve something once it’s released to the public, hence many victims feel a sense of helplessness and do not know what to do.

HOW CAN WE PRAY?

– Young women who are being harmed by non-consensual or revenge porn to not to be ashamed to get help, especially for mental-health issues.
– Perpetrators to be free of the greed of using non-consensual porn to make a profit.
– Victims and perpetrators alike to know that true love and fulfillment only comes from the Lord. Pornography kills love and reduces human beings to temporary pleasures which dissipate with its use.
– Young people to recognise that true sexual fulfillment can be found in the safety of covenantal marital relationships. “Love teaches us to serve others. Porn teaches us that others exist to serve us” (Covenant Eyes, 2020).

Sex Trafficking in Singapore

Isabel Phua — Sun, 24 May 2020 04:00:00 +0000

STATISTICS

MORE THAN 45 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING

79% ARE WOMEN AND CHILDREN, FOR SEXUAL OR LABOUR EXPLOITATION

34 TRAFFICKING CASES INVESTIGATED IN 2017. 22 WERE CASES OF SUSPECTED SEX TRAFFICKING

How does sex trafficking work?

Sex trafficking is a form of human trafficking, specifically for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It occurs when someone is forced, coerced or cheated into a commercial sex act such as prostitution, pornography, and any sexual performance in exchange for items of value like money, food, shelter, or drugs.

Does it happen in Singapore?

In Singapore, prostitution in regulated red-light districts is legal. Sex workers and brothels are issued special licenses by the police’s Specialised Crime Branch, also known as the anti-vice department, to operate. However, certain prostitution-related activities are illegal, such as pimping, importing a woman for sex work (even if she is consensual), and public solicitation.

The problem is that the laws in Singapore both tolerate and criminalise sex work at the same time. The government has stated that they do this so that it is easier to regulate prostitution, but it also means that sex trafficking then becomes more difficult to track and abolish.

In fact, in 2010 and in 2017, Singapore was categorised as Tier 2 in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report published by the U.S. Department of State. Tier 2 is a category for countries that have a significant number of trafficking victims and have failed to show efforts to combat the situation.

Why is it difficult to stop sex-trafficking in Singapore?

Many women who end up in Singapore as sex workers are lured with promises of highly paid professional work, or as waitresses or hostesses. Upon their arrival, they might have their passports taken from them and are forced into sex work to pay off their debts. With no way to get help, most victims have no choice but to agree.

In addition, most of these women enter Singapore on tourist visas. Therefore, when they are caught, they are treated as immigration offenders rather than victims of sex trafficking, making them more vulnerable to reentering the sex trade as they are not allowed to find legal work or even return home. As many come from Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, even when victims want help, language barriers stop them from getting it.

WHAT NOW:
– In 2018, Channel NewsAsia reported that a large number of Singaporean men have been looking for sex with girls in Batam, Indonesia. Not just that, but they specifically want girls who are virgins or teenagers. These girls are about the same age as you are. Does this knowledge make you feel differently about the situation?

– Pray for Hagar Singapore, a Christian NGO at the front line of combating sex trafficking in Singapore. They currently work with the Singapore government to strengthen public awareness and enforcement capacity, and provide victim care to trafficked women and girls in Singapore.

– If you come across a potential trafficking situation in Singapore, report it to:
Police hotline (+65) 6435 0000
Ministry of Manpower (+65) 6438 5122

GET INVOLVED BY FOLLOWING THESE NGOS (BOTH LOCAL AND OVERSEAS) AND SEE HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE!

– FB.COM/HAGARINTERNATIONAL
– FB.COM/EMANCIPASIA
– @HAGARSINGAPORE
– @EXODUSCRY
– @WIPEEVERYTEAR