News broadcasting agencies throughout the southern African region have blasted the trumpet of victory against the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) by publicising the numerous anti-CCK rallies held worldwide over the last two weeks. Botswana News, Bay TV, Gau TV and Namibia Broadcasting Corporation have joined the likes of The New York Times, Washington Post and other major newspaper and news broadcasting stations in raising awareness of the 30,000-strong rally hosted by Global Citizens’ Human Rights Coalition (GCHRC) - an alliance of nearly 100 civil and human rights organisations and religious groups - in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on 27th January, urging for the shutdown of the CCK. This triggered numerous subsequent rallies throughout the world. The rally in Seoul came in direct response to the serious abuse of religious freedoms committed by the CCK through their ‘coercive conversion programme’, which led to the death of 27-year-old Ms. Ji-In Gu on January 9th 2018 in the Republic of Korea.

Subsequent rallies were held worldwide on 2^nd and 3^rd February including cities across the southern Africa - Windhoek, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Harare, to name a few. Although these rallies were held during United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week, which serves to promote peace and tolerance among religions and religious organisations, the reality is that the persecution of religious freedom is on the increase; not least within the ‘democratic’ Republic of Korea.

What is coercive conversion you might ask? The coercive conversion programme is one conceived and implemented by the CCK whereby pastors affiliated to the CCK target believers of minority faiths and, through fear, manipulate families to abduct and drug their loved one and confine them in a remote location whereupon a pastor verbally berates the victim until he or she renounces their beliefs and accepts the Presbyterian teachings of the CCK. Pastors receive money for doing this and evade legal punishment. It is a truly backward practice taking place in a country which supposedly has the freedom of religion enshrined within article 20 of its constitution. What’s more, roughly 1250 south Koreans have become victims to this programme over the last ten years. To date, the Korean government has remained silent but overseas media will surely force them to address the situation and shutdown the CCK. In the last ten years, some 12,000 pastors affiliated to the CCK have been convicted of crimes including fraud, harassment, drink-driving and sexual assault.

At rallies throughout the world, numerous faith leaders have denounced the inhumane practices of the CCK and emphasised the importance of religious tolerance. In Windhoek, Namibia, Imam Sabouri said, “You might think, for example, that Christianity is right. I might think lslam is right. The other might think the other is right. We can invite each other and try to convince each other that one is the right or wrong way, but we can not force each other.” Pastor Isak Kharob, Association for Charismatic and Pentecostal Churches of Namibia (ACPCN), spoke more strongly, saying “How can a person created in the image and likeness of God become like someone who lacks understanding and do whatever they want to force someone else into another religion? That is very wrong.”  

Shortly after the first 27^th January rally in Seoul, Korea, a woman in her forties had been dramatically rescued in Korea after her seeking friends had heard her cries coming out of secluded lodgings as she was receiving coercive conversion education. Today, there are dozens of victims like her confined against their will who are suffering silently.

To raise your voice and help end coercive conversion, please visit http://endcoerciveconversion.org/