In India, teams of lawyers and activists who would normally support persecuted Christians with legal aid have used their
resources to bring food and essential commodities to the poor. The lock down in India due to the Corona pandemic has
caused an increase in the humanitarian need amongst the poorest in society. Responding to this, ADF India’s legal aid
centres have provided aid, food, and commodities to the vulnerable in their communities.
“Moved by this unfortunate state of affairs, our team members are responding to the humanitarian crisis unfolding around
us. The Uttar Pradesh Legal Aid Centre provided food to people who walked for more than 700 kilometers in an attempt to
get home to their villages, other Legal Aid Centres distributed essential food items to people in their districts. A few
members of the Delhi team worked with local district authorities and helped support close to 100 very vulnerable
families. Those who could not go out provided support in the form of monetary contributions to support and encouraged
the Team in their efforts. Going beyond the call of duty, our Team Members have taken this initiative to serve others in
need just as how they serve our Christian brothers and sisters in times of persecution,” said Tehmina Arora, Director of
ADF India.Indian Christians during the corona pandemic
In India, the government measures taken against the spread of the Corona pandemic have, in fact, also slowed down
violence against Christians. As people are in their homes, such incidences have decreased from about one a day to three
per week. Nevertheless, this only provides a moment of recovery for Christian communities.
Since 2019, violence against Christians has risen significantly. The United Christian Forum and ADF India documented
over 78 incidents of harassment and mob violence against Christians in 2020 alone. The attacks usually take a similar
shape and often the police fail to take action against the mobs. A mob will arrive at a prayer meeting or Christian
gathering, shout abuse and harassment, and beat up those in attendance including women and children. Then, the pastors
or priests are usually arrested by the police under false allegations of forced conversions.