Displaying items by tag: lockdown

Two high court judges have upheld the Government’s decision to allow at-home abortions during lockdown. But it is not over yet. Christian Concern said that their legal challenge has exposed how the abortion industry has captured the Department of Health. The case showed that if pro-abortion lobbyists want something to happen, they can contact their insiders and get it done. One key civil servant in the case worked simultaneously for Public Health England and abortion provider Marie Stopes UK. These are not clinical experts simply advising on best practice; they are campaigners like BPAS executive Ann Furedi, who calls for abortion at any stage, for any reason. Christian Concern want to appeal this case, but more than that, they need to continue to expose the abortion industry’s privileged access to the heart of government and the untold damage caused to women and babies because of their influence.

Any child sold for sex is a victim of sex trafficking. Since 2006, IJM South Asia has rescued 1000+ survivors from sex trafficking, seen over 500 criminals restrained and trained over 30,000 police, government officials, and NGOs. Sex trafficking survivors have described being beaten and forcibly injected with narcotics. This is continuing during lockdown. There is particular concern about the rise of online sexual exploitation of children during the pandemic. It is highly possible that seasoned human trafficking criminals will exploit the current situation. Please pray against this increased exploitation. Pray also for safety and security for the survivors of sex trafficking now thriving and living independently; many are now unable to work in lockdown and risk falling back into desperate poverty. Pray that IJM can maintain contact with these survivors in their network, and provide what is needed to keep them safe.

Psalm 136 says, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures for ever.’ During lockdown thousands are encountering God through prayer and praise with online networking. ‘Germany together in prayer’ brought a million Christian churches, ministries and groups plus prominent political leaders together to pray online.In the same week ‘World Prayer Together’ united millions of worshippers across the nations. Meanwhile, Holy Trinity Brompton reports a record number of Alpha sign-ups and there is an increased openness to the gospel as more people seek spiritual truths on search engines. Praise God for declining rates of infection and the solidarity of communities practising limited communal contact. And for many the ‘imposed’ furlough is resulting in families having more time together and the rest resulting from cancelled non-essential travel.

England's children's commissioner is highlighting pressures facing mothers caring for babies born in lockdown without the usual family and state support networks. An estimated 76,000 babies will have been born in England under lockdown so far. Although helplines for parents have been set up in most areas, the usual sources of physical support from family, friends and voluntary services are not at present available. Also births are not being registered, due to rules tied to the pandemic, so even basic information about new babies is not being gathered. Pray for the new mothers depending on phone support from health visitors and GPs, often not readily accessible. May God give strength and confidence to new mothers and fathers unsure of ‘baby routines’ and facing unexpected challenges. Many babies have missed the health checks that would have picked up urgent development needs in the first few weeks because parents have not wanted to attend and risk potential infection.

The Kuwaiti government has imposed a nationwide curfew to contain the spread of coronavirus. On 6 May there were 485 new cases of infections, bringing the total to 6,289. Kuwaiti citizens enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world today with little persecution of Christians. There are approximately 200 Kuwaitis from a Christian heritage. Pray that during Ramadan God will give extraordinary opportunities for them to have spiritual conversations with their Muslim neighbours as fear of sickness spreads faster than the actual virus. Pray for spirit-led strategies for Christian service during lockdown and Ramadan, and that the message of Christ will reach many people through social media and other forms of technology.

The UK’s IJM team have seen God do amazing things as people have cried out to Him in prayer. They report, ‘Covid-19 lockdowns are inadvertently creating the conditions for disturbing increases of abuse in many of the areas where we work. While our teams are doing what they can to protect survivors and find those who are being abused, we must ask God to reach those we are unable to reach, to provide safety, remove fear and bring hope. We believe God is calling for an unprecedented move of prayer. Will you join us? For the next few weeks, we will be praying specifically for those who are #UnsafeInLockdown.’ They are asking intercessors to pray every day for issues which they will spotlight each week. To take part and pray, click the ‘More’ button.

Europeans are relaxing coronavirus restrictions for children, with Spain allowing under-14s out of their homes from this week. Holland’s primary schools reopen next month, and French children aged 5 to 11 will return to school on 12 May, but with a limit of 15 pupils per class. The following week, older children will return in selected year groups. Angela Merkel warned that Germany may be rushing its lockdown exit as physical distancing is relaxing and smaller shops reopen. She said Germany remained ‘on the thinnest ice’ despite early achievements. Belgium has a detailed plan to lift coronavirus restrictions gradually, starting on 4 May, when fabric shops will open in order for people to comply with requirements for children over 12 to wear masks on public transport. From 11 May all shops and schools will reopen, with limited pupils in each class.

America’s food supply chain is breaking down due to coronavirus shutdown. Meat processing plants and retailers are closed; consequently farmers and ranchers have nowhere to take their pigs, poultry and cattle and face heart-wrenching decisions about what to do with surplus animals. One Nebraska pig farmer is euthanising 500 to 600 pigs a week. Poultry farmers and cattle ranchers face similar dilemmas. Vegetable and dairy farmers face similar predicaments. Ripe crops and filled milk containers which would have gone to schools, restaurants, hotels, etc. go nowhere. With increasing unemployment, food banks are reporting double the number of families needing food and food shops cannot keep their shelves stocked for lack of supplies. The demand is there and the food is there, but the connection from farm to retail has been interrupted as the debate about reopening continues in each state.

This pandemic has sparked a childcare crisis for 3.9 million UK working parents, stuck between the closure of formal childcare and the abrupt withdrawal of informal care provided by relatives and friends. For those fortunate enough to work from home, it means a child or two making an unexpected entrance during a crucial work call. Pray for peace to flow through the homes of families with children facing endless days of lockdown. Pray also for parents navigating a total redesign of working patterns while trying to care for children who are more likely to be anxious, unwell, or fed up with restrictions. Nurseries and day care centres are now closed. Pray for lone parents, or families with disabled children or children with special educational needs, now that they can no longer attend daytime care.

On 24 March India shut its £2.3 trillion economy, closing businesses and issuing strict stay-at-home orders to over a billion people. The lockdown, due to end on 14 April, has been extended as the virus spreads through dense communities and new clusters of infection are being reported daily. The sudden lockdown threw the lives of millions of children into chaos. Tens of thousands are calling helplines daily, and thousands are going to bed hungry. India has the largest child population in the world (472 million). The lockdown has impacted 40 million children from poor families. Everyone must stay home - but what about the street children? Where do they go? Officially Delhi has over 70,000 street children, but the real number is much higher. Pray for the millions of homeless children on streets, under flyovers, or narrow lanes and bylanes. See