Christian women are increasingly being targeted with “weaponised violence” designed to divide families and destroy church communities, global faith leaders have warned.

Speaking at the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) General Assembly in Seoul, Emma van der Deijl, chief executive of Gender and Religious Freedom, said persecutors “win when we allow the intended shame of persecution to bring division and rejection in the Church.”

She urged churches to “restore those who have gone through persecution with love and acceptance.”

The conference, held ahead of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on 2nd November, heard testimonies describing the use of sexual violence, forced marriage, and public humiliation against Christian women in regions including Africa and Asia.

Irene Muthoni Kibagendi detailed cases of abductions and coerced conversions, while Martha Das shared how converted Christian wives were abandoned or imprisoned for their faith.

"Despite being persecuted for being a Christian, when they come back to the Church, they're not accepted," Kibagendi revealed.

She added that often, upon their return, they are either pregnant or have already given birth to children fathered by militants affiliated with terrorist groups.

Many survivors, the WEA said, face rejection from their own families and churches, worsening their trauma.

Kyle Wisdom, WEA’s director of global advocacy, said the Church must “go beyond documenting atrocities” by creating safe spaces, building trauma recovery programmes, and sustaining prayer for affected communities.

The WEA called for the global Church to turn “awareness into action,” urging believers to become places of refuge and healing for women and families suffering for their faith.