Today, 30 August, is the International day for the Victims of Enforced Disappearance.

Today people around the world will be remembering people who have been ‘disappeared’ – often by their governments – as a result of their defence of human rights, or because they spoke up against injustice.

Gao Zhisheng (see Week 3) is a Chinese Christian human rights lawyer, who has been disappeared multiple times because he refused to stay quiet about human rights violations against Christians and other minorities. In Colombia a number of people have been disappeared, and in Laos a Christian man named Mr Boontheong has been missing since 2004, after being harassed for his faith on many occasions.

• Thank God that the UN has decided to mark the tragedy of enforced disappearances;
• Pray that people around the world would become more aware of the problem of enforced disappearances, and would protest against them;
• Pray for Mr Boontheong’s swift and safe return, along with his wife and young son who were also disappeared;
• Ask God to comfort the families of those who are disappeared, as they face uncertainty on the day to day level, and a doubtful future;
• Ask God to give them the gift of hope, in a situation that the world may see as hopeless;
• Pray that NGOs such as CSW would be able to campaign for victims of enforced disappearance in a way that doesn’t endanger the victims;
• Pray for oppressive regimes around the world to stop their all too common practice of disappearing people who criticise them.