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The sexual violence that impacts women in CAR reminds us that suffering is all around us—and must push us to realize that Jesus still calls us by name
"From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over all the land." —Matthew 27:45
Suffering.
Death.
Darkness.
This is what took place on Good Friday as Jesus Christ was crucified. The Gospel of Matthew paints a stark scene: a crucified Savior, crying out to God, writhing in pain, while His mother and His followers (including Mary Magdalene, who is specifically mentioned in Matthew) watched helplessly. The entire scene is wreathed in darkness—both literal and figurative, and seemed all hope was lost.
It can be tempting to skip ahead to the joy of Easter, but Good Friday gives us an opportunity to sit with the suffering of Jesus' family and followers. Put yourself in their shoes ... here was a man, a son, a brother, a teacher who had done nothing other than come to "set the oppressed free" (Luke 4:18). People hoped He would save Israel from the brutality of Roman oppression; they'd seen how He healed the blind and delivered people from demons; some of them likely dared to trust that He might have even forgiven their sins.
But here He was, the person upon whom all their hope rested ... nailed to a cross, dying.
Perhaps the scene and emotions of it are best summed up in the words of the 17th-century hymn, "Ah Holy Jesus":
"Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended, that we to judge thee have in hate pretended? By foes derided, by thine own rejected, O most afflicted!"
It's this image we can keep in mind when we read about situations like what has happened to Christians in Central African Republic. Their stories echo the suffering of Christ on the cross—leaving those of us who watch and pray with nothing more to do than weep and wonder: Where is our hope?
In Central African Republic (CAR), sexual violence is a common tool used by militant groups to try to weaken and destroy God's people. Christian women and girls are especially vulnerable targets. When Christian communities stand against violence or militant groups, attacks often leave men dead or abducted, and leave women as victims of sexual violence. These crimes have a devastating effect on women, their families and the broader church community.
And if we believe that the followers of Jesus make up the Body of Christ, this reality should devastate us as well, leaving us with some of the same questions that probably ran through the minds of Jesus' loved ones on Good Friday.
For instance, in October 2024 in central CAR, a rebel group attacked a group of women who had gone to a market to seek supplies. By the time they were finished, six women were raped.
"We were all surprised by an armed man who came out in front of us to stop us," remembers Naomi*, one of the women. "We all interrupted our conversation out of fear. A few moments later, five other armed men came out to surround us. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, ordered us to put our goods on the ground and lie down. As there were six of us and six of his armed men, they raped us."
The assault didn't stop there. "After this despicable and degrading act, [our attackers] heard roosters crowing nearby and said to themselves that there must be a village or camp nearby," Naomi says. The men had found the camp where the women lived with their families. "They forced us to go with them and be used as bait. When we arrived at the camp, some of the men [from our camp] who tried to flee were caught and beaten up. They looted the camp and forced the women to grind cassava (for them) and the men to carry the stolen goods several kilometers before releasing them."
Besides the physical pain and trauma, the incident has affected these women in ways they cannot express—in their homes, with their spouses and within their communities.
Later that October in CAR, armed men ambushed and raped three Christian women and a girl in the same community. "We were four females, three women and a young girl of 11 years old," says Maika*, a deaconess at the local Baptist church. "At about 11a.m., while we were working, armed men surrounded us, and no one could run. Us women were brutalized and finally raped, all together, in front of our husbands who were spectators, they had no strength left (to protect us)."
All of the believers were later taken to the rebels' camp. Maika explains that "the men served as porters and helpers, and we the women, we were like sexual objects. They could take advantage of us at any time within the five days [we were there], and worse still, this was in front of our spouses."
After five days, their abusers decided it was time to let them go.
Another woman from the same area was raped in November.
This is the reality in just one community. It mirrors what is happening in several others, where rebels and other armed groups take advantage of the majority-Christian women in CAR.
And it has led to unthinkable suffering. When we hear such stories, our responses echo those of the people watching Jesus on the cross. In the face of such violence and horrific suffering ... where is our hope?
"Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended, that we to judge thee have in hate pretended? By foes derided, by thine own rejected, O most afflicted!"
From the 17th-century hymn, "Ah Holy Jesus"
For the women who survive sexual assault, the pain does not end after the attack. Usually after such incidents, the women suffer physically. Most are traumatized, not only by the attack itself. In many places like CAR, they suffer stigma and rejection from their own communities. Sometimes, their own husbands don't provide the necessary support for their healing. Most women find it hard to belong, and the untreated trauma and ongoing rejection often cause the women to develop depression.
Go back again to the scene at the crucifixion. What might the followers of Jesus have thought? Some likely began to think about what was going to happen now that Jesus was dead. Many had sacrificed much to follow Him—risking the judgment and rejection of their communities. After all, just before Jesus' death, the Apostle Peter had renounced Jesus to avoid being seen as one of His followers. Jesus had made it clear that His way was bigger than either the synagogue or the Roman worship of Caesar.
Jesus' followers faced the kind of trauma these beloved sisters in CAR experienced: the prospect of being rejected and cast aside by the people who should have supported them ... the prospect of losing everything ... the prospect of losing all hope.
It's no wonder that darkness "came over all the land." We can reasonably say that same darkness is what covers the hearts, minds and spirits of the Christians in CAR who have endured so much horror.
Yet, there's an important difference between the suffering of Jesus on the cross and the suffering in CAR: Even if His followers couldn't see it in the moment, Jesus, through His suffering and death, reversed the sting of death, the finality of trauma and the despair of hopelessness.
And, of course: He didn't stay dead.
In his Gospel, Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene continued to follow Jesus, even as His body was placed in the tomb. In a searing image, she was "sitting there opposite the tomb" as the stone was rolled in front.
She was one of the women who returned on Sunday—three days after Jesus said He would rise again (Mark 9:31). Matthew says she went to "look at the tomb." The Gospel of John gives us a little more insight into her story. She went and stood outside the tomb, crying. Then angels appeared and explained that Jesus had risen.
And then, Jesus Himself appeared. At first, Mary Magdalene didn't recognize Him ... and then He said her name. Immediately, she knew who He was. Suddenly, all the pain and hopelessness had come undone.
This same Jesus is the person who can also help the women burdened by unspeakable violence in CAR. He is the One who calls each of them by name. And it's by His power and hope that Open Doors works with local partners to provide trauma healing seminars—to bring the healing and hope of the resurrected Jesus into their darkness and suffering.
In February 2025, the rape survivors from central CAR were invited to these trainings. They received medical attention—and perhaps most importantly, were helped to understand what trauma is and how they can take a biblical approach to addressing it. Finally, the women were put in groups (called Self-Help Groups, or SHGs) supervised by Open Doors partners. These groups offer the necessary support to help the women begin their healing.
And just as Mary Magdalene went from despair to joy when Jesus called her by her name, these women in CAR are finding reasons to hope again, knowing that Jesus—through His suffering and death—can redeem even their deep and lasting scars.
"Thanks to this SHG group, I no longer shut myself in or hide my face," shares one rape survivor.
This is one of the lessons we can keep in mind this Good Friday. Darkness, hopelessness and pain are all around us, and damage the bodies and hearts of our sisters and brothers around the world. But just as the darkness turned to morning on Easter Sunday, so, too, can we be assured that Jesus is walking alongside all of these women—and any other Christian who is targeted because of the name of Christ. He calls them (and you!) by name, inviting us into the hope of eternity that stands in opposition to any suffering and darkness we can imagine.
You can also pray for believers in CAR:
- We are reminded of the words of the despairing Hagar when the angel of the LORD met her. She said: "You are the God that sees me" (Gen. 16:13). Pray that these women, and women across sub-Saharan Africa will come to know God as the one that sees them, knows them and cares for each of them by name.
- Continue to pray for the healing of women who have been sexually assaulted in CAR.
- Pray for strength and courage for them as they continue to face stigma and rejection within their communities and even their churches.
- Pray for Christians, especially women, who are often vulnerable and increasingly lose their dignity in the face of sexual assault.
- Pray their faith will not falter but will survive and thrive.
*Name changed to protect identity