“Growing up as a Christian in China was a difficult experience,” a Chinese Christian identified only as “Enoch” said during the United Nations Human Rights Council Side Event.

Because his father was a pastor, Enoch’s entire family was monitored by Chinese Communist Party officials, neighbors, and surveillance cameras 24 hours a day.  The family was prohibited from worshiping together in church, while Enoch and his siblings were ordered to refrain from sharing their faith at school.  

“We were to only believe in the CCP,” he recalled. “If our religious affiliation was discovered, we would receive punishment from the school.”

Eventually, Enoch’s father was arrested and detained for his faith and Christian leadership. While his father was imprisoned, Enoch faced intimidation and threats by his peers, teachers and government officials.

“I faced unkindness and discrimination at school from teachers,” he said. “Government officials threatened my dad that if he did not cooperate with them, they would hire again members to come to my school to beat me up. They also told him that I would not be able to go to college, as I would never pass the political screening because I come from a Christian family.”

“We were constantly afraid of being harassed by neighbors, peers and government officials, or being thrown in prison.”

Today, Enoch no longer lives in China. “I am very proud of being a Christian now,” he said. 

“There are many families in China that suffered a similar situation to mine and who are deprived of these basic right to religious freedom,” he said. “It is important that we don’t forget to share these stories … of persecuted people.”

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