Veronica says that a "very significant reason" for choosing this particular topic was that "...the persecuted Christians hold on to their faith so strongly and will not submit and give up hope at any cost (...) even though they are aware that it could cost them their lives. I see this as a very brave choice."
The exam was oral and consisted of a presentation based on an outline and a Power Point presentation. In addition, Veronica had made a creative product - a collage describing the persecution.
In the essay, Veronica describes the harsh persecution that Christians in Eritrea face. You can read about four types of prisons that Christians can end up in, including dark underground isolation cells without light, where it can get up to 40 degrees Celsius, and shipping containers where the temperature can rise to 60 degrees Celsius during the day and drop to freezing at night. It also describes how the country's president is playing a leading role in the persecution, violating several international conventions, and how he appears to be turning a deaf ear to the world's calls for him to stop the persecution.
The paper looks at this persecution from several different perspectives. Among other things, scriptures from the Bible, human rights declarations, research on the importance of prayer as a coping strategy and research on the brain's reaction to torture are included. Finally, she reflects on how the outside world can help persecuted Christians. In the writing process, Veronica gathered background information from the Danish European Mission.
When asked what she has gained from writing this assignment, Veronica answers: "...We must always remember that we are not only responsible for what we do, but also for what we fail to do. Therefore, we need to spread information and pray for the persecuted Christians so that they have the awareness that they are not alone and abandoned."
