Persecution facts for kids

Persecution is when a person or a group of people are treated very badly by another group. This bad treatment can happen for many reasons. Often, it's because of someone's religion, their ethnicity (the group they belong to), their political beliefs, or their gender or gender identity.

What is Persecution?

Persecution means causing someone to suffer or treating them unfairly, usually over a long time. It can involve hurting them, scaring them, or making their lives very difficult. This happens because one group has power and uses it against another group they dislike or disagree with.

Why Does Persecution Happen?

People are often persecuted because they are seen as different. These differences can be about how they look, what they believe, or who they are.

Persecution Based on Religion

Religious persecution happens when people are treated badly because of their religious beliefs. This can mean they are punished for practicing their religion, or for not believing in the same religion as the people in power. Sometimes, it just means they face discrimination, which is unfair treatment based on their religion.

Persecution Based on Ethnicity

Persecution based on ethnicity means people are mistreated because of their background, culture, or where their families come from. This can happen even if they live in the same country as the people persecuting them.

Persecution Based on Beliefs or Identity

People can also be persecuted for their political beliefs, especially if those beliefs are different from the government's. Sometimes, people are treated badly because of their gender or gender identity, which is how they feel about themselves as a boy, girl, or something else.

How Can We Stop Persecution?

Stopping persecution is very important. Many groups and countries work to protect people from being persecuted. One way is through right of asylum, which allows people who are being persecuted in their home country to seek safety in another country. Learning about different cultures and respecting everyone's rights helps to prevent persecution.

Images for kids

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  Members of the right-wing Lapua Movement assault a former Red officer and the publisher of the communist newspaper at the Vaasa riot on June 4, 1930, in Vaasa, Finland.

Learn More

• Oppression

In Spanish: Persecución para niños