Although Sunday, November 13 is the designated 2011 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, Churches in Australia are invited to hold it any time from Sunday 6th to Sunday 13th November. The IDOP, which was first organized in 1996 by the World Evangelical Fellowship, has evolved into one of the largest worldwide prayer events in existence today. For the past 15 years, thousands of churches,  organizations, individuals and families, have set aside one Sunday each November to spend time in intercessory prayer for the millions of Christians around the world who are persecuted, oppressed, and martyred for their faith each year.  

On a general scale, Christian persecution has become a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, persecution has become especially prevalent in countries like India and Iraq, while countries of particular concern that have been known for consistent religious and human rights violations include North Korea, China, and Sudan. Many Christian ministries and organizations have made it their mission to advocate and provide humanitarian support for those in the persecuted church, who suffer societal abuse, family ostracism, physical abuse, kidnapping and false imprisonment on a daily basis.

Source: Open Doors