The charity estimates that more than 100 million Christians, along with other minorities, have been discriminated against, persecuted and experienced violence at the hands of totalitarian regimes and followers of other religions. In North Korea alone, there are between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians in detention camps, according to the dossier.
  In some African and Middle Eastern countries, the violence is more obvious, and the charity calculates that 4,300 Christians were killed for religious reasons between Nov. 2013 and Oct.
  31, 2014, while 1,062 churches came under attack. L'Osservatore comments that this kind of violence is also perpetrated against many other religious and ethnic minorities, revealing a worrisome rise in intolerance not isolated solely to the Middle East, the scene of fighting and aggression by Islamic State (IS) militants. The paper summarises the dossier, which also states the fact that religious wars are started for precise political and hegemonic ends, and calls for differences to be laid aside in order to strive for peace. Branches of Caritas in the Middle East have been increasingly successful in working towards an active collaboration between Muslims and Christians.
  The declared aim of Caritas is to shed light on the causes of the persecution of Christians in the world, taking into account the economic, cultural and geopolitical variables of each of the countries involved, while giving voice to the silent testimony of the many Christians who continue to practice their faith despite risking their lives. In July 2014, IS militants stormed Mosul, triggering an exodus that led to more than a million people taking refuge in the Iraqi region of Kurdistan.
  These Christians, Yazidi and other minorities found shelter in Erbil, Dohuk and Zakho. The situation has got progressively worse, as cyclical waves of refugees continue to make for the same part of Kurdistan. (AGI)