Factsheet on Protecting Houses of Worship and Holy Sites

Places of worship and other religious sites should be sanctuaries where worshippers feel safe to practice their faith. Tragically, as the 2019 incidents in New Zealand and Sri Lanka attest, attacks on places of worship are occurring with greater frequency around the globe. Alongside these horrific attacks, places of worship are often harmed more subtly through the misuse of registration procedures to prevent their construction or renovation, or the malicious surveillance of holy sites to intimidate worshippers.