A Global Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits is taking place from 21 to 24 March 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand, at the joint initiative of the World Council and the Lutheran World Federation.

Thailand, the only Asian country not to have been occupied by a European power, has suffered from ongoing internal tensions associated with a political movement led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

A leading US Baptist has called on Christians to address the international crisis of women and girls who are being trafficked into prostitution, highlighting the social and economic conditions that breed the trade.