Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

===Victoria Climbié's death (UK)===
{{Main|Murder of Victoria Climbié}}

Victoria Climbié was an eight-year-old child whose cruel<ref>From Victoria Climbié Inquiry Report, cited below: "who ended her days the victim of almost unimaginable cruelty"</ref> death in the UK led to major changes in child protection policies. She died from abuse and neglect while living with her great-aunt Marie-Therese Kouao and the aunt's boyfriend. Victoria was seen by dozens of [[social worker]]s, [[nurse]]s, doctors and police officers before she died, and by a pastor of the UCKG, but all failed to spot or stop the abuse. Kouao and her boyfriend were charged with child cruelty and [[murder]]. During police interviews, both claimed that Victoria was [[demonic possession|possessed by evil spirits]]. They were both convicted of murder and sentenced to [[life imprisonment]].<ref name=climbiereport/> Victoria's murder led to a [[public inquiry]] which investigated the role of social services, the [[National Health Service]], the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and the police in her death.<ref name=climbiereport>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmhealth/570/570.pdf House of Commons Health Committee, ''The Victoria Climbié Inquiry Report,'' Sixth Report of Session 2002–03]</ref>

In February 2000 UCKG Pastor Álvaro Lima, later promoted to a UCKG bishop (and Led the UK headquarters from 2016 to 2021), saw the girl and expressed the view that she was possessed by an evil spirit,<ref name=climbiereport/> saying in a written statement to the inquiry that Victoria had told him "that Satan controlled her life, that Satan had told her to burn her body".<ref name=prayed/> He advised Kouao to bring Victoria back to the church a week later,<ref name=climbiereport/> saying later he suspected she was being abused, but he did not notify any officials. He prayed for her with an assistant.<ref name=prayed>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1695601.stm "Pastor prayed for 'possessed' Victoria"], BBC, 6 December 2001, retrieved 23 April 2010</ref> He saw her again several days later with her great aunt (pretending to be Climbié's mother), and advised Kouao to take the girl to the hospital, where she died of her abuse.<ref name="Victoria's life of horror">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1102191.stm Victoria's life of horror]", BBC, 12 January 2001, retrieved 23 April 2010</ref> The UCKG had been planning to hold a service to "[[Exorcism|cast out the devil]]" from her on the day she died.<ref name="Victoria's life of horror"/>

Following Climbié's death, the UCKG stated that they had placed safeguarding measures in place to prevent the use of "strong prayers" on children. In 2023, the BBC reported that "strong prayers" had been used on a 16 year old boy in the UK, prompting questions as to the effectiveness of these measures.<ref name="bbc-dec2023"/>