04-15-2021, 11:40 AM | #6801 |
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‘Kept in sexual slavery’: Hundreds of women report horrific violence by troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray region REUTERS PUBLISHED APRIL 15, 2021 The young mother was trying to get home with food for her two children when she says soldiers pulled her off a minibus in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, claiming it was overloaded. It was the beginning of an 11-day ordeal in February, during which she says she was repeatedly raped by 23 soldiers who forced nails, a rock and other items into her vagina, and threatened her with a knife. Doctors showed Reuters the bloodstained stone and two 3-inch nails they said they had removed from her body. The woman, 27, is among hundreds who have reported that they were subjected to horrific sexual violence by Ethiopian and allied Eritrean soldiers after fighting broke out in November in the mountainous northern region of Ethiopia, doctors said. Some women were held captive for extended periods, days or weeks at a time, said Dr. Fasika Amdeselassie, the top public health official for the government-appointed interim administration in Tigray. “Women are being kept in sexual slavery,” Fasika told Reuters. “The perpetrators have to be investigated.” Reports of rape have been circulating for months. But Fasika’s assertion, based on women’s accounts, marks the first time an Ethiopian official – in this case, a top regional health officer – has made a sexual slavery accusation in connection with the conflict in Tigray. In addition, eight other doctors at five public hospitals told Reuters that most of the rape victims described their attackers as either Ethiopian government soldiers or Eritrean troops. It was more common for women to report sexual violence by Eritrean soldiers, the doctors said. The Eritreans have been helping Ethiopia’s central government fight the region’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), in the conflict plaguing the Horn of Africa nation. Taken together, the descriptions paint the most detailed picture to date of the sexual violence against women in Tigray and the military’s alleged involvement in it. Most people interviewed for this article declined to be identified. They said they feared reprisals, including possible violence, by soldiers who guard the hospitals and towns. Neither the Ethiopian nor the Eritrean governments responded to Reuters’ questions about specific cases raised by women and their doctors, or about the accusation of sexual slavery. No charges have been announced by civilian or military prosecutors against any soldiers. However, officials in both countries emphasized that their governments have zero tolerance for sexual violence – The alleged sexual violence has drawn international attention. An Ethiopian military spokesman and the head of a government task force on the Tigray crisis did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment. Reuters could not reach military leaders in either country. Asked about the reports that Eritrean troops have committed rapes in Tigray and are keeping women in sexual slavery, the country’s information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, accused TPLF activists of “coaching ‘sympathizers’ to create false testimonies.” “All the fabricated stories – which are alien to our culture and laws – are peddled to cover up the crimes of the TPLF which started the war,” he told Reuters in a written response. RECORDS OF ABUSE Fasika, the health official, said at least 829 cases of sexual assault have been reported at the five hospitals since the conflict in Tigray began. Those cases were likely “the tip of the iceberg,” Fasika said. Rape is under-reported in Ethiopia because it carries a huge stigma. Also, most of the region’s health facilities are no longer functioning, and travel between towns remains dangerous, he said. Most of the women who have come forward are either pregnant or sustained severe physical injury from the rapes, Fasika said. Reuters interviewed 11 women who said they had been raped by soldiers from Eritrea, Ethiopia or both. Four said they were kidnapped, taken to military camps and gang raped, in some cases alongside other women. The women did not know the camp names but said they were located near Mekelle and the towns of Idaga Hamus, Wukro and Sheraro. Five other women said they were held in fields or deserted houses for up to six days. And two said they were raped in their own homes. Reuters could not independently verify their accounts. However, all told similar stories of being beaten and brutalized. Healthcare providers confirmed that the 11 women’s injuries were consistent with the events they described, and they showed Reuters medical records for three of the women detailing their conditions. The health care providers also shared details of nine other cases of sexual assault, including the ordeals of two 14-year-old girls. Although Ethiopia’s government declared victory over the TPLF in November, fighting continues in some areas, and medical workers say new rapes are reported at the region’s health facilities every day. “This is being done to dishonour the women, to break their pride,” said a doctor at Ayder Referral Hospital, in Mekelle, citing the brutality of the attacks and humiliation of victims. “This is not for sexual gratification. The rapes are to punish Tigray.” ‘TELL MY STORY’ The 27-year-old mother said uniformed soldiers from Eritrea pulled her off a minibus on the road from Mekelle to the city of Adigrat on Feb. 6. They tied her up and marched her through fields to a bush camp, she said. After 11 days of rapes and beatings, she said, the soldiers forced nails, cotton, plastic bags and a rock into her vagina and left her alone in the bush. Villagers found her unconscious and brought her to a nearby hospital. She said she was still bleeding from severe internal injuries and could not control her urine, walk without a crutch or sit up for long periods. One leg was broken, she said. She also described a different kind of pain: While in the hospital, she has no way to speak to her 4-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter because the Eritrean soldiers took her cellphone. She had left the children with her mother to search for food and never returned. At the time, the family had less than a week’s worth of bread. “I don’t know anything, if they are dead or alive,” she said. “The enemy destroyed my life.” A 32-year-old mother in Mekelle told Reuters that soldiers removed her from a minibus on the same road at the end of February. They were dressed in Ethiopian uniforms, she said, but spoke with an Eritrean accent and had traditional facial scarification typical of the neighbouring country. She said they shot her 12-year-old son dead in front of her, then brought her to a camp where she was held with other female captives and repeatedly raped for 10 days. “Tell my story,” she said. “This is happening to women out there right now. I want this to end with me.” A 28-year-old house cleaner said soldiers grabbed her from a street in Mekelle on the afternoon of Feb. 10 and took her to a field outside a military base where she was raped by more than 10 men wearing Ethiopian or Eritrean uniforms. Wiping away tears, she said that during her two-week ordeal, soldiers doused her with alcohol and mocked her as they assaulted her. She escaped when her captors were distracted by gunfire, she said. SHOT FOR RESISTING Knowing their rapists are still at large also has discouraged women from seeking help, doctors said. Many of the women who sought treatment at hospitals had vaginal and anal tears, sexually transmitted diseases and injuries that rendered them incontinent, said the Ayder hospital doctor, an obstetrician gynecologist. The doctor shared notes from 11 cases the hospital had treated involving women raped by soldiers. One woman had been gang raped on three separate occasions, according to the hospital notes. Another was five months pregnant when she was raped, the notes indicate. Two 14-year-old girls were sexually assaulted in front of their families. One girl had a hand and foot amputated. She had been shot for resisting her assailant.
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04-27-2021, 09:06 PM | #6802 |
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I'm better now, thank Goodness. But I have spent the last 8 days recovering from chemo. I think the effects of chemo are lasting longer, the more treatments I have. Today is the first day I'm not aching all over. At least I have almost two whole weeks of okay-ness - or better than okay-ness - before I have to go again!
And, I'm halfway through with chemo (Yay!) - I've finished 3 treatments, and I have only 3 left.
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05-09-2021, 03:29 AM | #6803 |
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Feeling pretty good on this morning near the lake. Received a wine & country basket from my buddies on the west coast and a lovely rainbow rose-in-a-snowball thingy from the nieces and nephews. Some of the neices and nephews love showing their support for their lesbian Aunty with rainbow themes. Lucky me!
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05-09-2021, 03:10 PM | #6804 |
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Personally, I feel good. I've been very productive today so far and feel quite accomplished. What I don't like is what is happening with Gracie. She's excessively licking her legs, creating bald patches, so a trip to the vet is on the menu. The problem is finding a way to get her there since I work 6 days a week and during the vet's office hours. I might have to switch vets to one that will accommodate my schedule and/or is open on Sundays.
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05-11-2021, 08:46 PM | #6805 |
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Feeling okay for the day after chemo. I am now 2/3 done with chemo! I have slept most of today. Not much appetite, but I did get a little hungry by dinner time. Just a little achy, right in the middle of my back - taking ibuprofen, even though I'm not supposed to. Sometimes you just gotta.
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05-14-2021, 02:21 PM | #6806 |
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Relaxed. First summer Friday of year (every other Friday off for the rest of the summer) and I didn't realize how much I needed the extra break.
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05-17-2021, 09:59 PM | #6807 |
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I feel a bit nervous, because of the heavy winds tonight. Restless and tired.
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05-19-2021, 06:03 PM | #6808 |
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Super hot and very uncomfortable in this 75 and 80 degrees that is suppose to keep up for a week. Wishing for spring now summer is here, careful what you wish for.
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05-20-2021, 09:48 AM | #6809 |
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I'm the same way, Stone. My happy place is 55-60 degrees with sunshine. These 80 plus degree days are feeling very stodgy. I've definitely acclimated to the NE cold. When I moved here, my most comfortable temp was around 75.
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05-20-2021, 06:41 PM | #6810 |
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I live in MA and it was 88 degrees today. Soooooooo hot. It takes me a few weeks to adjust. I like it when it is around 70 and sunny.
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05-20-2021, 08:25 PM | #6811 |
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I am with you Gemme, 60 is perfect for me all year long.
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05-21-2021, 09:48 AM | #6812 |
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It's 75*F with a light breeze here and that's just about perfect for me. I'm having the first genuinely good day since my last chemo treatment. The effects took about 10 days to wear off this time. Now I've got a respite of about another 10 days until my next treatment. I'm going to enjoy feeling better than "meh" and get some stuff done in the meantime.
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05-21-2021, 08:22 PM | #6813 | |
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Yes, exactly! For thread compliance, I feel better now that the vet visit is over as I always dread those for Gracie. She's so spastic about going into the carrier. I also feel better after speaking with one of my former employees about my current work situation. She gave me good, solid advice. I just hope that I can steer the course and not let my emotions get in my way. I need to play this out logically--like a chess game--which is not my forte. I'm definitely a 'feeler' that works on instinct and right now, I'm feeling angry. |
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05-23-2021, 05:58 PM | #6814 |
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I am working diligently on keeping My head in a positive space. To that end - on some days - it requires A LOT of diligence.
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05-23-2021, 06:23 PM | #6815 |
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Reach buddy, you need to keep yourself in a positive state no matter how hard it is at times. If you truly need support you can leave a message for me in my message box and I will keep in touch.
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05-24-2021, 11:28 AM | #6816 |
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pretty mellow
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05-24-2021, 04:15 PM | #6817 |
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I'm feeling pretty accomplished and thrifty right now!
I have been steadily paying down my credit cards for several years now, and after today's transactions, I am down to less than a year (11 months) of payments left before they are all completely paid off! I also requested my credit reports and disputed one error.
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05-24-2021, 04:41 PM | #6818 |
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I am feeling pretty good considering what some other people are going through on a daily basis. I know if I win the $ it will be doled out to help a lot of folks.
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05-24-2021, 05:41 PM | #6819 | |
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05-25-2021, 08:43 PM | #6820 |
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Relieved! My boss put the kibosh on the merge between my store and another. After only a week, it was starting to get vicious. Managers at different stores taking sides and one in particular outright lying and playing the victim to get sympathy. I also found out someone was holding a grudge for something that happened 6 YEARS ago! Jeebuz help us all.
I know my supervisor was disappointed that it wasn't going to work out but if anyone had broached the idea to those of us in the field, they would have learned of the many, many concerns and problems that they faced in this exercise in futility. There are too many logistics that complicate matters for it to have even had a chance. This is what happens when people in the cubicles (or home offices) make decisions for people in the field without having a clue as to how it would effect everything and everyone. I am so very relieved. Did I mention that? |
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