[ad_1]
By Etenesh Abera @EteneshAb Y
Bileh jelan @Bilejelan
Addis Ababa, October 6, 2020 – According to a report published by UNDP on gender-based violence (GBV), violence against women increases during all types of emergencies, be it conflict or war, economic crisis and disease outbreaks. Data from neighboring Kenya show that 45% of women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 have suffered physical violence, while 14% have suffered sexual violence. In South Africa, GBV activists reported that the hotline received 2,300 calls in the first days of the lockdown, almost three times the rate before the lockdown.
Ethiopia is no different, social trends have suggested that the country witnessed an increase in reported cases. The trend forced Almaz Aberha, former head of Addis Ababa’s Women, Children and Youth Bureau, to declare that in a period of two months 101 children were victimized and complaints were registered on their behalf. GBV as a challenge receives little or no attention in Ethiopia’s public and political discourse. This lack of discussion and open dialogue could be attributed to multiple factors: “the country’s conservative culture, social and economic stress, and the relative absence of a clear political initiative to address and manage the problem,” according to Ruth Yitbarek, an active member of the Yellow Movement, an initiative taken by students from Addis Ababa University Law School and their lecturer in 2011 to get involved in issues related to improving the rights of women and children in the country.
One of the biggest challenges faced by researchers, activists and journalists when it comes to gender-based violence is the absence of official data Ruth Yitbarek, agrees, adding: “The only data that is available and that everyone is using is data published by the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey Program in 2016 or EDHS. These data are relatively the best available. However, data on the subject is still limited and there is a large gap when it comes to data. ”This problem is highlighted by the lack of complete data from the responsible institution that oversees the research and implementation of pre-existing laws. Abebew Bogale, a researcher at the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth (MOWCA) told Addis Standard: “We have been conducting research and collecting comprehensive data covering the type of crime and the age of the victim among other necessary categories is ongoing. We have almost finished collecting data from all regional states. ” But she stressed that, “until the data collection process is finished, we are not authorized to disclose it.”
The subject of data related to gender violence has become the center of conversation in public discourse. Social trends showing an increase in incidents of criminal activity categorized as GBV since the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, led the Horn of Africa Strategic Initiative for Women (SIHA) to hold a webinar on the subject. The panelists presented findings that suggested that Addis Ababa, the Amhara regional state, and the Tigray regional state have seen an increase in cases of sexual violence and other forms of violence categorized under GBV, especially child marriage. The panelists also discussed the government’s failure to provide the necessary information and statistics, and described how the information that was released was withdrawn, leading to the dissemination of misleading information. They also discussed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s statement in parliament that cases of gender-based violence had seen a decline, a statement that runs counter to local and global social trends.
According to Tsion Molla, project manager for Setaweet Movement, “It is difficult to say that the number of callers increased due to COVID-19, because we only increased our efforts to promote the ‘Alegnta’ hotline service after the outbreak.” Tsion added: “Cases of gender-based violence are expected to increase during the pandemic, research and global trends indicate that there are multiple factors that may contribute to that increase.”
Other challenges include: lack of awareness of issues related to the rights of women and children and discriminatory practices in the legal system. The MoWCA is in charge of designing strategies that monitor and evaluate the elaboration of policies, legislation, programs and development projects by federal government bodies to ensure that they have due consideration of women’s issues, as well as conducting studies that identify discriminatory practices and follow up on their elimination. However, when MoWCA Women’s Affairs group legal advisor Dereje Tegyibelu was asked about the ministry’s efforts to eliminate such practices, he told Addis Standard: “The role of the ministry is limited to a advisory role, “a statement that opposes the proclamation. It describes the legal powers and duties of the ministry. The webinar conducted by SIHA suggested that the Ethiopian government has not yet taken steps to strengthen the enforcement and implementation of laws against tackling the problem. An indication of how much priority is given to the topic. The webinar also discussed how discriminatory practices by law enforcement agencies and the legal system that require eyewitness testimony for the complaint to be taken seriously are problematic as it is a difficult request to get into. most cases of gender violence.
“You can’t talk about gender-based violence without being introduced to child abuse,” according to Ruth Yitbarek. “Child abuse is a big problem. It can be physical, psychological or sexual. With this in mind, if the child is victimized on the basis of their gender, it can be considered GBV. “Ruth said while adding:” Patriarchy does not discriminate. It also affects young children. This dismissive attitude comes from a place of sexism deeply ingrained. Imagine finding data on GBV when it comes to child abuse is no different. Now imagine that when it comes to violence against children. “
Lemlem Berhanu, a researcher at the MoWCA and a member of the ministry’s Women’s Advocacy Team, told Addis Standard: “Most GBV cases can be classified as child abuse in our country as they are registered in the form of child marriage or female genital mutilation. (FGM). “When asked about the ministry’s efforts to address the problem, she said:” We have 24-hour child protection centers. We are also investigating the best way to address the problem. ” Data on child abuse is limited, inaccessible and sometimes unavailable, but a 2012 report published by the Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences showed that in Addis Ababa alone 38.5% of children were abused, 29% by family members and 68% by people they knew. . Since then, the data available on the subject showed no clear signs of the problem slowing down, culminating in the recent prevalence of reports suggesting cases are on the rise, including the retracted statement from the former women’s office, children and youth of Addis Ababa. head.
Addis Standard was successful after several attempts to gain access to official data on registered complaints of gender-based violence cases from the Attorney General’s Office. The data shows that the number of registered cases registered a decrease from 815 registered cases in the Ethiopian calendar (CE) 2011 to 712 in the recently concluded year 2012 of the Ethiopian calendar (CE). The data also shows that 43 defendants were acquitted in 2011 CE, while the number dropped to 18 in 2012 CE; There were 312 convictions in 2011 EC and 236 in 2012 EC; 113 cases were closed due to the absence of witnesses in the EC of 2011 and 102 in the EC of 2012 The data concluded showing that 347 cases from the Ethiopian year ended, 2012, have been transferred to the agenda of the 2013 EC.
[ad_2]
