Ethiopia

The first assembly of Ethiopian Women's Federation was held in Adama, in Oromia Regional State at the weekend. Speaking at the opening Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Demeke Mekonnen, noted the significant contribution women continue to have in the country's new phase of development and their significant role in the on-going efforts to maintain peace, speed up development and build democracy in Ethiopia.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Demeke Mekonnen said women have significantly contributed in the efforts to enable the country enter a new development phase.

Gender equality is an issue that is afforded a significant amount of attention right now in Ethiopia. Many facets of public policy are designed to ensure the representation and benefit of women. For these reasons and many others, including the scores of exemplary women who have taken the lead against all odds, women are today offered more opportunities and are represented in every field.

The Ethiopian military responded to an April 2012 attack on a large commercial farm in Gambella region with arbitrary arrests, rape, and other abuses against scores of local villagers. Forced displacement, inadequate resources, and other abuses against Gambella's population persist in the second year of the government's “villagization” program.

The 9th Choice Women First 5Km run organized by Great Ethiopian Run will be held on Sunday March 11, 2012. The event is committed to empowering women and has grown from 5,000 participants to 9,000 in the past eight years. The event which is sponsored by various organizations including Choice, Plan International, Irish Aid, Concern and many others has become a popular annual women's festival in Ethiopia.

Saudi Arabian officials strip-searched 29 Christian women and assaulted six Christian men after arresting them for holding a prayer meeting at a private home in the western city of Jeddah, a Christian human rights advocacy group informed The Christian Post.

As Ethiopian women's rights organisations struggle to stay afloat following government legislation that prohibits them from receiving international funding, violence against women continues to rise, writes Billene Seyoum Woldeyes. But in the absence of social and institutional support, where can victims of gender-based violence turn to for help?

On several occasions, the Ethiopian media have reported about the prevalence of illegal trafficking in persons, mostly to the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula. The prevalence of illegal trafficking of children and women— both internal and translational crimes are grave concerns to Ethiopia.

Nearly 2,000 Ethiopian migrants trapped in violence-hit Yemen are being evacuated, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.

It said it had so far flown out 275 Ethiopians, some of whom had gun-shot wounds.

Yemen has been hit by months of instability, caused by the president's refusal to bow to opposition demands to quit.

Two Somali migrants were killed in the capital, Sanaa, last month.

The fistula usually develops when prolonged labour presses the unborn child so tightly in the birth canal that blood flow is cut off to the surrounding tissues, thus causing them to rot away. Another significant cause of obstetric fistula is sexual abuse/ rape, especially within conflict/post-conflict areas.