From frying pan into fire: Why Ethiopians would rather die in Middle East wars than grinding poverty at home
Mesel Kindeya made the crossing in 2016 via the same sea route as the boat that capsized on Sunday, travelling without papers on harrowing journeys arranged by smugglers from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia.
Report: When Tigrayan conflict ended in Ethiopia it triggered a surge in rape and violence against women
Women can be double victims. An entrenched cultural idea of a woman’s “purity” often stigmatises survivors – forcing them into silence. They are left alone to bear the burden of what they have been forced to endure as communities become desensitised to the horror.