The problem is not just that advancements in women’s rights in Ethiopia seem to have come to a standstill—whoever calls to attention these grievances and the betrayal of the female half of the population runs a real risk of reprisals. Because of this, the author of this grim report on stalled development has asked to remain anonymous.
Though the Ethiopian constitution has a progressive nature, the oppression is still in place for lack of enforcing capacity by the government. 85% of the Ethiopian people live in rural areas and it is here that much of the repression against women takes place. There are Amharic proverbs in Ethiopia which mostly are offensive and degrading to women: “a woman and a donkey can bear a rainfall; a child raised by a woman looks like …” there are many more of such sayings.
When a mother gives birth to a baby girl, the baby is considered as something unwanted. To the contrary, there will be celebrations when a baby boy is born. This is where the repression against women starts. We start to forget that our mothers, sisters, wives and partners are women and we put them in a predicament. A school age girl won’t be allowed to attend school with a pretext that she may be raped, abducted or harmed while going to school. Girls are circumcised depending on the context of each culture and tradition. Some of the circumcisions are so horrific that girls will endure a great deal of pain and agony after the practice.
