Hunger In Tigray Drives Women And Girls Into Sex Work Global Development

Banking services and all communications have been cut off in the state by the Ethiopian government since last year, leaving 6 million people without access to their own money. In the absence of aid and banking, people have relied heavily on money from family and friends abroad to survive, but restrictions on remittances have been imposed by Tigrayan authorities and action against money smugglers has been stepped up at checkpoints . Reports from inside Tigray indicate that many women and girls are forced to turn to sex work to survive, while others report that there has been an increase in suicides. Last week, EU and US envoys urged the Ethiopian government to quickly restart services and lift restrictions on the fuel needed to distribute aid. When Tigray rebel forces returned to power a year ago, after nearly eight months of fighting Ethiopian federal forces, Hewan* thought life could get better. Food was never a problem for the 16-year-old and her family, who had a good life, she said. “Now I’m hungry. My parents and siblings are hungry. For months, we waited in vain to get help,” said Hewan. “Relatives abroad sent us money through smugglers. But it’s hard to find remittance smugglers these days. The ones we used to know don’t work anymore. We sold every property we owned. There is nothing to eat in the house. So I hit the road to sell my body. What choice do I have?’ Like Huan, many women and girls in Tigray’s capital, Mekele, engage in survival sex, including underage girls and women who once had promising careers. Zufan* has a master’s degree in project management and before the war the 27-year-old had an established career with a good salary and plans to do a PhD. These days she sells her body to survive the hunger that claimed her parent’s life. “I saw my father die of malnutrition. He died in my arms. My mother is all bones. Warehouses are full of aid enough to feed the city. No fuel is required to distribute the aid in Mekelle. But people die unable to get the help they deserve. After losing my father to starvation, I had to do something to save my life and that of my mother. Hunger gives you no time. I tried to plead. But it doesn’t work as there are many beggars. I became a whore,” Zufan has money in her bank account, but banks in Tigray have stopped giving money, cut off from the central federal system and emptied of cash. For many desperate Tigryan women who have exhausted all alternatives, sex work is the only salvation. Last month, the news of a civil servant who killed himself in Mekelle after he could not bear to see his three children starve and his wife beg for food was widely circulated in the town. Araya*, 60, is a landlord and has been living on rental income from the houses he owns, but has failed to collect rent from his tenants who have no jobs and no money to pay him. What supported his life was the remittance sent to him by his children through the smugglers. Based on negotiations with the sender, the smugglers take 30% to 50% of the remittance and arrange for the remaining amount to be delivered to the recipient. “Without remittance, I would go begging or starve. I am so concerned to learn that many of the smugglers are being driven out of business. There is no other way to survive.” Araya said. Aid from the World Food Program distributed in May 2022. Smugglers accuse Tigray authorities of systematically shutting them down by setting up border posts with officers to restrict, block and confiscate remittances, which have already been made illegal by the Ethiopian government. “Trying to put money into Tigray is a frustrating and dangerous business to begin with. Not allowed by the federal government. Transportation is blocked in the area. We do this through connections and bribing officers. That’s why we take up to 50% of the remittance. Otherwise, it is impossible. And after going through many hurdles to get to Tigray, if we have no guarantee from Tigray authorities to deliver the cash to the hungry, why take risks?” said Chegei*, a former smuggler who quit his job in May after being stopped at the border by Tigrayan officers. Smugglers described harassment, criminalization, unpredictable restrictions on the amount of money one can carry into Tigray, and confiscation of money meant for starving people. “This is work for us, but a lifesaver for people who are dying of hunger. I don’t know why our authorities are creating such restrictions while millions are dying of hunger. Previously, the flow was smooth once it reached the Tigray border. But after April it has become a nightmare. My colleagues and I left the business because of this,” said Abadi*, another former smuggler. “We want free access at least to Tigray. Otherwise, it’s not worth it. After all it is money for people who are suffering from famine. There should be no obstruction. This is tough.” Others accused the Tigray authorities of confiscating the money for themselves at checkpoints. “There was 73,000 birr (£1,147) that I tried to hand over. The money was sent to family members in terrible condition without anything to eat. Tigray authorities took the money. I was not given any valid reason by their officers. Of course, in public they give many excuses. But the reality is that they set up the posts to grab money at the expense of dying family members. I stopped working after this incident. There was no guarantee that I would continue,” said Burkett*, another former smuggler. An internal decree seen by the Guardian confirms the accounts. The decree states that it is illegal to carry more than 100,000 birr and cash flowing into the area must be reported at border stations. If someone is found to be operating outside of it, the person will be charged with committing a crime and the Tigray government can confiscate the money directly, based on the decision of a committee set up for the project. The commission is chaired by Fetlework Gebregziabher, deputy prime minister of Tigray. The decree is signed and sealed by Fetelework and has been in effect since April. A Tigray government spokesman denied any money was seized and told the Guardian there was not enough cash to justify such restrictions. “We rather encourage any possible cash inflow. But illegal activities must be checked,” he said. *Denotes name has changed.

title: “Hunger In Tigray Drives Women And Girls Into Sex Work Global Development Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-11” author: “Samuel Brown”

Banking services and all communications have been cut off in the state by the Ethiopian government since last year, leaving 6 million people without access to their own money. In the absence of aid and banking, people have relied heavily on money from family and friends abroad to survive, but restrictions on remittances have been imposed by Tigrayan authorities and action against money smugglers has been stepped up at checkpoints . Reports from inside Tigray indicate that many women and girls are forced to turn to sex work to survive, while others report that there has been an increase in suicides. Last week, EU and US envoys urged the Ethiopian government to quickly restart services and lift restrictions on the fuel needed to distribute aid. When Tigray rebel forces returned to power a year ago, after nearly eight months of fighting Ethiopian federal forces, Hewan* thought life could get better. Food was never a problem for the 16-year-old and her family, who had a good life, she said. “Now I’m hungry. My parents and siblings are hungry. For months, we waited in vain to get help,” said Hewan. “Relatives abroad sent us money through smugglers. But it’s hard to find remittance smugglers these days. The ones we used to know don’t work anymore. We sold every property we owned. There is nothing to eat in the house. So I hit the road to sell my body. What choice do I have?’ Like Huan, many women and girls in Tigray’s capital, Mekele, engage in survival sex, including underage girls and women who once had promising careers. Zufan* has a master’s degree in project management and before the war the 27-year-old had an established career with a good salary and plans to do a PhD. These days she sells her body to survive the hunger that claimed her parent’s life. “I saw my father die of malnutrition. He died in my arms. My mother is all bones. Warehouses are full of aid enough to feed the city. No fuel is required to distribute the aid in Mekelle. But people die unable to get the help they deserve. After losing my father to starvation, I had to do something to save my life and that of my mother. Hunger gives you no time. I tried to plead. But it doesn’t work as there are many beggars. I became a whore,” Zufan has money in her bank account, but banks in Tigray have stopped giving money, cut off from the central federal system and emptied of cash. For many desperate Tigryan women who have exhausted all alternatives, sex work is the only salvation. Last month, the news of a civil servant who killed himself in Mekelle after he could not bear to see his three children starve and his wife beg for food was widely circulated in the town. Araya*, 60, is a landlord and has been living on rental income from the houses he owns, but has failed to collect rent from his tenants who have no jobs and no money to pay him. What supported his life was the remittance sent to him by his children through the smugglers. Based on negotiations with the sender, the smugglers take 30% to 50% of the remittance and arrange for the remaining amount to be delivered to the recipient. “Without remittance, I would go begging or starve. I am so concerned to learn that many of the smugglers are being driven out of business. There is no other way to survive.” Araya said. Aid from the World Food Program distributed in May 2022. Smugglers accuse Tigray authorities of systematically shutting them down by setting up border posts with officers to restrict, block and confiscate remittances, which have already been made illegal by the Ethiopian government. “Trying to put money into Tigray is a frustrating and dangerous business to begin with. Not allowed by the federal government. Transportation is blocked in the area. We do this through connections and bribing officers. That’s why we take up to 50% of the remittance. Otherwise, it is impossible. And after going through many hurdles to get to Tigray, if we have no guarantee from Tigray authorities to deliver the cash to the hungry, why take risks?” said Chegei*, a former smuggler who quit his job in May after being stopped at the border by Tigrayan officers. Smugglers described harassment, criminalization, unpredictable restrictions on the amount of money one can carry into Tigray, and confiscation of money meant for starving people. “This is work for us, but a lifesaver for people who are dying of hunger. I don’t know why our authorities are creating such restrictions while millions are dying of hunger. Previously, the flow was smooth once it reached the Tigray border. But after April it has become a nightmare. My colleagues and I left the business because of this,” said Abadi*, another former smuggler. “We want free access at least to Tigray. Otherwise, it’s not worth it. After all it is money for people who are suffering from famine. There should be no obstruction. This is tough.” Others accused the Tigray authorities of confiscating the money for themselves at checkpoints. “There was 73,000 birr (£1,147) that I tried to hand over. The money was sent to family members in terrible condition without anything to eat. Tigray authorities took the money. I was not given any valid reason by their officers. Of course, in public they give many excuses. But the reality is that they set up the posts to grab money at the expense of dying family members. I stopped working after this incident. There was no guarantee that I would continue,” said Burkett*, another former smuggler. An internal decree seen by the Guardian confirms the accounts. The decree states that it is illegal to carry more than 100,000 birr and cash flowing into the area must be reported at border stations. If someone is found to be operating outside of it, the person will be charged with committing a crime and the Tigray government can confiscate the money directly, based on the decision of a committee set up for the project. The commission is chaired by Fetlework Gebregziabher, deputy prime minister of Tigray. The decree is signed and sealed by Fetelework and has been in effect since April. A Tigray government spokesman denied any money was seized and told the Guardian there was not enough cash to justify such restrictions. “We rather encourage any possible cash inflow. But illegal activities must be checked,” he said. *Denotes name has changed.

title: “Hunger In Tigray Drives Women And Girls Into Sex Work Global Development Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-12” author: “Roger Cobb”

Banking services and all communications have been cut off in the state by the Ethiopian government since last year, leaving 6 million people without access to their own money. In the absence of aid and banking, people have relied heavily on money from family and friends abroad to survive, but restrictions on remittances have been imposed by Tigrayan authorities and action against money smugglers has been stepped up at checkpoints . Reports from inside Tigray indicate that many women and girls are forced to turn to sex work to survive, while others report that there has been an increase in suicides. Last week, EU and US envoys urged the Ethiopian government to quickly restart services and lift restrictions on the fuel needed to distribute aid. When Tigray rebel forces returned to power a year ago, after nearly eight months of fighting Ethiopian federal forces, Hewan* thought life could get better. Food was never a problem for the 16-year-old and her family, who had a good life, she said. “Now I’m hungry. My parents and siblings are hungry. For months, we waited in vain to get help,” said Hewan. “Relatives abroad sent us money through smugglers. But it’s hard to find remittance smugglers these days. The ones we used to know don’t work anymore. We sold every property we owned. There is nothing to eat in the house. So I hit the road to sell my body. What choice do I have?’ Like Huan, many women and girls in Tigray’s capital, Mekele, engage in survival sex, including underage girls and women who once had promising careers. Zufan* has a master’s degree in project management and before the war the 27-year-old had an established career with a good salary and plans to do a PhD. These days she sells her body to survive the hunger that claimed her parent’s life. “I saw my father die of malnutrition. He died in my arms. My mother is all bones. Warehouses are full of aid enough to feed the city. No fuel is required to distribute the aid in Mekelle. But people die unable to get the help they deserve. After losing my father to starvation, I had to do something to save my life and that of my mother. Hunger gives you no time. I tried to plead. But it doesn’t work as there are many beggars. I became a whore,” Zufan has money in her bank account, but banks in Tigray have stopped giving money, cut off from the central federal system and emptied of cash. For many desperate Tigryan women who have exhausted all alternatives, sex work is the only salvation. Last month, the news of a civil servant who killed himself in Mekelle after he could not bear to see his three children starve and his wife beg for food was widely circulated in the town. Araya*, 60, is a landlord and has been living on rental income from the houses he owns, but has failed to collect rent from his tenants who have no jobs and no money to pay him. What supported his life was the remittance sent to him by his children through the smugglers. Based on negotiations with the sender, the smugglers take 30% to 50% of the remittance and arrange for the remaining amount to be delivered to the recipient. “Without remittance, I would go begging or starve. I am so concerned to learn that many of the smugglers are being driven out of business. There is no other way to survive.” Araya said. Aid from the World Food Program distributed in May 2022. Smugglers accuse Tigray authorities of systematically shutting them down by setting up border posts with officers to restrict, block and confiscate remittances, which have already been made illegal by the Ethiopian government. “Trying to put money into Tigray is a frustrating and dangerous business to begin with. Not allowed by the federal government. Transportation is blocked in the area. We do this through connections and bribing officers. That’s why we take up to 50% of the remittance. Otherwise, it is impossible. And after going through many hurdles to get to Tigray, if we have no guarantee from Tigray authorities to deliver the cash to the hungry, why take risks?” said Chegei*, a former smuggler who quit his job in May after being stopped at the border by Tigrayan officers. Smugglers described harassment, criminalization, unpredictable restrictions on the amount of money one can carry into Tigray, and confiscation of money meant for starving people. “This is work for us, but a lifesaver for people who are dying of hunger. I don’t know why our authorities are creating such restrictions while millions are dying of hunger. Previously, the flow was smooth once it reached the Tigray border. But after April it has become a nightmare. My colleagues and I left the business because of this,” said Abadi*, another former smuggler. “We want free access at least to Tigray. Otherwise, it’s not worth it. After all it is money for people who are suffering from famine. There should be no obstruction. This is tough.” Others accused the Tigray authorities of confiscating the money for themselves at checkpoints. “There was 73,000 birr (£1,147) that I tried to hand over. The money was sent to family members in terrible condition without anything to eat. Tigray authorities took the money. I was not given any valid reason by their officers. Of course, in public they give many excuses. But the reality is that they set up the posts to grab money at the expense of dying family members. I stopped working after this incident. There was no guarantee that I would continue,” said Burkett*, another former smuggler. An internal decree seen by the Guardian confirms the accounts. The decree states that it is illegal to carry more than 100,000 birr and cash flowing into the area must be reported at border stations. If someone is found to be operating outside of it, the person will be charged with committing a crime and the Tigray government can confiscate the money directly, based on the decision of a committee set up for the project. The commission is chaired by Fetlework Gebregziabher, deputy prime minister of Tigray. The decree is signed and sealed by Fetelework and has been in effect since April. A Tigray government spokesman denied any money was seized and told the Guardian there was not enough cash to justify such restrictions. “We rather encourage any possible cash inflow. But illegal activities must be checked,” he said. *Denotes name has changed.

title: “Hunger In Tigray Drives Women And Girls Into Sex Work Global Development Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-09” author: “Kristin Temple”

Banking services and all communications have been cut off in the state by the Ethiopian government since last year, leaving 6 million people without access to their own money. In the absence of aid and banking, people have relied heavily on money from family and friends abroad to survive, but restrictions on remittances have been imposed by Tigrayan authorities and action against money smugglers has been stepped up at checkpoints . Reports from inside Tigray indicate that many women and girls are forced to turn to sex work to survive, while others report that there has been an increase in suicides. Last week, EU and US envoys urged the Ethiopian government to quickly restart services and lift restrictions on the fuel needed to distribute aid. When Tigray rebel forces returned to power a year ago, after nearly eight months of fighting Ethiopian federal forces, Hewan* thought life could get better. Food was never a problem for the 16-year-old and her family, who had a good life, she said. “Now I’m hungry. My parents and siblings are hungry. For months, we waited in vain to get help,” said Hewan. “Relatives abroad sent us money through smugglers. But it’s hard to find remittance smugglers these days. The ones we used to know don’t work anymore. We sold every property we owned. There is nothing to eat in the house. So I hit the road to sell my body. What choice do I have?’ Like Huan, many women and girls in Tigray’s capital, Mekele, engage in survival sex, including underage girls and women who once had promising careers. Zufan* has a master’s degree in project management and before the war the 27-year-old had an established career with a good salary and plans to do a PhD. These days she sells her body to survive the hunger that claimed her parent’s life. “I saw my father die of malnutrition. He died in my arms. My mother is all bones. Warehouses are full of aid enough to feed the city. No fuel is required to distribute the aid in Mekelle. But people die unable to get the help they deserve. After losing my father to starvation, I had to do something to save my life and that of my mother. Hunger gives you no time. I tried to plead. But it doesn’t work as there are many beggars. I became a whore,” Zufan has money in her bank account, but banks in Tigray have stopped giving money, cut off from the central federal system and emptied of cash. For many desperate Tigryan women who have exhausted all alternatives, sex work is the only salvation. Last month, the news of a civil servant who killed himself in Mekelle after he could not bear to see his three children starve and his wife beg for food was widely circulated in the town. Araya*, 60, is a landlord and has been living on rental income from the houses he owns, but has failed to collect rent from his tenants who have no jobs and no money to pay him. What supported his life was the remittance sent to him by his children through the smugglers. Based on negotiations with the sender, the smugglers take 30% to 50% of the remittance and arrange for the remaining amount to be delivered to the recipient. “Without remittance, I would go begging or starve. I am so concerned to learn that many of the smugglers are being driven out of business. There is no other way to survive.” Araya said. Aid from the World Food Program distributed in May 2022. Smugglers accuse Tigray authorities of systematically shutting them down by setting up border posts with officers to restrict, block and confiscate remittances, which have already been made illegal by the Ethiopian government. “Trying to put money into Tigray is a frustrating and dangerous business to begin with. Not allowed by the federal government. Transportation is blocked in the area. We do this through connections and bribing officers. That’s why we take up to 50% of the remittance. Otherwise, it is impossible. And after going through many hurdles to get to Tigray, if we have no guarantee from Tigray authorities to deliver the cash to the hungry, why take risks?” said Chegei*, a former smuggler who quit his job in May after being stopped at the border by Tigrayan officers. Smugglers described harassment, criminalization, unpredictable restrictions on the amount of money one can carry into Tigray, and confiscation of money meant for starving people. “This is work for us, but a lifesaver for people who are dying of hunger. I don’t know why our authorities are creating such restrictions while millions are dying of hunger. Previously, the flow was smooth once it reached the Tigray border. But after April it has become a nightmare. My colleagues and I left the business because of this,” said Abadi*, another former smuggler. “We want free access at least to Tigray. Otherwise, it’s not worth it. After all it is money for people who are suffering from famine. There should be no obstruction. This is tough.” Others accused the Tigray authorities of confiscating the money for themselves at checkpoints. “There was 73,000 birr (£1,147) that I tried to hand over. The money was sent to family members in terrible condition without anything to eat. Tigray authorities took the money. I was not given any valid reason by their officers. Of course, in public they give many excuses. But the reality is that they set up the posts to grab money at the expense of dying family members. I stopped working after this incident. There was no guarantee that I would continue,” said Burkett*, another former smuggler. An internal decree seen by the Guardian confirms the accounts. The decree states that it is illegal to carry more than 100,000 birr and cash flowing into the area must be reported at border stations. If someone is found to be operating outside of it, the person will be charged with committing a crime and the Tigray government can confiscate the money directly, based on the decision of a committee set up for the project. The commission is chaired by Fetlework Gebregziabher, deputy prime minister of Tigray. The decree is signed and sealed by Fetelework and has been in effect since April. A Tigray government spokesman denied any money was seized and told the Guardian there was not enough cash to justify such restrictions. “We rather encourage any possible cash inflow. But illegal activities must be checked,” he said. *Denotes name has changed.