Monday, May 13, 2013

Ethiopia woman fights for rights in Middle East

(May 13, 2013, (ADDIS ABABA))--The issue of domestic workers’ rights in the Middle East has plagued Ethiopian women for years, with ongoing reports of abuse, neglect and sexual violence often coming to the forefront of media across the region.

One woman is taking on the battle and using her “inside” position, being married to a Lebanese man, to advocate for Ethiopian women’s rights as they continue to work in the Middle East in large numbers.

One year after the video-taped beating and eventual suicide of Alem Dechasa in Lebanon shocked and galvanized the Ethiopian community worldwide, domestic workers rights advocate Meskerem Assefa went to New York in order to highlight the continuing problems facing women in the region.

She was invited by the Ethiopian Social Assistance Committee as one of the featured guest speakers at the organization’s annual Women’s History Month panel on March 23rd in Manhattan focusing on Ethiopian women in the Middle East, Tadias Magazine reported.

“Every time I get the opportunity to speak to the media in Lebanon, I say stop abusing our girls,” Meskerem said in a follow-up interview. Meskerem, who moved to Beruit 11 years ago with her husband, is a Lebanese national by marriage. Read more from Bikya News »

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