AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Where is the Worst Part of Ethiopia to be a Woman?

First of all, women in Ethiopia really have it rough across the board. The UNICEF report on "Harmful Traditional Practices" linked below really lays out some mindblowing statistics.

For the Country as a Whole:

78% of women are victims of Female Genital Mutilation.

57% of Women are forced in to "early marriage". Marriage is usually consummated when the girl is 12.

72% of women are victims of marriage by abduction.

The numbers above are awful, but some areas of the country are much worse. In Afar, 96% of the women are mutilated, 66% are abducted, but "only" 46% are sentenced to early marriage. Benishangul is the model for consistency with 63% mutilated, 62% married early, and 69% abducted for marriage. In Somali, 100% of women are mutilated, but only 26% are forced to marry "early" and 33% are abducted.

It's a close race, but my vote for the worst area of Ethiopia to be a woman would be the Oromia with 99% mutilated, 49% forced into early marriage, and 80% of the women abducted for marriage.