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Ireland donates €100,000 to a women’s shelter in Ethiopia

Theo

A women’s shelter for victims of domestic violence – some of them only two years old – in Ethiopia, run by a retired judge, has received a donation of 100,000 euros from Ireland.

Maria Munir, a retired Federal Court judge, founded the house because she was frustrated that men with serious rape and incest allegations were regularly getting away with it in her courts.

This was due to a lack of evidence and the non-acceptance of victim statements, she told Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin during his visit to the complex. Now the shelter offers support, including medical and legal advice to women, although the vast majority are under 18.

Most have only completed primary school education and many are illiterate.

She said:

They are very, very young, under 18, we even had a two-year-old girl who was raped by an older person.

One victim was 70 years old, she explained. This woman went to church one morning and was gang-raped. There is no age limit, Ms Munir said repeatedly in a speech to the Irish visiting delegation.

Many are pregnant when they come for help, and the center also offers support for their young children. Incest is a common problem, and she has seen girls raped by their father, uncle or guardian.

“The worst thing is the father,” she said. “The only person you trust is your father. Being raped by your father is the worst thing.”

The home in the capital Addis Ababa is just one in a group that cares for “thousands of girls,” she said. They also have a home in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where a recent long and bloody conflict has left many traumatized.

Tánaiste Micheal Martin in Addis Ababa as part of his four-day trip to the Horn of Africa, where he met Irish Ambassador to Kenya Caitríona Ingolsby and Ethiopian women’s health activist Ifrah Ahmed.
Tánaiste Micheal Martin in Addis Ababa as part of his four-day trip to the Horn of Africa, where he met Irish Ambassador to Kenya Caitríona Ingolsby and Ethiopian women’s health activist Ifrah Ahmed.

The Association for Women’s Sanctuary and Development works closely with the police and prosecutors and also supports the courts. “The police can bring the women here, they will take their case and they will be good witnesses,” she said.

The victims are also receiving counseling. She added: “When they go to court, they will be good witnesses. Justice will prevail and the perpetrators will be punished somehow.”

Ms Munir said: “I wish I were a judge now because then I could find good witnesses and convict anyone.”

The Irish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Nicola Brennan, has been a strong supporter of the centre during her four-year term in office. She played a key role in building a wall and security gates around the site and donated around €20,000.

Last November, Ireland provided €60,000 to build consultation rooms instead of tents, she said, and a further €45,000 was raised at a charity ball and auction in Addis Ababa by Irish citizens living in the city for St Patrick’s Day.

Visibly moved

Mr. Martin was visibly moved by the reception he received. Some of the girls who had been at the center for some time performed a traditional dance and invited him to join in.

“Gender-based violence is universal, we must confront it and do everything we can to provide support to young girls and women,” he said. “The work you are doing couldn’t be more important. Reconstruction and recovery after war is so important, but individual recovery is the most important thing.”

During the visit, he announced “an additional 100,000 euros for this safe house.”

Ms Munir was visibly overwhelmed and hugged him before tearfully translating for the girls. The girls also receive access to education and training to help them develop skills such as handicrafts to generate income.

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