The history of women and gender in Ethiopia

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Bride Price, Female Mutilation Still Common In Ethiopia: By Yemisrach Benalfew, IPS, 13 July 1999. The tradition bride sales, called 'gurgura,' is widely practiced among Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo. Traditional culture victimizes women. 30.7 percent of Ethiopia's population is against FGM, 74.7 percent oppose early marriage and 85.3 percent against abduction.
The Plight of women—A Call for a change!: By Tewedj Kebede, The Reporter (Addis Ababa), 8 December 1999. Women are the major victims of many harmful cultural practices. Abduction, rape and abortion were not considered to be serious problems in our country, but, especially in rural areas, as a must. Although the law forbids them, they are practiced by society.
Rural Ethiopian Women Suffer From Traditional Practices: By Yohannes Ruphael, Panafrican News Agency, 19 December 2000. Ethiopian rural women are obliged to travel long distances every day to fetch water from wells, and this exposes them to virulent abductors and rapists. Abductors get away with their crimes because of the customary mediations of community elders.
Women Rally To Demand Protection Of Their Rights: Panafrican News Agency (Dakar), 10 February 2001. The women marched to parliament building and the nearby council of state to deliver petitions to legislators and the Prime Minister’s office. They chanted slogans and carried placards exhorting the protection of women’s rights.
Irin Focus On Trafficking Of Women: UN Integrated Regional Information Network (Nairobi), 28 February 2001. A new study by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has highlighted the widespread human rights abuses suffered by Ethiopian women trafficked to Arab countries. Most are single females who find work in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, who find a lack of employment opportunities in Ethiopia.