Wednesday 22 March 2017 | 9:30 – 12:00 | European Parliament, Brussels

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), in collaboration with the People’s Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (PAFD) and MEP Liliana Rodrigues (S&D), will be holding a conference entitled ‘Women’s Inferno in Ethiopia’ at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The primary aim of the conference is to raise awareness about the deteriorating condition of human rights in Ethiopia. This focus comprises the human rights abuses faced by marginalised ethnic groups, and more specifically, the rife sexual and gender-based violence that disproportionately affects women in these communities. To this end, the conference will centre on the plight of women from Ogaden and Oromo, but also from Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, and Sidama.

Two years have passed since UNPO’s conference entitled ‘Minority Women’s Rights: an Ethiopian Inferno?’, and now the organisation seeks to bring these issues back to the table with a particular spotlight on sexual violence. Bringing together a variety of internal and peripheral perspectives, this conference will converge around broad issues, such as the state of human rights in Ethiopia, and around more detailed concerns regarding institutionalised rape and other forms of gender-based violence.

The conference programme will soon be available. For further information, please contact Julie Duval ([email protected]).