Abstract:
A 27-year-old Coptic Christian woman who had been
in Beirut for 3 years and in Dubai for 5 years as a migrant
worker and who has now returned to Ethiopia,
discusses her experience: “The cause for my migration
was poverty and peer pressure. I encountered emotional
abuse by the children of employing families. My employers
themselves were not abusive
to me except for the heavy workload
they demanded. It tookme a long time
to become adjusted because I feared
that I would never be able to learn
their language and their different
eating customs, and they criticizedmy
dress. Their home felt too big to stay
alone in during the day. Iwas ashamed
of my identity when people assumed
that all Ethiopians had been raised in
famine and made remarks like ‘Are
there potatoes in your country?’ Others
told me, ‘All you Ethiopians are
poor beggars.’ . . . In Dubai, people
assumed that all Ethiopian women
were prostitutes, because a few were. Blacks were
considered inferior, including Ethiopians, because they
were poor. I developed a feeling of self-hatred, with
thoughts like ‘Why did God create us poor?When will I
start to live my own life?’ Now I view what happened as
inevitable challenges inmy life.But I blame themigration
for the fact that I remain unmarried and am left with a
burn scar on my face from working in a kitchen there. I
oftenexperienced‘kutakutayilegnal’ [anAmharicexpression
for being irritated frequently]. I had nightmares and dizzy
symptoms, but they ceased when I left the Arab countries. I
am relieved to be home, but when I was there I also felt sad
whenever I thought about those girls who did not have a
workvisa,because they didnothave the
freedom to move to escape their poverty.
I have never thought to visit a
doctor for mental health problems.”
A 22-year-old Muslim woman
who had worked in Dubai reported:
“I encountered attempted sexual violencewith
twosonsofemployers.They
called me using derogatory words—
kelib and ayhon, which mean dog and
animal, respectively.Themadambeat
me when she was angry. I was raped
and then imprisoned because of my
unwanted pregnancy from the rape.
I became suicidal and resolved to
return home. Despite all that happened,
I faced no challenge regarding my identity. I met
with Ethiopian women friends every Sunday and telephoned
them frequently. I saw a girl there who got mad
at her abuse by shouting back, ‘Ene yegemahu negn? [an
Amharic expression meaning ‘Am I dirt?’]. We were of
great help to each other. I am proud of being an Ethiopian,
because we are disciplined.”
