END THE EXCUSES:
STOP JUSTIFYING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
By Yonatan Tamiru, Communication Specialist, PSI Ethiopia
“At first, I thought it was normal, something I should just accept as part of the job. But later, after testing positive for HIV, I felt deeply frustrated and even contemplated suicide,” recounts Gari, a 30-year-old female sex worker from Addis Ababa, on her harrowing experience with workplace gender-based violence. Gari currently receives life-saving Anti-retroviral treatment at one of the PSI-led, USAID funded MULU Key Populations HIV program Drop-in-Centers (DICs).
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive reality for countless women. It manifests in various forms throughout their daily lives, affecting their physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Many, like Gari, are left wondering if society even recognizes the violence they endure simply because they are women, and in sex work — and whether the community understands the many faces of GBV, including violence that occurs in workplaces. Work-force related GBV, though quite common, is often overlooked, and it disproportionately affects female sex workers. Globally, studies indicate that 41–65% of cis-gender female sex workers experience some form of violence during their lives, which is significantly higher rates when compared to female counterparts in general population at 27.8% to 32.2%.
A cross-sectional study conducted across 11 major towns in Ethiopia reported; 17.5% of FSWs experienced physical violence in the past year, and 15.2% had been raped since beginning sex work (BMJ Open). Additionally, research in Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia, found that 75.6% of commercial sex workers had experienced sexual violence. (Reproductive Health)
Gari’s story reveals the toll of gender-based violence on FSWs, majority of whom aren’t willingly in sex work. After losing her father at 15, Gari married an older man hoping to help her struggling family. Abandoned by her husband after their divorce and left without any financial support, she moved to Addis Ababa to support her mother. However, the challenges of navigating life in the big city without a support network or stable income forced her to turn to sex work as her only viable option. After Gari entered sex work, she began having sexual encounters with multiple clients without proper protection, as she had little knowledge about available health services or where to access them.
First encounter with GBV: One night, Gari went with a client outside of her usual workplace and the client turned violent. He forced her into non-consensual sex, withheld payment, and physically assaulted her. She felt helpless and unsure of where to turn. Two days later, health outreach workers conducting HIV testing at her workplace neighborhood as part of the USAID MULU Key Population Activity, found her, and connected her to an FSW Drop-In Center (DIC) under the program for counseling. There, Gari tested positive for HIV, a diagnosis that shattered her. However, Gari recalls, the friendly services offered to her at the DIC in a stigma free, and non-discriminatory environment helped her find resilience in the face of adversity. “The past is behind me,” she says. “Now, I can support my mother through this sex work business. I urge others to seek help and report violence — it’s not something to accept as a way of life.”
In 2013, Population Services International (PSI) introduced the DIC model to cater for tailored HIV prevention services for Key populations. In 2016, these DICs started offering ART to clients they test within surrounding communities. These USAID MULU KP Activity’s Drop-In Centers, managed by local community-based organizations (CBOs) for sustainability of the response, have been critical to Ethiopia’s progress towards HIV epidemic control, and are also central to raising awareness about GBV among female sex workers. They also offer post-violence care and support services to GBV survivors and connect them to resources that can potentially empower them to speak-out and speak-up against GBV, along with other forms of economic sustenance.
As we come to the end of 16 days of activism against GBV, it’s important to remember that “None of us are truly safe from gender-based violence until all are safe.” Together, we must raise our voices, support survivors, and create communities that refuse to tolerate gender-based violence in any form. Ending this injustice requires us all.
