She Said She Fell! The Hidden Crisis of Gender Based Violence in Ethiopia
- Zebeaman Tibebu
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
🩸 If she suffered while pregnant, what happens to her on ordinary days?
🏥 Five Years Ago at Zewditu Memorial Hospital (true story)...
It was around midday when she arrived. A young pregnant woman, clutching her abdomen. She was in severe pain. Her face told a story her words refused to—raccoon eyes, deep bruises, and swelling in places no staircase/floor could reach. Her husband was right beside her, concerned, helpful—too helpful.
She said she had fallen down, landed directly on her gravid belly. This is an unlikely story. Her husband confirmed by nodding his head.
The obstetric emergency team acted fast. Ultrasound revealed a hemorrhage behind the placenta, the very organ keeping her baby alive. Her clinical signs show trauma (abuse)—the kind not caused by accident. She denied! Without her consent, there was no way of reporting it.
As she was in labor, she was admitted immediately. The pain of laboring mothers with APH is significantly higher than normal labor. Her pain was intense. After hours of labor, she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy
👩⚕️ But even in that moment of joy, one thought lingered in the healthcare team:
“If she suffered while pregnant, what happens to her on ordinary days?”
❗What Is Gender-Based Violence?
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes Gender-Based Violence (GBV) as:
📝 "Any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person's will, and that is based on socially ascribed gender differences. It includes:
🥊 Physical assault (beatings, choking, slapping)
❌ Sexual violence (rape, coercion, harassment)
😔 Psychological abuse (threats, humiliation, isolation)
💸 Economic control (withholding money, sabotaging employment)
⚔️ Harmful traditional practices (child marriage, FGM, wife inheritance)
📊 The Statistics We Can No Longer Ignore
In Ethiopia, the statistics are alarming.
👩❤️👨 One in three married women (34%) has ever experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) at least once in their lives ([EDHS, 2016]; [Chernet & Cherie, 2020]).
🩹 23.5% of women had experienced physical IPV ([Chernet & Cherie, 2020])
🚫 One in ten women (10.1%) indicated having had sexual IPV ([Chernet & Cherie, 2020]).
💔 One in four women (24%) of women indicated having had emotional IPV ([Chernet & Cherie, 2020]).
⏱️ Three in ten married women (30%) had experienced IPV within the last year ([Chernet & Cherie, 2020]).
✂️ Two-thirds of women (65%) in the age group 15–49 have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) ([EDHS, 2016]) (the number is declining)
👧 Approximately 40% of Ethiopian girls are married under the age of 18, and 14% under the age of 15 ([UN Women Africa, 2022]; [Child Marriage Data Portal, 2023]).
🤐 One in four women received support after being subjected to gender-based violence, with about 66% not reporting the violence to anyone ([EDHS, 2016]; [UN Women Africa, 2022]).
🧠 63% of women and 68% of men consider it acceptable for a husband to beat his wife in certain circumstances ([EDHS, 2016]).
🚨 We have to understand that these are not just numbers. They are a distress call. Every statistic is a woman like Zewditu. Every statistic is a story waiting to be told.
🧨 Why Do Survivors Keep Quiet?
🕯️ Cultural Silence and Shame
Our cultural structure and religious teachings shame and suppress women's voices. Holding the pain is a virtue. It is a sacrifice to keep family honor. Speaking out is to betray. Family pride comes before personal safety.
🏚️ No Safe Place to Go
Few shelters, fewer trauma units, and limited resources are limited as a nation. Home is not safe for these women. They just have no place to go.
🏥 Health Workers Are Not Prepared
Most health workers are not adequately trained at all in how to diagnose or treat GBV. Survivors are stitched up and sent out, and brought back—often to the same people who assaulted them. This could have been the possibility with that pregnant Mother.
⚖️ The Legal System also Fails Them
Laws exist, but there is a gap. Cases linger for years. Moreover, victims relive their trauma all over again when they follow legal proceedings. Moreover, they fear retaliation or being accused themselves.
💵 Economic Dependence
It is nearly impossible to leave an abuser if you're financially trapped. Some women are faced with a choice between homelessness and abuse. The choice is never simple
🏥 Time to Step Up the Health System
The health system can be the first lifeline. It is the point of first contact for most physically abused women. We need to transform clinics and hospitals into spaces where healing and protection occur, rather than just treatment.
When a woman shows up at a center with suspicious trauma, the response should not be: "Treat and send home."
It should be:
🗣️ "Are you safe?"
🤝 "Can we help you more than the physical treatment?"
🧍♀️ "You are not alone."
We have to understand, mothers will not risk their family. They would choose to suffer in silence rather than incriminate their Family. To be their voice, we have to adjust our response. This simple action can save the lives of the mother and her children. It will break the cycle of abuse.
✅ A Way Forward: Solutions Ethiopia Must Adopt
Ending GBV is not a pipe dream. It requires will, policy, compassion, and a sense of urgency.
Ethiopia has taken important steps. But there is still a long road ahead. Survivors are falling through the cracks. We must:
👩⚕️ Train all health workers in GBV care → GBV is already integrated into medical and nursing education. However, practical, nationwide training and survivor-friendly spaces in clinics are still lacking.
🏥 Expand and sustain GBV response units in hospitals → One-Stop Centers supported by the government and partners are active in several regions, yet access and rural coverage remain limited.
🏡 Build safer shelters and strengthen helplines → Non-governmental organizations run shelters and hotlines but demand far exceeds supply, especially outside major cities.
📺 Use media as a force for change, not silence → Media outlets are increasingly covering GBV cases. Campaigns exist. Yet consistency is needed. They should be used strategically to challenge harmful norms.
🏫 Integrate consent and gender respect in school curricula → Efforts to revise school content are underway, but practical life skills on relationships, consent, and equality should be scaled across all education levels.
⛪ Mobilize religious and community leaders to lead change → Influential voices have started speaking up—especially around FGM and child marriage—but ongoing training and public support are needed to shift norms at the grassroots.
🚫 Enforce GBV laws with zero tolerance
⚖️ Ensure legal and financial support for survivors → Legal aid and psychosocial support are provided by civil society groups, but broader access—especially for poor and rural women—requires more funding and government coordination.
📣 Last Word: Silence is the Enemy
The woman at Zewditu lived. The baby lived. But her tale is a warning—one of how near we're brought to disaster when we turn away.
🗨️ "She said she fell."
We must ask, listen, and believe.
🚫 GBV isn't normal
🚫 It isn't cultural.
🚫 It isn't okay.
✅ It's preventable. It takes all of us to stop it. It starts with you!
🔁 Let's stop asking why survivors stayed.
✅ Let's begin to ask what we need to do so they don't have to.
Resources for Further Reading
Child Marriage Data Portal. (2023). Ethiopia Country Profile.
Mapping of Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence From a National Population Survey
UN Women Africa. (2022). Analysis of Violence Against Women in Ethiopia.
UNICEF. (2020). Female Genital Mutilation: A New Generation Calls for Ending an Old Practice.
Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates, 2018
Advocating for a legal ban on child corporal punishment might be essential for all efforts to fight gender based violence. That is the interesting theory of Austrian peace researcher Franz Jedlicka. He explained it recently in his podcast (available also on Youtube): Misogyny often starts with adverse childhood experiences ...