Rights in Displaced Situations: Challenges and Prospects for the Enforcement of Reproductive Rights of Refugee Women and Girls in Ethiopia
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Date
2011-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Three factors inspire the development of this research in to a currently developing area of
human rights law. Reproductive rights in Situations of Displacement: Reproductive
Rights-currently developing human rights-full of challenges further exacerbated by
Displacement but with prospects as well.
The first is the world wide pity life of women and girls: the mothers, wives, sisters and
daughters of some one, it can be me and/or you. Their life even in the normal situations
of life is full of challenges. But they suffer more the consequences of conflict, the main
cause of displacement, in which they are not part, because of their status in society and
their sex, and their vulnerability. They are victims at the hands of any one, the family, the
society, the state or any one else.
The second factor is the fact that reproductive rights are currently developing human
rights. Despite the significance of the rights in women’s life, as the rights embrace core
human rights-the violations or non-enforcement of which would heavily affect the life of
women and girls’ with long term negative effects, it is very recently, a decade and half
before, that the rights get the international community’s attention. Even after 17 years, it
is still currently developing legal issue which requires a close, thorough and continuous
study.
The third motivating factor is the grasp in the paramount significance of enforcing
reproductive rights for the betterment of women and girls’ life in general and those
displaced in particular. While displacement exacerbate the challenges in the enforcement
of the rights, durable solutions prospects for refugees residing in Ethiopia looks dim. The
war in Somalia seems with out end; the Eritrean refugees’ influx is increasing from time
to time; and the Sudanese refugees’ repatriation looks gloomy. Resettlement
opportunities are limited: for example, one Somali camp, Kabrebayah Camp, got
resettlement after 20 years of protracted situation. There are no prospects for local
integration: refugees can not work in Ethiopian as the country has reservation, to the
1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, on wage earning employment. As a
result, ensuring the full implementation of the rights in Ethiopia has great significance in
the betterment of refugee women and girls’ life residing in the Country.
The research is, therefore, a sincere comprehension of the problems of refugee women
and girls and an aspiration to contribute for the betterment of their life with prospects
relying on the international community and states recent increase of interest and efforts
made on legal and policy developments on the subject.
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Three factors inspire the, development of this research, in to a currently developing