Terefe, Hirut (PhD)Mohammed, Ahmed2018-07-062023-11-182018-07-062023-11-182007-05http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/12345678/6876Violence against women and girls is a pervasive phenomenon in the pastoralist communities of the research sites. Violence against women and girls is considered as a normal way of life among the communities in the research areas. Women and girls in Fentalle and Mille are daily suffering from various violence acts against them. Research methodologies used by the researcher are both the qualitative and the quantitative methodologies, where as the research methods employed are: focus group discussion, key informant interview, case studies, participant observation and survey. In focus group discussion 120 women, men, girls and boys were participated. Again in-depth interview was carried out totally with 24 women, men, boys and girls. For the survey method, 200 women and girls, men and boys with different social backgrounds were randomly selected from the sample population. The cases of 12 victim women were also included in this research. The findings of this research identified 6 areas of violence against women and girls such as violence committed in 4 customary marriages, FGM, wives and girls battery. The research findings indicated that women and girls are forced to marry against their interests. Their consent is not asked and if they are found to refuse the marriage they are physically, socially, psychologically and economically sanctioned. Female genital mutilation is another form of violence committed against women and girls in the research sites. All types of FGM such as clitoridectomy and infibulations are practiced on women and girls in the research areas. Girls who are not mutilated are considered by the communities as supper sexy who cannot be afforded by their husbands; as those who violated the norms of their communities, and as a result no body marries them. Especially girls and woman in Afar communities are highly suffering from infibulations. Regarding wives and girls battery, the findings indicated that girls are usually beaten by their fathers, mothers, their brothers and even by their relatives, with the intention to make them submissive for their future husbands. Women are also usually beaten by their husbands in the name of punishment and correction. Families in the research areas give mandates for the husbands to beat their wives and as a result wife beating is official among the communitiesenGender StudiesThesis