Galane Hunde: Child Victim of Rape

Galane Hunde (name changed for privacy reasons) was born in Jarte district Horro Guduru Wallaga zone of Oromia. She is 12 years old. Galane was forcibly displaced from home due to the conflict in the area. She eventually managed to reach Shambu, along with thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), where she was raped. She has no family to support her. 

OLLAA staff spoke to sources from a makeshift IDP camp in Shamabu town bus station regarding the situation of Galane who is a victim of rape. The Oromo communities of Amuru, Kiramu and Jarte districts have been attacked multiple times since August 2022. Thousands who were lucky to survive from the attack, including Galane, reached Shambu town. One night, Galane was raped near the IDP camp by a bus assistant driver. She was in a comatose state for the whole night until the people from the camp saw her. The community contributed money and took her to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. The incident was reported to the police office, but the suspect has not been brought to justice as of the preparation of this report. Galane is suffering from a fistula as a result of the attack. Fear of stigmatization drove Galane back to her hometown, despite the security concerns there. She is suffering without current access to medical and psychological treatments. A similar rape case of a 14 year-old-girl was reported in the camp, and the police likewise failed to investigate and bring the suspect to justice. Rape cases are common in the town but usually left unreported, the sources told OLLAA.

International Laws

Rape and other forms of sexual violence are prohibited under both human rights and international humanitarian laws.  The UN  Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Woman (CEDAW)  and the Protocol to African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights of Women in Africa (The Maputo Protocol) impose on the state parties the duty to refrain from and to protect women from gender-based  violence, including rape. Ethiopia is party to both instruments. More importantly, rape during armed conflict constitutes war crime, and hence it is an international crime. The FDRE constitution also protects women from any kind of sexual and gender-based violence.  Galane’s case and others like hers  show the Ethiopian government’s clear violation of its international obligations by failing to thoroughly investigate and prosecute reports of sexual violence.