Ethiopian Women of Substance:
Africa Prize Laureate Meaza Ashenafi & EWLA

by Tasnim Fidali

The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) is a non-profit organization that works to improve the political, economic, legal, and social rights of women. Established in 1995 by Meaza Ashenafi and a few colleagues, EWLA became the first legal advocacy group as well as a major stepping-stone in the uphill struggle for the advancement of women's rights.

To achieve its objectives, EWLA engages in research and law-reform advocacy, public education, and the provision of free legal aid to women victims of injustice. The extensive research conducted on the Family Law of 1960 and advocacy organized around the findings resulted in the revision and adoption of the Family Law in 2000. Under the new law, a husband must fulfill his alimony obligations to his wife while a divorce is pending. The law also stipulates that the husband can be ordered to leave the house if instances of domestic violence are reported. Currently, EWLA is advocating for amendments to the 1957 Penal Code so that it will grant full protection of women's physical integrity and their sexual and reproductive health. Through the initiation of weekly radio broadcasts, educative publications, and resource centers, EWLA informs women on issues pertaining to their legal and social rights and enables them to effectively challenge gender discrimination and self-views of inadequacy. In addition, EWLA has a free legal aid program that has handled thousands of cases, a task force on violence against women, and programs related to civil service reform, political participation of women, and networking.

Behind EWLA's impressive accomplishments is the founder and Executive Director Meaza Ashenafi, whose personal experience of gender discrimination led her to champion for women's rights. Born into a large family in the small town of Asossa near the Sudanese border, Ashenafi developed a passion for defending the downtrodden and ending discrimination against women. She worked hard and earned good grades at school and although teachers recognized her potential, they never encouraged her because she was female. Undaunted, she pursued her education and succeeded in becoming the only woman in her class to earn a law degree from Addis Ababa University. She attributes her success to her parents, who taught her the benefits of education, and especially to her mother, who helped guide Ashenafi's career path by stressing that she never wanted her children to go through what she had faced as an illiterate woman. That five of Ashenafi's siblings are college-educated speaks volumes about her mother's sheer determination to educate her children. On October 11, 2003, in recognition of their leadership and years of commitment to women's rights in Africa, the Hunger Project awarded the Africa Prize for Leadership to Meaza Ashenafi and Sara Longwe of Zambia. This prestigious award is often referred to as the "Nobel Prize for Africa".

Before founding EWLA, Ashenafi was a legal advisor to the Ethiopian Constitution Commission of Ethiopia's transitional government. She was responsible for preparing position papers for the Commission's human rights panel as well as producing the first drafts of the constitution's articles on the rights of women and children. Due to her groundbreaking work, women's rights became part of Ethiopia's national agenda and it is that experience that inspired Ashenafi to launch her own organization.

In recent years, EWLA has helped to draw attention to the prevailing problems concerning women's rights. Three notable cases that have challenged the existing norms are worth mentioning here. The practice of marriage by abduction is still common in some parts of Ethiopia and young girls are routinely kidnapped, raped, and forced to marry their abductors. In rural areas, early marriages are regarded as conforming to traditional values. In 1997, Aberash Bekele (then 14 years old) was abducted and raped with the intention of marriage. She retaliated by killing her abductor. Following her arrest, she claimed self-defense, explaining: "The way I see it, all I did was kill my enemy. I don't feel sorry for him as I would for anyone else. I could have been killed myself". EWLA decided to represent her because she was the first woman to stand up against this kind of gender-based violence and her lawsuit drew international criticism against this tradition. While her legal proceeding was being prepared, she had to hide in an orphanage because of death threats directed at her. Two years later, Aberash was acquitted on the grounds of self-defense.

In the last decade, poverty has forced thousands of Ethiopian women to become migrant workers in the oil-rich states of the Arab Gulf. Unfortunately, they are often abused physically as well as mentally, denied wages, and have their papers confiscated by employers who know that they have no legal protection from their respective governments. Such was the case of Yeshiwork Desta who was sentenced to death by the High Criminal Court of Bahrain for allegedly murdering her employer. Following the sentencing, EWLA initiated a national task force to raise funds to ensure legal support for an appeal and seek government intervention in support of Yeshiwork Desta's legal rights. As a result, the Ethiopian Government retained a defense lawyer for Yeshiwork Desta and submitted an appeal. EWLA also sent a criminal lawyer to Bahrain to look into the prospects of the appeal. This publicized case resulted in a flood of complaints concerning maltreatment of Ethiopian women working in Arab countries and their lack of access to legal protection, which EWLA is looking into.

In 2001, the case of Hermela Wossenyeleh came very close to jeopardizing the EWLA. Hermela had been harassed for eight years by Negussie Lemeneh because he was infatuated with her. The harassment was so severe that he physically abused her several times, shot her in the face, and even attacked her younger sister with an axe cracking her skull open. Negussie was apprehended several times and for every offence he was sentenced to only a few months in jail. EWLA repeatedly contacted law enforcement officials to look into the matter but did not see any prompt action taken to criminally prosecute the perpetrator. Consequently, EWLA urged Hermela to tell her story on Ethiopian Television, which led to a widespread public outcry demanding justice. In addition to the TV broadcast, Meaza Ashenafi mentioned the case in an interview with a local newspaper. Following these incidents, EWLA's activities were suspended by the Ministry of Justice for "acting beyond its mandate and code of conduct". Outraged by the turn of events, EWLA, civic organizations, national and international non-profit organizations, businesses, scholars, and citizens successfully lobbied for the suspension to be lifted. The Minister of Justice was removed from his position and Negussie was sentenced to 18 years in jail. He was later fatally shot while attempting to escape from prison.

The EWLA's many achievements are an enduring reminder to the old adage that success is hard-won. Their recognition of women's abilities and the need for full participation in all aspects of life will surely contribute to a new generation of empowered Ethiopian women.