Izwoosh (አይዞሽ) means “it’s okay,” “take courage,” “you are not alone.”
It’s a word we say when someone is hurting, not to dismiss pain, but to acknowledge it and stand beside it.
Izwoosh began as a small awareness campaign in response to the ongoing gender-based violence affecting women and girls in Ethiopia. What started as a one-week act of solidarity has grown into something more intentional: a space for truth, information, and collective care.
This platform exists because silence has consequences.
izwoosh is
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an awareness platform
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a resource hub
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a place of naming and remembering
izwoosh is not
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a charity organization
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a political party
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a replacement for justice systems
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a space for debating women’s humanity
What You’ll Find Here
Izwoosh is designed as a one-stop space focused on women in Ethiopia. Here you’ll find:
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Stories
Lived experiences of women, shared with care, consent, and dignity. -
News & Context
Curated updates on legal, social, and human rights issues affecting women and girls. -
Resources
Articles, reports, and educational materials to help readers understand patterns of violence, systemic failures, and pathways to accountability. -
Calls to Awareness
Simple, intentional actions that keep attention where it belongs, on women’s safety, autonomy, and humanity.
A Quiet Promise
izwoosh does not promise solutions where none are simple.
What it promises instead is this:
We will not look away.
We will not rush past women’s pain.
We will not pretend this is normal.
And to every woman reading this, whether in Ethiopia or in the diaspora
አይዞሽ!!! You are not invisible.
Resources on GBV in Ethiopia
Read one a day!!! Use these to understand the scale and patterns of gender-based violence and femicide affecting Ethiopian women.
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'It would have been better if they'd killed me': A forgotten war destroying women's lives.
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The Ethiopia Crime Watch website serves as a public platform that compiles and tracks ongoing human rights abuses, crimes, and violent incidents in Ethiopia, offering a resource for accountability, documentation, and awareness-building.
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Profits Bleed When Development Initiatives Ignore the Wellbeing of Ethiopia Women.
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The UN Women country results page for Ethiopia outlines UN Women’s work across the country, from advancing gender equality to supporting women’s economic empowerment, social inclusion, and resilience, and addressing gender-based violence.
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Ethiopians condemn GBV but consider domestic violence a private matter (Afrobarometer). Analysis of public attitudes toward gender-based violence, including support for legal protections and the belief that domestic violence should stay “inside the home.”
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Another Day, Another Femicide: The Reality of Women in Ethiopia (Wilson Center)
A look at femicide in Ethiopia and how “reform” narratives fail to protect women from lethal violence.
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Ethiopian women fight femicide despite death threats (OkayAfrica)
Reporting on Ethiopian digital activists facing harassment and threats for demanding justice for women killed in femicides.
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Gender-based violence among displaced women in Ethiopia (research article)
Research using a socio-ecological framework to document GBV against internally displaced women, including conflict-related violence and barriers to services.
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Shelters and services for survivors of violence in Ethiopia (UN Women)
Assessment of shelters and rehabilitation services for women and girls who survive violence, and the gaps that remain.
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Gender-based violence secondary data review Ethiopia (GBV AoR)
Humanitarian review of GBV data, especially in conflict-affected regions.
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Violence Against Women and Girls Ethiopia policy brief (ActionAid)
Policy brief on structural drivers of violence and the need for deeper responses at all levels.
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UN Women Ethiopia country programme and GBV work
Overview of UN Women’s work in Ethiopia, including support for survivors and efforts to improve laws, data, and services.
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The website for the article. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/31/mass-rape-forced-pregnancy-sexual-torture-in-tigray-ethiopian-eritrean-forces-crimes-against-humanity-report
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The article reports that female soldiers in the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) describe a systemic pattern of reproductive coercion pregnancies are often exposed to commanding officers without consent, and women are pressured or forced to terminate them.
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Magnitude of Spousal Violence and Associated Factors among Midlife Women in Ethiopia://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10358388
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VOICE FOR GUJI: GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN OROMIA'S GUJI ZONES https://www.cardeth.org/sites/default/files/Voice%20for%20Guji.pdf
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Ethiopia Conflicts Trigger Surge in Rape and Violence Against Women
Investigative feature by The New Humanitarian examining how overlapping conflicts across Ethiopia have led to a sharp rise in sexual violence against women, documenting survivor accounts, advocacy efforts, and systemic failures.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2024/08/07/ethiopia-conflicts-trigger-surge-rape-and-violence-against-women -
Thousands Victimized by Sexual Violence as War in Northern Ethiopia Persists
Fox News report detailing widespread sexual violence against women and girls during the conflict in northern Ethiopia, highlighting survivor testimonies and international concern.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/thousands-victimized-sexual-violence-war-northern-ethiopia -
Ethiopia: Tigrayan Forces Murder, Rape and Pillage in Attacks on Civilians in Amhara Towns
Amnesty International report documenting alleged war crimes, including killings, rape, and looting, committed against civilians in Amhara towns during the conflict.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/02/ethiopia-tigrayan-forces-murder-rape-and-pillage-in-attacks-on-civilians-in-amhara-towns/ -
Violence Against Women Menaces Ethiopia’s Yearlong Conflict
The World report focusing on sexual violence as a weapon of war in Ethiopia, with attention to delayed medical and psychological care for survivors after active fighting subsided.
https://theworld.org/stories/2022/03/18/violence-against-women-menace-ethiopia-s-yearlong-conflict -
AAA Annual Human Rights Report, May 2022
Annual report by the Amhara Association of America compiling documented human rights abuses, including rape, killings, and forced displacement affecting Amhara civilians during Ethiopia’s conflict.
https://www.amharaamerica.org/post/aaa-annual-human-rights-report-may-2022