Sexual Violence in the Eritrean National Service

Abstract

Claims of sexual violence against female conscripts by military commanders abound in the Eritrean national service (ENS). Hitherto there has been no attempt to subject these claims to rigorous empirical scrutiny. This article is a partial attempt to fill the gap. Using data collected through snowball sampling from 190 deserters (51 females and 139 males) in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, South Africa, Kenya and Sweden, supplemented by data from systematically selected key informants, it examines the extent to which female conscripts serving in the ENS are subjected to sexual violence and harassment by their commanders. The extensive data based on the perceptions and experiences of respondents who served on average about six years before deserting; imply that sexual abuse is rampant in the ENS