Eritrea has been described as the world's largest open prison, where people live with uncertainty and in fear of the secretive and repressive apparatus of the state.  With people's movements monitored, with universal conscription into the military for indeterminate periods, and with disregard for human rights it is not surprising that Eritrean seek to escape.

Thousands of Eritreans try to leave by crossing the border to neighbouring countries, risking death from the regime's shoot to kill policy. Many are helped by Human Traffickers who charge enormous amounts of money. The profitability of this trade has induced many high officials in the Eritrean Army to become involved, sometimes kidnapping people inside the country who had no intentions of leaving.

In a recent recording of a telephone conversation one is able to hear an eight year old girl who was abducted with her family while travelling to visit a sying relative in Sudan. Taken hostage the family was sold on finally ending up in Sinai.  During the conversation, the girl explains how her kidnappers constantly beat her and are "always asking for money." Later during the conversation her father states that the kidnappers are asking for $40,000 before they allow him and his family to leave.

According to an EEPA/University of Tilburg report, Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees between Life and Death some of the hostages taken are babies, small children and teenagers. The report estimates that the proportion of children  among the hostages (up to the age of 18) could be as high as 30 percent. In one case, one woman reported in an interview that the hostage takers regularly threaten to harm and kill her three-year-old daughter to motivate her to pay the ransom faster.

To listen to telephone recording click here (Warning: disturbing and shocking)

To read Human Trafficking the Sinai: Refugees between Life and Death click here

On the eve of International Women’s Day 2013, a new Eurobarometer shows that 78% of Europeans think that having more women in positions of political power in developing countries would ‘make things better’.

In fact, over three quarters of respondents said that getting more women into leading roles in developing countries would improve respect for human rights, with 72% saying it would also improve living conditions and 65% believing it would prevent conflict and war.

Over nine in 10 Europeans thought that gender equality improves the way societies in general function and that all aid programmes should take specific account of women’s rights.

The European Parliamentary Forum, in association with European External Policy Advisors released a recent report on the State of Girls in EU Development Cooperation. The report,  calls upon the European Union to enact an ambitious strategy to promote the political, social and economic empowerment of girls worldwide.

The report stated that investing in girls is not only beneficial to their sole interest, but also beneficial to the social and economic development of the country. There are nearly 600 million girls living and growing up in developing countries, and girls who grow up in security, provided with good education and a sense of social responsibility will become adults who can make a real contribution to society, both socially and economically.  Statistic show that an increase of only 19% in girls’ secondary education attendance adds .3% to a country’s GDP. Plan In­ternational estimates that the economic cost to 65 low and middle income and transitional countries of failing to educate girls to the same standard amounts to USD 92 billion each year. This extremely high amount falls just behind the USD103 billion of annual development aid budgets to the developing world.

EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs commented: “We put women at the heart of everything we do; making sure that our aid programmes take women into account in everything from education and healthcare, to agriculture and energy, so I am delighted to see that the majority of Europeans agree with this approach."

He added: "I am also interested to see how many people think that women in power can make a positive difference. It’s vital that every woman is given the chance to fulfil her potential; no matter where she lives".

To read the European's Commission full press release click here

To read The State of Girl in EU Development Cooperation report click here

A crisis that started in 2009, Human Trafficking in the Sinai is a growing phenomenon where men, women and children who are often escaping already desperate circumstances are captured for ransom in the Sinai dessert.

The EEPA/University of Tilburg report, Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees between life and death stated that an estimated 95% of the refugees held as hostages in the Sinai are Eritreans. Knowing just how many Eritreans have been captured is hard to know, mainly due to the lack of security and law enforcement in the area. According to a study by the Physicians for Human Rights and the Hotline for Migrant Workers (both based in Israel), an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 Eritrean refugees who have arrived in Israel have been tortured. Another 4,000 Eritreans have disappeared and many are presumed dead, according to a European Union statement.

A resent articled published on The Wall Street Journal highlighted just how much this phenomenon has grown over the last years stating that the clans that used to ask for $2,000-$3,000 a person are now asking as much as $40,000, according to the family members in the Diaspora, who are having to collect the money to make the payments. The Wall Street Journal has stated that, ironically, this is largely due to the Arab Spring in North Africa. Eritreans who illegally escaped the country crossed Sudan and entered Egypt, Tunisia or Libya to reach Mediterranean-based smugglers who ferry asylum-seekers to Europe. These "traditional routes" used to be relatively safe and cheap, but this is no longer the case due to the recent turmoil in those countries.  

Even though this phenomenon has caught international attention actions remain largely diplomatic with little being done within the Sinai to stop the Bedouin traffickers. "The Bedouins are free to pursue their smuggling and trafficking activities unhindered," stated Ehud Yaari, a Jerusalem-based analyst for Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

To read full article on The Wall Street Journal click here

To read Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees between Life and Death click here

Senior EU diplomats have called for financial sanctions and travel bans on Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in an effort to solve the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestine.

Israel's settlement growth and policies in the Palestinian territories has been harshly criticized by the European Union, citing it as increasingly undermining the viability of the two-state solution and running contrary to the Israeli-stated commitment to resume negotiations which have stalled since 2010.

According to the EUobserver an internal report by EU countries was sent to EU members states’ foreign ministers at the beginning of 2013 urging action to "prevent, discourage and raise awareness" in "problematic implications of financial transactions and direct investments within the EU in support of the settlement activities.” An EU official, who was interviewed by EUobserver, stated that Brussels-based diplomats had discussed the report in February, but "debate about the follow-up is [still] continuing."

According to the EUobserver report the 15-page document states that negotiations for peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict are becoming even more remote. The report states that as “the current Israeli policy regarding the city [Jerusalem] continues, particularly settlement activity, the prospect of Jerusalem as a future capital of two states, Israel and Palestine, becomes practically unworkable." It adds that “settlement construction remains the single biggest threat to the two-state solution. It is systematic, deliberate and provocative."

These settlement activities not only bring peace talks between Israel and Palestine to a halt but are also a breach of International agreements.  It is part of Israel's policy of excluding "foreigners" as equal citizens.

In June, 2012, the Israeli parliament passed a law to deter and punish asylum seekers from irregularly crossing into Israel.  Concerns have been raised that this contravenes the 1951 Refugee Convention to which Israel is a state party, as well as customary international refugee law and international human rights law that require “all countries to respect the principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits the return of anyone to a place where their life or freedom would be threatened or where they would face the threat of torture or inhuman and degrading treatment.”

Many of these asylum seekers are Eritreans. The EEPA/University of Tilburg report, Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees between Life and Death states that some of these Eritreans are seeking to escape from an oppressive regime. Many of the refugees cited in the report stated that they were not on their way to Israel, but were either headed to Sudan or Ethiopia before they were captured and taken in captivity to Sinai. A return to Eritrea is seen as a potential death sentence.

To read full EUobserver article click here

In an interview with Haaertz published today, the Representative in Israel for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, William Tall, slammed Israeli authorities for repatriating Eritrean refugees.

According to testimonies by jailed Eritreans published last week by Haaretz, refugees are coerced by threats of three years imprisonment into signing documents agreeing to be sent home.

According to Mr Tall, “Agreement to return to Eritrea under an ultimatum of jail ... can't be considered voluntary by any criterion. It is explicitly not voluntary return."

The Population and Immigration Authority responded in a statement that the details are being checked and it has no intention to discuss the matter based on shreds of information until clarification is completed. The Justice Ministry has yet to comment, while the Eritrean Embassy in Tel Aviv refused to respond.

To read the full article on Haaretz.com click here.