Over ten years ago I read "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. It was the first novel I had read since High school and it captured me like no book ever had. Rivers retells the story of Hosea (a prophet in pre-Christ times) who was commanded by God to marry a prostitute in an effort to send a message to the Israelites about the idolatrous /adulterous lives they were leading. Hosea's life was about to be immersed in an illustrative purpose that was about to shake the world as it was known at that time.
The beauty of Francine Rivers' portrayal was that she set her version of the story in the mid 1800's and she started to retell the story from the childhood of the wife. What she invokes in doing so is empathy and compassion towards the woman who would on multiple occasions run away from her husband back to the lifestyle of a harlot. She reveals potential contributing factors that could have caused this runaway wife to betray her husband on multiple occasions.
Tonight we attended Hillsong church in Sydney Australia. It was a dream come true to be in this House of God that is now a House with many rooms all around the world. Currently they are doing a series called "Sunday night live" which brings the message in creative ways. His message tonight was about our judgments of people at the first few milliseconds and "our being the poorer for it" when we don't choose to dig deeper: To conversate and investigate and seek to go past the initial contact to understanding the person who is presented before us.
He took us to the story of the Good Samaritan and the question that was posed by the righteous religious leader about "who is my neighbor?" It turned out the neighbor was the Samaritan. The ones who were the outcasts to the man who questioned. But the question that he posed tonight is "who am I in that story?" Well perhaps I am the man who was beaten down and this "neighbor" who has come to help is the one I least expected. And then the Bible says that we should "love your neighbor as yourself."
The preacher went on to expound on that thought by challenging us to read that command as "love your neighbor as if they were yourself." That we are all a part of humanity and we are all created equally so we should love even the least expected as ourselves.
When I think about the story told of Hoseas wife in Redeeming Love, I think about how the author was invoking us to do just that. She was trying to portray the humanity of the woman and perhaps give us a deeper understanding of why she was the way she was. She was the product of an affair, a victim of abuse. She was a girl who never knew the love of a man in a healthy way.
When spotting a prostituted woman on the side of the road in Addis Ababa or Bahir Dar or even on the street of Zion Church in Debre Zeit, one could make an immediate assumption about why that woman is there. More likely than not, the religious at heart, like the man Jesus was sharing the story of the good Samaritan with; would assume she was there by choice and that she enjoyed the work that she did. These assumptions put a price tag on her that is set perhaps for the rest of her life.
But the reality is that every single one of us has a story. And every single woman who chooses to sell her body to get some kind of income has a story too. Maybe the income is not even hers, maybe it is hers but she receives it with resentment.
Resentment at the fact that she just sold her dignity for one measly dollar.
In the context of Ethiopia, over the last few years I have encountered these stories, there is a similar thread that runs through the fabric that binds these women together.
From my experience there are many contributing factors to women ending up on the street. Some of them include coming from a history of sexual abuse, being orphaned at a young age, or coming from a fatherless family. These factors I am highlighting today are specific to the Ethiopian context and are the most likely contributors to why a woman would find herself in prostitution in Ethiopia:
1. Domestic trafficking.
Early on in our time in Ethiopia I noticed young girls living with other families, being used by them to help with domestic chores, run stores, or look after the baby in the family while the parents went to work. These girls were noticeably not part of the family- not dressed as well as the family kids, nor going to school like them or at least not to a school as good as them. They would often not have good language levels as their mother tongue was not the national language and they seemed to be ignorant of most city life skills. Their sole purpose was to fulfill duties that were assigned to them. For free! They would be living with the family for free but not always under great conditions. They definitely wouldn't be getting their fair share of wages. When I would ask about a girl's family and where she came from the story would always be the same- she came from a rural area, her family couldn't support her so she was brought to the city by the host family. Sometimes the host family were relatives and the attraction of life in the city, with schooling and good housing seem like the best option for this impoverished rural dweller. From my observations and from the stories I have heard from our ladies, those promises are seldom delivered; leaving the young girl nothing but a commodity to be exchanged in the fields of rural Ethiopia. Domestic trafficking is a subtle part of Ethiopian culture that is unfortunately corroding its beautiful nature. While often done with good intentions on both parties, the long term results are detrimental to that young girls capacity to ever having a fulfilling adult life. Her education is limited and her self worth has dissipated with the mere nature of her position in the family so she will be a prime target for those looking for workers in the sex industry. And sad to say, that is where she will most likely end up.
2. Child Marriages.
Another contributing factor that is specific to Ethiopia and a result of an unhealthy cultural practice is the child bride who mothers a child and is then abandoned by her husband. This, oh too common scenario is specific to certain regions up North but it brings women down into Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit as they try to go where they can have anonymity and a fresh start. Without any kind of welfare system or financial support available, the only choice a pregnant mother has to feed herself and her baby is to find work! Yet the fact that she has been married at a young age and that has inhibited her opportunities for education, leaves her with limited choices for work. Which brings me to the next point...
3. Lack of job opportunities.
Ellilta Women at Risk was initiated as a response to Serawit (aka Cherry) driving along the road in Addis Ababa (as a graduated young woman who had been unemployed for a year) with her family when someone made a comment about a street worker on the side of the road. Like those of us who make those assumptions about these women as mentioned above (and I have to admit that I too have made them), he said something to the effect of "why doesn't SHE just go and get a REAL job?" Cherry sitting in the car at that time knew the harsh reality of what the job market was like for an EDUCATED woman and couldn't imagine what it would be like for someone who hadn't been given that privilege of education. She saw that she needed to love her neighbor, as if she were herself and thus Women at Risk was formed. Still today job opportunities are limited and scarce and even educated people with years of experience are finding it hard to find jobs that will pay enough to support their family. What about a WOMAN with no family support, no EDUCATION and no WELFARE system. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Ellilta Women at Risk work to support women to leave Commercial sex work and help them to set up their own income generating activities or they employ them with Ellilta Products. You can help be the alternative solution that will allow these women know their fullest potential as they seek to support their families with the work of their hands. You can do so at Ellilta.org/donate if you're in the US or you can donate on our donate tab and leave a note about how you would like to support. You can be the light that we get to carry into these dark places..
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Isaiah 60:1-2
The beauty of Francine Rivers' portrayal was that she set her version of the story in the mid 1800's and she started to retell the story from the childhood of the wife. What she invokes in doing so is empathy and compassion towards the woman who would on multiple occasions run away from her husband back to the lifestyle of a harlot. She reveals potential contributing factors that could have caused this runaway wife to betray her husband on multiple occasions.
Tonight we attended Hillsong church in Sydney Australia. It was a dream come true to be in this House of God that is now a House with many rooms all around the world. Currently they are doing a series called "Sunday night live" which brings the message in creative ways. His message tonight was about our judgments of people at the first few milliseconds and "our being the poorer for it" when we don't choose to dig deeper: To conversate and investigate and seek to go past the initial contact to understanding the person who is presented before us.
He took us to the story of the Good Samaritan and the question that was posed by the righteous religious leader about "who is my neighbor?" It turned out the neighbor was the Samaritan. The ones who were the outcasts to the man who questioned. But the question that he posed tonight is "who am I in that story?" Well perhaps I am the man who was beaten down and this "neighbor" who has come to help is the one I least expected. And then the Bible says that we should "love your neighbor as yourself."
The preacher went on to expound on that thought by challenging us to read that command as "love your neighbor as if they were yourself." That we are all a part of humanity and we are all created equally so we should love even the least expected as ourselves.
When I think about the story told of Hoseas wife in Redeeming Love, I think about how the author was invoking us to do just that. She was trying to portray the humanity of the woman and perhaps give us a deeper understanding of why she was the way she was. She was the product of an affair, a victim of abuse. She was a girl who never knew the love of a man in a healthy way.
When spotting a prostituted woman on the side of the road in Addis Ababa or Bahir Dar or even on the street of Zion Church in Debre Zeit, one could make an immediate assumption about why that woman is there. More likely than not, the religious at heart, like the man Jesus was sharing the story of the good Samaritan with; would assume she was there by choice and that she enjoyed the work that she did. These assumptions put a price tag on her that is set perhaps for the rest of her life.
But the reality is that every single one of us has a story. And every single woman who chooses to sell her body to get some kind of income has a story too. Maybe the income is not even hers, maybe it is hers but she receives it with resentment.
Resentment at the fact that she just sold her dignity for one measly dollar.
In the context of Ethiopia, over the last few years I have encountered these stories, there is a similar thread that runs through the fabric that binds these women together.
From my experience there are many contributing factors to women ending up on the street. Some of them include coming from a history of sexual abuse, being orphaned at a young age, or coming from a fatherless family. These factors I am highlighting today are specific to the Ethiopian context and are the most likely contributors to why a woman would find herself in prostitution in Ethiopia:
1. Domestic trafficking.
Early on in our time in Ethiopia I noticed young girls living with other families, being used by them to help with domestic chores, run stores, or look after the baby in the family while the parents went to work. These girls were noticeably not part of the family- not dressed as well as the family kids, nor going to school like them or at least not to a school as good as them. They would often not have good language levels as their mother tongue was not the national language and they seemed to be ignorant of most city life skills. Their sole purpose was to fulfill duties that were assigned to them. For free! They would be living with the family for free but not always under great conditions. They definitely wouldn't be getting their fair share of wages. When I would ask about a girl's family and where she came from the story would always be the same- she came from a rural area, her family couldn't support her so she was brought to the city by the host family. Sometimes the host family were relatives and the attraction of life in the city, with schooling and good housing seem like the best option for this impoverished rural dweller. From my observations and from the stories I have heard from our ladies, those promises are seldom delivered; leaving the young girl nothing but a commodity to be exchanged in the fields of rural Ethiopia. Domestic trafficking is a subtle part of Ethiopian culture that is unfortunately corroding its beautiful nature. While often done with good intentions on both parties, the long term results are detrimental to that young girls capacity to ever having a fulfilling adult life. Her education is limited and her self worth has dissipated with the mere nature of her position in the family so she will be a prime target for those looking for workers in the sex industry. And sad to say, that is where she will most likely end up.
2. Child Marriages.
Another contributing factor that is specific to Ethiopia and a result of an unhealthy cultural practice is the child bride who mothers a child and is then abandoned by her husband. This, oh too common scenario is specific to certain regions up North but it brings women down into Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit as they try to go where they can have anonymity and a fresh start. Without any kind of welfare system or financial support available, the only choice a pregnant mother has to feed herself and her baby is to find work! Yet the fact that she has been married at a young age and that has inhibited her opportunities for education, leaves her with limited choices for work. Which brings me to the next point...
3. Lack of job opportunities.
Ellilta Women at Risk was initiated as a response to Serawit (aka Cherry) driving along the road in Addis Ababa (as a graduated young woman who had been unemployed for a year) with her family when someone made a comment about a street worker on the side of the road. Like those of us who make those assumptions about these women as mentioned above (and I have to admit that I too have made them), he said something to the effect of "why doesn't SHE just go and get a REAL job?" Cherry sitting in the car at that time knew the harsh reality of what the job market was like for an EDUCATED woman and couldn't imagine what it would be like for someone who hadn't been given that privilege of education. She saw that she needed to love her neighbor, as if she were herself and thus Women at Risk was formed. Still today job opportunities are limited and scarce and even educated people with years of experience are finding it hard to find jobs that will pay enough to support their family. What about a WOMAN with no family support, no EDUCATION and no WELFARE system. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Ellilta Women at Risk work to support women to leave Commercial sex work and help them to set up their own income generating activities or they employ them with Ellilta Products. You can help be the alternative solution that will allow these women know their fullest potential as they seek to support their families with the work of their hands. You can do so at Ellilta.org/donate if you're in the US or you can donate on our donate tab and leave a note about how you would like to support. You can be the light that we get to carry into these dark places..
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Isaiah 60:1-2
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