About 30,000 people have been trafficked to Sinai, Egypt, over the last five years. Cairo-based journalist Bel Trew tweets from a Press conference on the matter, to shed light on “a hugely under-reported issue.”

She tweets:

At a press conference for human trafficking in the #Sinai : a hugely under reported issue #egypt

— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

Bel Trew explains:

“Since June 30, Sinai has become more unstable and made a huge impact on human trafficking in the Sinai” #egypt — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

And then provides staggering figures:

Between 25,000 and 30,000 people have been trafficked to the Sinai between 2009 and 2013 #egypt

— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

Out of those people trafficked, 95 per cent are from Eritria:

95% of those trafficked are Eritrean, due to many youth fleeing military service, exodus from Eritrea,human rights situation #Sinai — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

In a series of tweets, Trew provides a horrific insight to what those trafficked go through:

#Trafficking victims supplied w/ phones by traffickers to call home, they're often tortured at same time to push family to pay more quickly

— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

#trafficking has serious consequences in Eritera. Ransom collection leads to extreme poverty in these already impoverished areas #egypt — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

#trafficking victims are hung,electrocuted, body parts cut, bottles melted on their skin, forced to rape other victims, raped by traffickers

— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

Female #trafficking victims often leave the #Sinai torture houses pregnant after being raped multiple times. — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

She provides a chilling testimony of one refugee:

Just heard testimony of 1 #Trafficking victim, born 1993, he says he was forced to rape other victims,burnt with iron bars…

— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

#trafficking victim relates how 1 friend was burnt badly on head and body, insects starting living in the wounds and he died. — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

Victim of #trafficking “they beat us with scissors, electrocuted me on tongue & penis. Forced us to rape each other. Burnt me on my abdomen”

— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

Victim of #trafficking “they left the bodies of my 2 dead friends in the store with us for 2 days, then fed the bodies to the dogs” #Sinai — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

And this is not all. Trew adds:

Refugees who escape #trafficking often detained by Egyptian or Israeli authorities,imprisoned then forced to pay their own deportation fees

— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

#Trafficking victims are still threatened by their traffickers, when they escape to Cairo, who are in the capital — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013

Further reading:

Jadaliyya: Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees Between Life and Death

Spiegel Online: Imprisoned, Tortured, Killed: Human Trafficking Thrives on Sinai Peninsula

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