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 [2] : a hugely under reported issue #egypt [3]
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [4]
Bel Trew explains:
“Since June 30, Sinai has become more unstable and made a huge impact on human trafficking in the Sinai” #egypt [3] — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [5]
And then provides staggering figures:
Between 25,000 and 30,000 people have been trafficked to the Sinai between 2009 and 2013 #egypt [3]
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [6]
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 [2] — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [7]
In a series of tweets, Trew provides a horrific insight to what those trafficked go through:
#Trafficking [8] 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 [9]
#trafficking [10] has serious consequences in Eritera. Ransom collection leads to extreme poverty in these already impoverished areas #egypt [3] — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [11]
#trafficking [10] 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 [12]
Female #trafficking [10] victims often leave the #Sinai [2] torture houses pregnant after being raped multiple times. — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [13]
She provides a chilling testimony of one refugee:
Just heard testimony of 1 #Trafficking [8] victim, born 1993, he says he was forced to rape other victims,burnt with iron bars…
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [14]
#trafficking [10] 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 [15]
Victim of #trafficking [10] “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 [16]
Victim of #trafficking [10] “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 [2] — Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [17]
And this is not all. Trew adds:
Refugees who escape #trafficking [10] often detained by Egyptian or Israeli authorities,imprisoned then forced to pay their own deportation fees
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 4, 2013 [18]
#Trafficking [8] 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 [19]
Further reading:
Jadaliyya: Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees Between Life and Death [20]
Spiegel Online: Imprisoned, Tortured, Killed: Human Trafficking Thrives on Sinai Peninsula [21]
Sign the Petition:
Take Action to Stop Human Trafficking in Sinai [22]