#JusticeForHeaven: How Social Media is Amplifying the Voices of Ethiopian Women
Ethiopian women, facing government suppression of public gatherings demanding justice for Heaven Awot, have turned to TikTok to raise their voices and advocate for their rights.
Trigger Warning: This article contains discussions of violence against women and children.
The brutal rape and murder of seven-year-old Heaven Awot in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia in August 2023 attracted nationwide and global attention after the culprit Getnet Baye, who is her family’s landlord, recently launched an appeal against his 25-year prison sentence which many already deem too light.
More than 277,000 people have signed a petition demanding a harsher sentence. The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association emphasized, in a statement to the BBC, that “murder by itself should have been enough to sentence him to life imprisonment or to death.”
Awot’s mother, Abekyelesh Adeba, has faced death threats from Baye, who briefly escaped custody and sought her out with a gun. With Baye appealing his sentence and the case adjourned to October 2024, Adeba has been forced into hiding, living in constant fear and switching jobs for safety.
Awot’s death has brought renewed attention to the alarming rates of violence against women and girls in Ethiopia, particularly in the context of the country’s ongoing civil war. Despite Ethiopian women’s history of activism – advocating for political rights, and protesting war and living conditions – there has been a troubling silence and lack of unity in addressing assault and sexual violence meted out against women.
In 2023, Ethiopia was ranked 146 out of 177 countries in the Women, Peace and Security Index by Georgetown University, reflecting its status as one of the most dangerous countries for women. Awot’s murder is another reminder of the unjust lived experiences that are thrust upon Ethiopian and African women.
Despite this grim reality, Ethiopian women have found a powerful platform in TikTok to amplify their voices and demand justice, even as authorities are trying to silence them. These brave women have refused to be silenced by the government or societal norms, and are using the platform to raise awareness about Awot’s case and the broader plight of women and girls in Ethiopia. TikTokers like Jordin Bezabih, Kalkidan Terms and Gina Mohammed, with their combined following of over half a million people, have played a crucial role in this digital activism.
One of Bezabih’s videos highlights how the government suppresses voices and gatherings demanding justice. On August 23, civil society organizations, according to Bezabih, organized a candlelight program at a hotel, to mourn Awot and demand justice for her and other women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence. But the program “was interrupted and shut down rudely by the federal police of this government,” Bezabih says in one of her videos, adding that local media present were told to delete all the footage captured at the event, and organizers were held for two hours.
In another video, Bezabih captures the despair and resilience of Ethiopian women, saying, “At this point, we’re at the end of the road. We’re broken, we don’t have hope, we don’t have anywhere to go. We can’t even go on protests or marches like most other countries. We’re silenced constantly.” She adds, “This is my message for you: women are still fighting for their survival, for their daughters and safety, for their right to live peacefully, to go to school, work, and come back without being attacked.”
“This story is the most horrific and horrendous,” says Mohammed in her video where she raises awareness about Awot, and urges the global community to take action. “Please help us find justice for Heaven [Awot]. We want to work alongside the government to bring this man to justice.”
On X, the calls for justice have continued with the hashtag #JusticeForHeaven. The online outcry has also attracted the attention of American rapper Cardi B, who called on her almost 39 million followers on the platform to sign the petition demanding justice.
The power of social media in driving real-world change cannot be overstated. Movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter began as hashtags and grew into global forces for justice, and in that same way, Ethiopian women have taken to TikTok to fight for their safety and rights. This digital activism is not just a cry for help; it is a call to action.
As these voices grow louder and more unified, there is hope that the Ethiopian government will listen, respond, and take meaningful steps to protect its women and girls. Social media has proven time and again that it can turn a whisper into a movement.