The number of African women migrating from the continent through the Horn of Africa to the Gulf States has doubled over the past two years, reaching over 100,000 in 2022, according to the UN.
“Although the majority of those taking the Eastern Route are men, the number of women has doubled over the past two years, from 53,000 in 2021 to 106,700 in 2022,” the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations said on Monday.
The organisation noted that many of those women and girls suffer from abuse and harassment during their risky endeavour, with some getting trapped into forced marriages and falling victim to human traffickers.
The IOM said it cannot help everyone in need, as it lacks funding.
“But as the risk of trafficking and exploitation rises, the funding to assist vulnerable migrants and victims is decreasing, which is felt by migrants, including women and girls, along the Eastern Route,” the report read.
Even those…