On airports & leaving

Stuck in Bole airport for 5 hours (having been bumped off a 6:30am flight - see last post), I was observing some of the goings-on. As I had breakfast (of sorts - cheese-burger & chips shared with D, followed by macciato & cake), I was beside the area where people accompanying departing passengers have to leave them. There was a flight to the Middle East being checked in - I knew because many of the passengers were young women, leaving in the hope of better opportunities in Yemen or Saudi.

 

There were extended family groups seeing them off - brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and boyfriends. The tearful, emotional scenes were bringing back my memories of saying goodbye to D when I was leaving Ethiopa (the tears were flowing then, for sure!) and conversely, when I left Dublin the last time. My Mum and my sister stayed with me almost till I reached the departure gates and once one of them started getting a bit teary, we knew it was time to say goodbye!

 

But, in my case, I wasn't leaving out of economic necessity (it was for love :)). These girls are leaving because they believe they will have a better opportunity. 'Brokers' in Ethiopia help them make the arrangements - getting their passports and visas. I've seen long queues of the same young women, girls even, outside the Immigration Bureau. It saddens me because I know that some of them will end up being exploited in the Middle East. There are reports of girls being treated as slaves and being sexually exploited. I'm sure this doesn't happen to all of them. And it seems this doesn't stop them from going....or maybe it's more that they don't know, there's not enough awareness of the problem. I wonder whether their parents and brothers would let them go if they knew of the risks.