The Plight of Eritrean Refugees: Human Trafficking and Collective Trauma

Eritrean refugees face numerous challenges, including human trafficking, collective trauma, and financial exploitation. This article highlights the situation of Eritrean refugees and the human trafficking networks that operate within Eritrea and internationally.

Torture Practices and Surveillance

• Similarities in torture practices: Torture methods used in Eritrea are similar to those employed in Sinai ’torture camps’, where many Eritreans were held.
• Surveillance and intimidation: There is a connectivity of surveillance of Eritreans in the diaspora and the intimidation practices used, suggesting that individuals outside Eritrea are also being monitored and threatened.

Financial Networks and Patterns of Exploitation

• Financial networks: The existence of financial networks across countries, with ransoms and other financial contributions being paid in Asmara.
• Patterns of sexual violence: Patterns of sexual violence inside and outside Eritrea have been identified, indicating a high level of vulnerability among Eritrean refugees.

Family Fragmentation and Collective Trauma

• Family fragmentation: The fragmentation of families across geographies, suggesting that many families are being torn apart due to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
• Collective trauma: Eritrean communities within Eritrea and in the diaspora have suffered collective trauma facilitated by the use of ICTs, through which narratives of tragedies are shared and integrated into a collective consciousness of desperation, vulnerability, and shame.

The Economic Cost of Human Trafficking

• Economic cost: The study estimates that the total value of the human trafficking trade in Eritreans is over $1 billion.
• Individuals benefiting: It’s not Eritrea as a country that benefits from illicit trade, including human trafficking, but individuals within the regime.