A report by the International Orgamization of Migration says that Ethiopian women and girls who travel to the Middle East in search of work are often treated like slaves and abused sexually. The report was based on interviews with 443 women returning from the region. The study urged the Ethiopian government to create more jobs locally or give legal and diplomatic protection to Ethiopian migrant workers.
See "Gulf States Treat Ethiopian Workers as Slaves: IOM", Reuters, The New York Times, October 19, 2005