Yikono

Yikono is a grassroots women's rights organisation based in Ethiopia's Tigray Region. Its name comes from the Tigrinya word for “enough,” expressing opposition to gender-based violence, sexual harassment and sexual violence. The organisation emerged from community mobilisation in late 2019 after a town-hall meeting in Addi Daero brought public attention to allegations of sexual abuse by a local policeman. A woman described being raped years earlier, while two other women said the same man had engaged in sexual relationships with them after promising marriage. The discussion prompted a march in Addi Daero supporting women affected by violence and stimulated wider debate across Tigray. Young people in Mekelle subsequently organised a related march calling for stronger action from government institutions and nongovernmental organisations. Online advocacy connected with these demonstrations developed into Yikono. The organisation's founders and participants include women and men, with co-founders identified as Weyni Abraha, Tsidena Abadi and Helen Tedros. Yikono's principal objective is to advance gender equality by raising awareness of violence against women and supporting women at risk. Its work includes public campaigning, discussion of sexual harassment and sexual violence within local cultural contexts, and practical assistance intended to help vulnerable women rebuild their lives and achieve financial independence. Campaigning is primarily conducted in Tigrinya, the main language of Tigray and also a major language in neighbouring Eritrea, allowing the organisation to address sensitive issues through locally accessible language and social debate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yikono participated in the creation of emergency accommodation for vulnerable women and children. On 27 April 2020, it helped establish a shelter in cooperation with Mekelle University, the Tigray branch of the Organisation for Social Services, Health & Development, and Midre'Genet Elderly Care Centre. The facility could accommodate up to 50 women and children. By 9 May 2020, it housed 13 women and eight children, including women working as commercial sex workers, cleaners and cooks in bars and hotels who could no longer afford rent after emergency restrictions closed bars and nightclubs in Tigray. Yikono also became a source of testimony and advocacy during the Tigray War. In a February 2021 BBC News interview, co-founder Weyni Abraha discussed reports of sexual violence in the conflict and argued that rape was being used deliberately as a weapon of war, including to damage morale, intimidate communities and pressure people to abandon resistance. Publicly documented information about Yikono's later organisational development, funding, current leadership and continuing operational status remains limited.

Yikono developed from grassroots activism in Tigray in late 2019. Its immediate catalyst was a November 2019 town-hall meeting in Addi Daero, where women publicly described alleged sexual abuse by a policeman. One participant spoke about a rape that had occurred 14 years earlier, while two others said that the same policeman had had sex with them after promising marriage. The testimony generated public discussion about impunity and violence against women and led to a demonstration in Addi Daero in support of the victims. The mobilisation spread to Mekelle, Tigray's capital, where young people organised another march demanding that public authorities and nongovernmental organisations take stronger measures to prevent violence against women. Social-media advocacy linked the local protests and helped form an organisation named Yikono, a Tigrinya expression meaning “enough.” The group was co-founded by Weyni Abraha, Tsidena Abadi and Helen Tedros, and its participation was not limited to women. Yikono's work centres on gender equality, prevention of gender-based violence and support for women exposed to abuse or economic vulnerability. It uses Tigrinya for much of its advocacy, addressing sexual harassment and sexual violence in ways connected to local language and cultural circumstances. Alongside awareness raising, the organisation seeks to help women re-establish their lives and become financially independent. The organisation undertook practical relief work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, when emergency restrictions in Tigray prevented bars and nightclubs from operating, some women employed as commercial sex workers, cleaners and cooks in bars and hotels were unable to pay rent. On 27 April, Yikono joined Mekelle University, the Tigray branch of the Organisation for Social Services, Health & Development, and Midre'Genet Elderly Care Centre in setting up emergency accommodation for vulnerable women and children. The shelter had capacity for up to 50 people; by 9 May it was accommodating 13 women and eight children. The Tigray War increased the importance of Yikono's advocacy. In February 2021, Weyni Abraha spoke to BBC News about sexual violence in the conflict. She said that many women had been raped in Mekelle and characterised the violence as deliberate, intended to break morale, threaten civilians and force people to give up the fight. This public intervention placed Yikono within broader documentation and advocacy efforts concerning conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray. Available reference material does not establish Yikono's current legal structure, funding model, headquarters address, staffing, leadership after 2021 or present operational status. It is therefore best described as an organisation with an unknown current status rather than assumed to be active or defunct.

• 2021

  Yikono addresses sexual violence during the Tigray War

  [1]Yikonoen.wikipedia.org

  Co-founder Weyni Abraha discussed conflict-related sexual violence in a BBC News interview and described rape as being used as a weapon of war.

• 2020

  Emergency shelter established in Mekelle

  [1]Yikonoen.wikipedia.org

  Yikono and partner organisations opened emergency accommodation for vulnerable women and children during the COVID-19 emergency.

• 2019

  Addi Daero town-hall meeting sparks mobilisation

  [1]Yikonoen.wikipedia.org

  A November town-hall meeting at which women described alleged sexual abuse prompted public debate and a protest march supporting women affected by violence.

• 2019

  Yikono emerges from protests and online advocacy

  [1]Yikonoen.wikipedia.org

  A related march in Mekelle and a social-media campaign evolved into Yikono, whose Tigrinya name means “enough.”

A locally rooted Tigrayan women's rights organisation combining Tigrinya-language advocacy against gender-based violence with practical support for vulnerable women.

• 2020Emergency shelter response for vulnerable women

  Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia

  During the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, Yikono helped coordinate emergency accommodation with Mekelle University, OSSHD's Tigray branch and Midre'Genet Elderly Care Centre.

  Outcome. The shelter could accommodate up to 50 women and children and was hosting 13 women and eight children by 9 May 2020.

  Source
• 2019Tigray anti-gender-based-violence mobilisation

  Tigray Region, Ethiopia

  Yikono grew out of an Addi Daero protest, a subsequent Mekelle march and online advocacy addressing violence against women, sexual harassment and the need for institutional action.

  Outcome. The mobilisation developed into a continuing grassroots organisation using Tigrinya-language advocacy.

  Source

1. 1Yikonoen.wikipedia.org