Despite Healthcare Improvements, the Eritrean Human Rights Situation is Dire

By Ena Cefo

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea recently found a “very clear pattern” of human rights abuses in Eritrea, concluding that “most Eritreans have no hope for their future.” Eritrean men and women face indefinite national service from the age of 17, frequent detentions, torture, forced labor and suppression of expression. Exemplifying the dire human right situation, the number of Eritrean asylum-seekers in Europe drastically increased in 2014 to a total of approximately 37,000 from 13,000 in 2013. The Eritrean government wants the focus on the positive healthcare improvements in the country, but the reality of mass (and increasing numbers of) Eritrean migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea in dangerous conditions remains a blatant sign of the difficult life under the repressive regime.