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Six Eritrean women, between the ages of 20 to 32, have been kidnapped in recent weeks from the streets of Cairo, by men wearing police uniforms. In each case, the victim got into a white taxi, which was then stopped by the men in police uniforms. The ‘policemen’ opened the taxi door and sprayed something in the victim’s face, causing them to lose consciousness.

Each woman woke up in an unknown location. One discovered other women already in the same room as her, who had also been kidnapped from the streets of Cairo. They were forced to change into burkas and told that if they chose to convert to Islam, they would be allowed to leave. Two of the six paid $5000 each to buy their freedom, but they were not released. Instead, they were kept for over a month longer, and only managed to escape when the kidnappers were putting them into a car: the women screamed, local people rushed over to see what was happening, and the kidnappers ran away.

These Egyptian criminals are purposely targeting Eritrean women. Although the kidnap and abuse of Eritreans in Egypt is well-documented, each of the victims of that trade had been kidnapped in Sudan, and were taken to Sinai and held in the torture camps in the desert. This crime is happening on the streets and buildings of Cairo. Three of the women were held for over two months’ each, completely cut off from family and friends who did not know what had happened to them. One was held for three weeks. The other two remain unaccounted for.

Six Eritrean women have been kidnapped from the streets of Cairo