Authorities in Wondo Genet town, Sidama region, said six individuals have been taken into custody after a widely circulated video showed women wearing trousers being harassed in the town.
The footage, which surfaced earlier this week on social media, depicted groups of children and youths attempting to forcibly undress women in the street, claiming that "elders had decided women should not wear trousers." The images sparked widespread outrage.
In a statement issued yesterday, 1 October 2025, the Wondo Genet town administration accused "elements opposed to change in our city" of orchestrating the incident. It alleged that the perpetrators mobilized daily laborers to stage unrest aimed at restricting women's right "to move freely with the attire of their choice."
The administration said the attempt to instigate violence was swiftly foiled "by the government and our peace-loving people" before it could escalate.
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It confirmed that suspects identified in connection with the harassment are under investigation and that legal measures will be taken, including addressing the root causes of the incident.
The administration further stated that residents of both the town and the wider Sidama region strongly condemned the attack, adding that calm was restored within minutes.
This development comes at a time when women and girls are facing increasing sexual harassment in both digital spaces and physical settings.
In September, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported that female students in schools are subjected to threats, intimidation, and sexual harassment, with perpetrators identified as both teachers and fellow students.
In its monitoring, the commission confirmed these violations, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions. It also noted that some schools impose punishments causing physical and psychological harm, while ongoing conflicts between armed groups and government forces have further endangered students in these regions. The findings stem from EHRC's monitoring of public and private schools in the Addis Abeba, Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, and Southern Ethiopia regions.
Last May, a study released by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) documented the widespread technology-facilitated gender-based violence (GBV) targeting women who participate in public discourse in Ethiopia. The study analyzed over 2,000 social media posts across multiple platforms and languages. Facebook was identified as the primary platform for such abuse, with women reporting harassment across all social media channels, both private and public.
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