Little is known about the current Eritrea. When the country gained its independence in 1993, the hopes were high that the country would gain a better and peaceful future for all, after the 30-year liberation struggle against Ethiopia. The international community also saw great prospects for the country to develop as a first stable and independent democracy in the African continent. Currently, all hopes and expectations have faded. Eritrea is one of the most repressive states in the world.

The victorious freedom fighters from the past have formed a power hungry militarized regime. The international community is not paying much attention to what is happening in Eritrea. Apparently, the country is not important enough in international politics. In the mean time, more and more Eritreans have fled the country.

Every month, around 4000 people flee to Europe, facing great dangers on the road. Their distress and defenselessness makes them easy pray for human traffickers in transit countries. Tens of thousands of Eritreans have become victim to human traffickers in the last years, who kidnap them and take them to torture camps in the Sinai desert. There, they have to beg for large sums of ransom from their relatives. If they are freed, they still have to pay large sums of money to cross the Mediterranean Sea in dangerous boats. The refugees who make it to Europe face a lack of understanding from authorities and the public alike.Why have they left their country, which is not in a state of war or civil war and which does not suffer from famine? 

This book wants to contribute to the understanding of the widespread human rights abuses in Eritrea and that the topic of human trafficking will grow in public awareness.