Relatives of Eritrean military draft dodgers 'punished'

According to Human Rights Watch, relatives of those convicted of avoiding forced military recruitment are being punished by the Eritrean government.

The advocacy group claims to have met with parents who were forced out of their homes and an 80-year-old man who was arrested for refusing to turn over his youngest kid.

Other instances of people being made to sleep on the streets exist.

The indefinite national service requirement in Eritrea is frequently mentioned as the reason why hundreds of young Eritreans attempt to emigrate to Europe.

As a result of Eritrea's recent engagement in the civil war in neighboring Ethiopia, military roundups became more intense.