Soldiers and militias aligned with the Ethiopian government subjected hundreds of women and girls in the conflict-torn Tigray region to sexual violence, according to a new report by Amnesty International.
Through interviews with medical professionals, humanitarian workers, and 63 survivors of sexual violence, Amnesty found that members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, police special forces for the Amhara region that neighbors Tigray, and militia group Fano, as well as Eritrean Defense Forces, “subjected Tigrayan women and girls to rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, sexual mutilation and other forms of torture.”
Tigrayan health facilities recorded 1,288 cases of gender-based violence between February and April. But many survivors told Amnesty that they had not visited any health facilities, indicating that the extent of the violence is likely much greater.
“It’s clear that rape and sexual violence have been used as a weapon of war to inflict lasting physical and psychological damage on women and girls in Tigray,” said Agnès Callamard, secretary-general at the organization, in a press statement.
Why it matters: Callamard underlined “the severity and scale of the sexual crimes,” saying they constitute war crimes and possibly even crimes against humanity.
What’s next: Amnesty said that despite “significant physical and mental health complications,” survivors of the violence have received little psychosocial or medical support since arriving at camps for people displaced within Ethiopia or at refugee camps in Sudan.
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Callamard called for the Ethiopian government to take immediate action to stop the sexual violence and for all parties to the conflict to allow full humanitarian access to the region. Amnesty also pressed for greater involvement and access for the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the United Nations.
“We must see all allegations of sexual violence effectively, independently and impartially investigated to ensure survivors receive justice,” Callamard said.
About the author
Rumbi Chakamba
Rumbi Chakamba is a Senior Editor at Devex based in Botswana, who has worked with regional and international publications including News Deeply, The Zambezian, Outriders Network, and Global Sisters Report. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of South Africa.