Report Details Widespread Sexual Violence, Crimes Against Humanity in Tigray

Report Details Widespread Sexual Violence, Crimes Against Humanity in Tigray
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A new report has documented extensive allegations of mass rape, forced pregnancy, and sexual torture committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces against women and children in the Tigray region, The Guardian reported. The research, a collaborative effort by Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH), represents the most comprehensive documentation of weaponized sexual violence in the Tigray conflict to date.

The report’s findings, based on a review of over 500 patient medical records, surveys of 600 health workers, and in-depth interviews with medical professionals and community leaders, indicate systematic attacks aimed at destroying the fertility of Tigrayan women. Healthcare workers described extreme brutality, including gang rape, the insertion of foreign objects into reproductive organs, and the intentional spread of infections like HIV. Victims ranged from infants to elderly individuals, with more than 63% of treated children being under 17. Some women were reportedly held in military camps for extended periods, giving birth to children conceived through these assaults.

The report covers the conflict and post-conflict period up to 2024, concluding that weaponized sexual violence has continued even after the 2022 ceasefire and has expanded into new regions. The organizations are calling for international bodies to investigate these acts as potential crimes against humanity and possibly genocide. The report emphasizes the critical lack of accountability for perpetrators as a key factor contributing to the ongoing human rights abuses.