Sexual Violence in Tigray Constitutes Crimes Against Humanity, Report Says

A new joint investigation by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH) presents harrowing and credible medical evidence confirming that Ethiopian and Eritrean forces systematically used sexual violence as a weapon during and after the Tigray war. Based on more than 500 medical records, surveys of 600 health professionals, and direct survivor interviews, the report details mass rape, forced pregnancy, sexual slavery, genital mutilation, and other forms of sexual torture inflicted on Tigrayan women, girls, and even infants. The aim appears to have been destruction of reproductive capacity and psychological terror-violations that meet the threshold of crimes against humanity.
The accounts include the insertion of foreign objects, such as metal screws, plastic debris, and metal spikes into survivors’ bodies, leaving severe long-term physical and psychological damage. Several perpetrators reportedly expressed genocidal intent. These findings are corroborated by broader UN and human rights body investigations documenting widespread sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by Ethiopian, Eritrean, and regional armed forces. In several cases, women were held in captivity for days or weeks and repeatedly raped by multiple perpetrators; minors were among the survivors. Unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, were common outcomes.
Recovering survivors face acute barriers: lack of access to health care, especially post-rape medical services and maternal care due to destroyed infrastructure and restricted humanitarian aid. Psychological trauma, societal stigma, and displacement have further isolated survivors. Reports indicate that even after the November 2022 ceasefire, sexual violence continued unabated, with minors disproportionately affected.
Human rights bodies, including the UN backed International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE), have characterized these atrocities as war crimes and crimes against humanity, urging an independent international investigation. However, accountability remains elusive: domestic prosecutions are rare, and the UN‐mandated investigative commission ended its work in late 2023 without renewal. Despite ample evidence and widespread calls for justice, impunity persists.
Source- The Guardian, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, AP News.