A recent report reveals alarming levels of sexual assault of women and girls in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, following a signed peace agreement to end conflict. The investigating bodies, Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa, studied over 300 random medical records from Tigray health centers dedicated to treating victims of sexual violence.
According to this report, the youngest victim was only eight years old. A significant number of these assaults, at least 128 instances, occurred after the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) was signed. The destruction and looting of most health facilities left many victims without treatment for months, some of whom now carry HIV or are bearing children from the assaults. The report concludes that these incidents were widespread, constituting a systematic weaponization of rape.
Findings further reveal that the majority of recorded acts involved multiple perpetrators, identifying them as belonging to Eritrean or Ethiopian armed forces, or military and paramilitary groups. Survivors often face significant delays in receiving medical care, revealing physical and psychological effects including mental health issues, unintended pregnancies, and reproductive organ injuries and disorders. Notably, 95% of incidents affecting children and adolescents under 18 occurred after the CoHA was signed.
In conclusion, the report points to severe human rights violations and possible atrocity crimes as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Such violations include torture, rape and sexual violence, and sexual slavery potentially attributable to the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments. As hinted by the report, Ethiopia’s commitment to implementing a transitional justice process, as stipulated by the CoHA, seems unclear, given the significant role alleged for forces aligned with the government. Questions concerning credible investigations, documentation, and accountability processes have subsequently arisen.
The report calls for international and regional action to ensure credible monitoring, documentation, investigations, prosecutions, and justice for the committed atrocities. The scheduled report release by the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2023 serves as an essential milestone in seeking justice for these events. However, the continued opposition from the Ethiopian government indicates global mechanisms may face challenges.
The full report accessible at JURIST – News.