Executive Summary
The conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia between the government of
Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), with
involvement from Eritrean military forces and numerous ethno
regional militia groups, has been marked by widespread conflict
related sexual violence. Reports of conflict-related sexual violence
as a significant element of the conflict surfaced both before
and after the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement
(CoHA) in November 2022 by the government of Ethiopia and the
TPLF.1–3 This report – prepared by a joint research team composed
of professionals with medical and public health training and
expertise in Ethiopia and Physicians from Human Rights
(PHR) – finds that, since the start of the conflict in November
2020 until June 2023, military actors have perpetrated brutal and
widespread acts of conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray and
that these acts have not ceased following the signing of the CoHA.
A medical and human rights research team reviewed 305
randomly selected medical records from multiple health facilities
in Tigray, Ethiopia, with the goal of documenting types and
patterns of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence
perpetrated against civilians in Tigray between November
2020 through June 2023. Of the 305 records reviewed, 304
records included reports of conflict-related sexual violence,
overwhelmingly affecting women and girls, with survivors of
conflict-related sexual violence ranging in age from eight to 69.
Key Findings
The medical records reviewed paint a stark picture of the
systematic and widespread infliction of conflict-related sexual
violence by government armed forces and militias. All parties
to the conflict failed to prevent and halt conflict-related sexual
violence and to ensure that survivors are able to report and seek
care for the devastating injuries caused by these acts.
Sexual violence was often perpetrated by groups, and at
times involved captivity and use of weapons.
Analysis of this data revealed that rapei committed by multiple
perpetrators accounted for the majority of documented acts
(76%; n=233), followed by rape committed by a single perpetrator
(22%; n=68). The incidents examined in this review most
commonly were carried out in groups, with a median of three
perpetrators. It is noteworthy that there were 10 records in which
patients reported experiencing captivity during the occurrence
of multiple perpetrator rape, consistent with enslavement and
sexual slavery. The incidents frequently involved perpetrators
who used weapons or other forms of violence concurrently with
sexual-violence acts. Several accounts also described the murder
of family members, including children, before, during, or
after rape.