![]() Only 24 per cent of survivors ever seek assistance, according to the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic Health Survey. Even under normal circumstances, given the high levels of stigma, among other factors, gender-based violence is largely unreported in Ethiopia. Selam’s experience is just one of the stories captured by health officials and UN agencies, and these testimonies likely represent only a fraction of the real prevalence. The destruction and looting of health facilities – around a third are partially functioning, and a mere one per cent are offering clinical management of rape services – further complicates the situation amidst the threat of COVID-19. The health and well-being of women and adolescent girls are further threatened by food insecurity that is expected to worsen. Amid the crisis, gross violations and abuses against civilians, including sexual violence, continue to be reported. More than 5.2 million people in Tigray alone require humanitarian assistance among them are 118,000 pregnant women and 1.3 million women of reproductive age. Persistent fighting, forced displacement, and dire living conditions over the past eight months in Tigray and the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara in northern Ethiopia, have created one of Africa’s most pressing humanitarian crises. She recalls “running from place to place without food or shelter” and “constantly living in fear” after being displaced from her home and repeatedly facing harrowing incidents of sexual violence. Selam, 22, who found shelter in a safe house, is one of the survivors. In recent weeks, women have come forward with the most devastating stories of sexual violation and physical abuse. Sadly, this destruction has become a daily reality for women and girls in Tigray in northern Ethiopia. Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist celebrated for his work with survivors of sexual assault in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said, “Rape is a strategy of war – it is meant to destroy women and communities physically and mentally”. ![]() Julitta Onabanjo, UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa © UNFPA Ethiopia/Paula Seijo Opinion Editorial by Dr. A survivor of gender-based violence holds a message as part of a meditation exercise in Tigray. ![]()
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