Between 2020 and 2022, during the brutal Tigray War in Ethiopia, thousands of women and girls were subjected to systematic acts of gender-based violence. Many of these atrocities were part of a calculated campaign reportedly used as a weapon of war — a strategy aimed at inflicting long-term physical and psychological trauma on the Tigrayan population.
Despite the devastating scale of the violence, the stories of many survivors have gone largely unheard. Recent investigations have begun to shed light on the cruelty inflicted on these women, revealing harrowing details that demand global attention.
According to a recent report by The Guardian, in an interview with a survivor, medical teams discovered foreign objects inside the bodies of women — even years after the abuse occurred. Items reportedly found include nail clippers, plastic debris, and screws, raising serious concerns about the extent and nature of the violence committed.
The perpetrators of these acts, according to survivors and reports, did not attempt to hide their intentions. Disturbingly, they are said to have left messages inside the bodies of their victims, signaling a deliberate intent to render women infertile as part of an effort to erase the Tigrayan population.
These crimes represent not only a grave violation of human rights but also a chilling attempt at demographic erasure. For many survivors, the pain is not only physical, but also deeply psychological — a wound made worse by the silence surrounding their suffering.
“Why has no one talked about the terrible abuse against women in Ethiopia?” reads a powerful message from The WOM’s campaign, demanding that these voices be heard and their stories acknowledged.
The post, which has gone viral on Instagram, features heartbreaking images of survivors and X-rays highlighting the evidence found by doctors. Advocacy groups like Amnesty International and major outlets like The Guardian have started to bring these cases to international awareness, but much more remains to be done.
As the global community continues to grapple with the consequences of conflict-related violence, the stories of Tigray’s survivors must not remain invisible. They are a stark reminder of the human cost of war and the urgent need for justice and accountability.
