In the Ethiopian region of Tigray, it has now officially been two and a half years of peace, but many women literally carry the pain of the war within them. They were victims of horrific sexual violence by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers, who inserted objects into their wombs with the aim of rendering them infertile. From rusty screws to nail clippers and handwritten notes wrapped in plastic.
“It’s unknown how many women are involved,” says Birhan Mezgbo from Tigre. She spoke to dozens of girls and women about their rape and wrote a book about it. Many don’t survive the mutilation. Others suffer in silence: out of shame, or because there’s no clinic nearby. “Until unbearable pain or severe infections ultimately force them to the hospital, sometimes years later.” Read more…