Re: Men forced to rape family members in Ethiopia's Tigray, UN says
The agame father who molested his underage daughter said, "I was forced to rape her." 
Selam Tesfaye, Mekelle, Tigray, 'My own father gave me HIV'
Selam Tesfaye* was born and raised in Mekele, northern Ethiopia. At the age of 13 she was raped by her father, who also infected her with HIV. This is her story.
"When my parents divorced I was very little and I had to stay with my mother and my two sisters. We were living a good life until my mother died and we had to move to our aunt's house. My father then came to my aunt and said we should all move back with him. That was when my life turned upside down.
"One night I had a stomach-ache and went to my father for help. He gave me an injection, saying that it would relive the pain. Shortly afterwards I felt dizzy and become unconscious. The next day I woke up very sick and when I tried to go to the bathroom to urinate I discovered that I had been raped.
"My father also openly admitted that he raped me. I ran away from home and went back to my aunt, but I was too shy and ashamed to tell her what my father had done to me. She said I should go back to my father because she was worried that he would accuse her of abduction.
"I was forced to go back to my father's house, and later found out that my older sister has been continuously raped by my father and had even aborted three times.
"That was when I decided to break this cycle of abuse in our family and spoke boldly to the police about what my father did. He was put in prison for a brief period and released on bail.
"After he was released, news of his HIV status reached me, but I could not confirm the story as I had moved in with my aunt again. I was not aware of my own HIV status until I had a disagreement with my cousin and she said that I had AIDS. I was devastated, because even if I was aware that my father had the virus, I did not know that he had given it to me.
"After I confirmed I had the virus, I isolated myself from the family and friends. My aunt gave me a separate plate to use for food; nobody even touched the food I ate or the clothes I wore for fear of the virus. My aunt accused me of promiscuity, as if I slept around to get the disease.
"The conflict at home worsened when I went on national television and told my story about the virus, to teach young people. My aunt became violent because I had not consulted her about my decision in advance; I left her house and started living alone.
"Currently, an NGO that is helping people with HIV is providing me with financial and emotional support. I am now at peace with myself and with the virus; I have come into contact with male and female friends who are kind and supportive."
*not her real name
Selam Tesfaye, Mekelle, Tigray, 'My own father gave me HIV'
Selam Tesfaye* was born and raised in Mekele, northern Ethiopia. At the age of 13 she was raped by her father, who also infected her with HIV. This is her story.
"When my parents divorced I was very little and I had to stay with my mother and my two sisters. We were living a good life until my mother died and we had to move to our aunt's house. My father then came to my aunt and said we should all move back with him. That was when my life turned upside down.
"One night I had a stomach-ache and went to my father for help. He gave me an injection, saying that it would relive the pain. Shortly afterwards I felt dizzy and become unconscious. The next day I woke up very sick and when I tried to go to the bathroom to urinate I discovered that I had been raped.
"My father also openly admitted that he raped me. I ran away from home and went back to my aunt, but I was too shy and ashamed to tell her what my father had done to me. She said I should go back to my father because she was worried that he would accuse her of abduction.
"I was forced to go back to my father's house, and later found out that my older sister has been continuously raped by my father and had even aborted three times.
"That was when I decided to break this cycle of abuse in our family and spoke boldly to the police about what my father did. He was put in prison for a brief period and released on bail.
"After he was released, news of his HIV status reached me, but I could not confirm the story as I had moved in with my aunt again. I was not aware of my own HIV status until I had a disagreement with my cousin and she said that I had AIDS. I was devastated, because even if I was aware that my father had the virus, I did not know that he had given it to me.
"After I confirmed I had the virus, I isolated myself from the family and friends. My aunt gave me a separate plate to use for food; nobody even touched the food I ate or the clothes I wore for fear of the virus. My aunt accused me of promiscuity, as if I slept around to get the disease.
"The conflict at home worsened when I went on national television and told my story about the virus, to teach young people. My aunt became violent because I had not consulted her about my decision in advance; I left her house and started living alone.
"Currently, an NGO that is helping people with HIV is providing me with financial and emotional support. I am now at peace with myself and with the virus; I have come into contact with male and female friends who are kind and supportive."
*not her real name
Re: Men forced to rape family members in Ethiopia's Tigray, UN says
UN says
Reuters Tigray Published: Mar 26, 2021, 09.15 AM(IST)
At least 516 rape cases had been reported by five medical facilities in Mekelle, Adigrat, Wukro, Shire and Axum
More than 500 rape cases have been reported to five clinics in Ethiopia`s Tigray region, the United Nations said on Thursday, warning that the actual numbers were likely to be much higher due to stigma and a lack of health services.
"Women say they have been raped by armed actors, they also told stories of gang rape, rape in front of family members and men being forced to rape their own family members under the threat of violence," Wafaa Said, deputy UN aid coordinator in Ethiopia, said in a briefing to UN member states in New York.
She said at least 516 rape cases had been reported by five medical facilities in Mekelle, Adigrat, Wukro, Shire and Axum.
"Given the fact that most health facilities are not functioning and also the stigma associated with rape, it is projected that actual numbers are much higher," she added.
A dozen top UN officials called on Monday for a stop to indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civilians in Tigray, particularly calling out reports of rape and "other horrific forms of sexual violence."
Fighting in Tigray broke out in November between government troops and the region`s former ruling party, the Tigray People`s Liberation Front. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also said troops from neighboring Eritrea were in the region.
The Ethiopian government takes the allegations of sexual violence "very seriously" and has deployed a fact-finding mission, Ethiopia`s UN ambassador, Taye Atskeselassie Amde, told Reuters.
"Ethiopia has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual crimes and anyone found responsible for the despicable acts will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," he said.
Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed and Eritrea`s information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, did not respond to calls and messages requesting comment on the UN remarks on Thursday.
The violence in Tigray has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in the mountainous region of about 5 million.
"Most of the internally displaced people left with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. They are generally traumatized and tell stories of the difficult journey they took in search of safety. Some reported walking for two weeks and some as far as 500 km," Said said on Thursday.
"Of the people who traveled with them, some were reportedly killed, particularly youngsters, people were reportedly beaten, women were subject to rape, some were pregnant and delivered on the way losing their babies," she said.
The United Nations has raised concerns about atrocities, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described acts carried out as ethnic cleansing. Ethiopia rejected Blinken`s allegation.
This week, Abiy acknowledged for the first time that atrocities such as rape had been committed and said any soldiers committing crimes would be punished.
Dozens of witnesses in Tigray have told Reuters that Eritrean soldiers routinely killed civilians, gang-raped and tortured women and looted households and crops. Eritrea has not responded to queries on reports of atrocities.
Reuters Tigray Published: Mar 26, 2021, 09.15 AM(IST)
At least 516 rape cases had been reported by five medical facilities in Mekelle, Adigrat, Wukro, Shire and Axum
More than 500 rape cases have been reported to five clinics in Ethiopia`s Tigray region, the United Nations said on Thursday, warning that the actual numbers were likely to be much higher due to stigma and a lack of health services.
"Women say they have been raped by armed actors, they also told stories of gang rape, rape in front of family members and men being forced to rape their own family members under the threat of violence," Wafaa Said, deputy UN aid coordinator in Ethiopia, said in a briefing to UN member states in New York.
She said at least 516 rape cases had been reported by five medical facilities in Mekelle, Adigrat, Wukro, Shire and Axum.
"Given the fact that most health facilities are not functioning and also the stigma associated with rape, it is projected that actual numbers are much higher," she added.
A dozen top UN officials called on Monday for a stop to indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civilians in Tigray, particularly calling out reports of rape and "other horrific forms of sexual violence."
Fighting in Tigray broke out in November between government troops and the region`s former ruling party, the Tigray People`s Liberation Front. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also said troops from neighboring Eritrea were in the region.
The Ethiopian government takes the allegations of sexual violence "very seriously" and has deployed a fact-finding mission, Ethiopia`s UN ambassador, Taye Atskeselassie Amde, told Reuters.
"Ethiopia has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual crimes and anyone found responsible for the despicable acts will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," he said.
Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed and Eritrea`s information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, did not respond to calls and messages requesting comment on the UN remarks on Thursday.
The violence in Tigray has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in the mountainous region of about 5 million.
"Most of the internally displaced people left with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. They are generally traumatized and tell stories of the difficult journey they took in search of safety. Some reported walking for two weeks and some as far as 500 km," Said said on Thursday.
"Of the people who traveled with them, some were reportedly killed, particularly youngsters, people were reportedly beaten, women were subject to rape, some were pregnant and delivered on the way losing their babies," she said.
The United Nations has raised concerns about atrocities, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described acts carried out as ethnic cleansing. Ethiopia rejected Blinken`s allegation.
This week, Abiy acknowledged for the first time that atrocities such as rape had been committed and said any soldiers committing crimes would be punished.
Dozens of witnesses in Tigray have told Reuters that Eritrean soldiers routinely killed civilians, gang-raped and tortured women and looted households and crops. Eritrea has not responded to queries on reports of atrocities.
Re: Men forced to rape family members in Ethiopia's Tigray, UN says
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