Tigray Faces Surge in Child Marriage as War and Famine Erode Protections
A catastrophic surge in child and forced marriage is gripping the war-ravaged Tigray region, driven by mass displacement, famine, and the systematic collapse of social systems. According to a new 2025 Report submission by the Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray (GEMTigray) to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), as an input to the guidelines on child and forced marriage, HRC resolution 53/23, the destruction of 88% of schools, the obliteration of local economies, and severe food insecurity are pushing desperate families to view marriage as a survival strategy for their daughters. The report condemns isolated aid projects as ineffective, stating that only multi-sectoral strategies addressing poverty, protection, and education simultaneously can counter the complex drivers of this crisis in a post-genocidal context.
Women and Girls with Disabilities Suffer Compounded Atrocities in Post-War Tigray
Women and girls with disabilities in Tigray are enduring extreme and compounded discrimination, facing heightened risks of sexual violence, economic exclusion, and near-total isolation from humanitarian aid. A GEMTigray report submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as a response to the 2025 Call for Inputs on Protecting Children from Sale, Sexual Exploitation, and Sexual Abuse, details that the region, which had the highest household prevalence of disability in Ethiopia even before the war, has seen its support systems deliberately destroyed. Respondents described a near-total lack of accessible services, safe housing, or psychological support, as confirmed by investigations from civil society organisations. One of the reports mentions that women with disabilities who are survivors of sexual violence are often “left in the streets,” facing profound stigma without recourse to justice or care.
Digital Divide and Online Threats Widen Risks for Tigrayan Women
As limited internet connectivity returns to Tigray, women and girls are confronting a new frontier of threats, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence, online harassment, and AI-generated disinformation. A submission from GEMTigray to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) warns that, while the digital age offers tools for empowerment and education, it is primarily amplifying risks in the conflict-affected region. The report highlights that war-shattered infrastructure, affordability issues, and a lack of digital literacy have created a stark digital divide, leaving most women excluded from potential benefits while exposed to online grooming, deepfake propaganda, and coordinated attacks aimed at silencing activists and survivors.
**The full report submitted by the Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray (GEMTigray) to various UN bodies (HRC, OHCHR and CRPD) is attached.