At least 108 rape cases were reported by health centers in Tigray regional state of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has disclosed.
The commission Friday said in statement that based on the information it gathered from hospitals and health professionals in the regional capital, 52 rape cases were reported in Mekelle hospital, 27 in Ayder, 22 in Adigrat and 7 in Wuquro hospitals.
The commission said there could be scores of unreported rape cases as victims were not able to access or provide testimony as security establishments like police stations and health centers were either destroyed or not active.
The commission said the curfew in the regional state could be another constraint hindering the victims to report their cases in time.
According to the commission’s statement, out of 20 children who were receiving medical treatment in Ayder hospital, 16 of them were victims of anxiety due to the conflict between Tigray forces and the federal government.
The commission further said all inmates who had been in 10 detention centers had escaped following dysfunction of security and civil institutions.
MG/abj/APA