A group of women’s rights organizations and activists marked the International day of migrants by urging governments and international actors to halt the deportation and detention of Tigrayan women, warning that forced returns under current migration policies expose survivors of conflict-related abuse to renewed harm.
In an open letter addressed to the international community, human rights bodies, governments and civil society organizations, the signatories said thousands of Tigrayan migrants, many of them women, are being deported or returned from Gulf states under the banner of migration management.
The letter said that for many women, return does not mean safety. Instead, it brings renewed exposure to displacement, trauma and insecurity in a region still struggling with the aftermath of war. The groups said arbitrary deportations and forced returns carried out without gender-sensitive screening or safe reintegration mechanisms amount to re-victimization.
During the war on Tigray, women and girls were subjected to systematic sexual and gender-based violence, including gang rape, sexual torture, forced pregnancy and long-term physical and psychological harm, the letter said. It added that survivors continue to lack access to essential medical care, shelter and psychosocial support even after the ceasefire.
The groups said arbitrary deportations and forced returns carried out without gender-sensitive screening or safe reintegration mechanisms amount to re-victimization. They also warned that migrants traveling across the Gulf of Aden or through Yemen face risks including kidnapping, rape, forced labor and death.
The statement said the deportations reflect a broader global shift toward the externalization of migration, prioritizing deterrence and deportation over protection. It argued that such practices violate international law, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to places where they face serious harm, as well as gender-specific obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The signatories called on governments and international actors to halt arbitrary deportations and detentions of Tigrayan women, establish gender-sensitive return and reintegration mechanisms, ensure transparency in migration agreements, publish disaggregated data on returns, support safe humanitarian pathways, and strengthen internal protection and social services in Tigray and across Ethiopia.
“Return must not mean re-victimization,” the letter said, adding that migration governance focused on deterrence over dignity deepens suffering. The signatories said meaningful commitments to protection, healing and accountability are required if peace, justice and human dignity are to be upheld.
The letter was signed by organizations including Empowered Sisterhood Mekelle, GEM Tigray, Harambee Collective, Sheba Podcast, Umbrella for the Needy and Yikhono, as well as individual human rights activists.