The Problem: 

Genocidal war in Tigray has left deep scars — but for women and girls with disabilities, the suffering is often invisible. 

The hidden crisis these women face include: 

• Many have lost caregivers, assistive devices, or access to essential services.
• They are excluded from aid distribution, community decision-making, and rebuilding processes.
• Health and social services — especially for trauma, sexual violence, and mental health — are inaccessible or destroyed.
• Disability laws and protections (e.g. Proclamation No. 568/2008) remain unenforced in Tigray’s post-war context.
• Data about their needs is either missing or not disaggregated by gender, disability, or displacement, resulting in a humanitarian response that fails to reach them.

These realities have turned daily survival into a silent, ongoing battle — and one that cannot be ignored any longer. 

What We Demand: 

• Inclusive, Disaggregated Data Collection:
Collect and publish disability-inclusive data in all humanitarian, recovery, and reconstruction programs in Tigray, disaggregated by gender, age, type of disability, and displacement status. 

• Enforcement of Disability and Gender Protections:
Implement and monitor Ethiopia’s Proclamation No. 568/2008 and related UN conventions protecting people with disabilities, ensuring accountability for discrimination, exclusion, and violence. 

• Accessible and Inclusive Services: Rehabilitate health, education, and transport infrastructure with accessibility standards.
• Ensure access to essential assistive devices, hygiene products, and mobility aids.
• Provide mental health and psychosocial support services tailored to the needs of women and girls with disabilities, including survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. 

• Meaningful Participation in Decision-Making:
Guarantee representation of women and girls with disabilities in all stages of planning, policy-making, and reconstruction in Tigray. “Nothing about us without us” must become a reality. 

• Targeted Humanitarian and Economic Support:
Design and deliver aid packages, livelihood programs, and rehabilitation services that reach women and girls with disabilities — including those living in rural and displacement settings. 

Why This Matters: 

Recovery and justice in Tigray will not be complete until every woman and girl — including those with disabilities — can live with dignity, safety, and opportunity.
Ignoring their needs deepens inequality, reinforces stigma, and violates the very principles of human rights that international donors and UN agencies are mandated to uphold. 

We Call On: 

• The Government of Ethiopia and Tigray Regional Administration to immediately integrate disability inclusion into recovery plans. 

• International donors (USAID, FCDO, EU, Canada, JICA, World Bank, AfDB) to make disability inclusion a funding requirement for all Tigray programs. 

• UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to ensure that disability-inclusive protection and assistance are central to their operations in Tigray. 

• The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and OHCHR to urgently investigate and monitor the protection gaps facing women and girls with disabilities in the region. 

Join GEMTigray in calling for action — so that the invisible battles of women and girls with disabilities in Tigray are finally seen, heard, and addressed with the dignity they deserve. 

To: 

Federal Government of Ethiopia;
Tigray Interim Regional Administration;
USAID, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), European Union (EU), Global Affairs Canada, Irish Aid, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), The World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB); UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, WHO, ICRC, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), International Rescue Committee (IRC), CARE, Save the Children, Oxfam;
UN Bodies – Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNDP, and the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). 

Sign and share this petition today.

Together, we can make inclusion and justice a reality in Tigray.