Tsigue (39, not her real name) and her daughter (5) embrace each other. Tsigue was raped by Eritrean soldiers when the war began. Her husband left her shortly thereafter. Women raped during the war are almost always abandoned by their husbands. Adigrat, Tigray, Ethiopia.
In 2017, Cinzia Canneri began documenting the experiences of Eritrean women fleeing Eritrea’s repressive government. Since the outbreak of war in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia in 2020, her scope has expanded to include the stories of Tigrayan women fleeing from armed invasion. Both groups have been the targets of systematic sexual violence – rape, shooting, torture – that, due to social stigma, limited health facilities, and journalistic access, remains insufficiently reported by news media. By amplifying the stories and voices of the survivors, this project reimagines the idea of resilience as a complex collaborative challenge against pain, trauma, and loss.
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