Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the use of rape as a weapon of war in Tigray.

The UK is appalled by reports of gender-based violence that includes widespread rape in the Tigray region. The G7, under the UK Presidency, issued a statement on 2 April condemning human rights violations and abuses and sexual and gender based violence. The UK also condemned in the strongest terms the reported killings of civilians and acts of sexual violence via a joint statement on Ethiopia with 41 other countries at the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council. We support the UN's call for a "zero tolerance" policy for such crimes and we continue to call for independent, international investigations into allegations of human right abuses.

British Embassy staff conducted a specific protection mission in Shire in Tigray on 4-7 April. It included the assessment of the current Gender-Based Violence response, specific emergency services provided in camps and the remaining gaps. They interviewed staff and volunteers supporting survivors of sexual violence to identify essential activities required to address the immediate needs of the survivors as well as the accountability needs.