Book presentation: Tearing the Body, Breaking the Spirit

A talk by Ms Birhan Gebrekirstos on conflict-related sexual abuse in Tigray through the stories of survivors

For its first seminar of the year, the SOAS Centre of World Christianity will be hosting a presentation on the book Tearing the Body, Breaking the Spirit: Women And Girls’ Rape Stories from The Tigray War  (English translation of the original book in Tigrigna titled Meqanit) authored by Ms Birhan Gebrekirstos and Sister Mulu Mesfin and translated in English by Ms Hidat Hagos Tikue.

Book synopsis

Tearing the Body, Breaking the Spirit: Women And Girls’ Rape Stories from The Tigray War is a book that documents the widespread sexual violence committed against women and girls during the genocidal war in Tigray, Ethiopia. It is a compilation of 17 deeply personal and painful accounts of survivors and victims' families, highlighting the unique characteristics of sexual violence and the devastating social consequences that can follow. 

The book was written in accordance with the Gender-based Violence Documentation Protocol, with sensitivity to both the survivors and the readers.

Author biographies

Birhan Gebrekirstos Mezgbo is co-author of Meqanit and founder of Wegahta CSO, which works on the healing of sexual violence victims in the Tigray War. She is a human rights activist and volunteers in three humanitarian organisations and different IDP center's, where she documents human rights violations and sexual violations and organises fundraising.

 Birhan also joined a research committee established in Tigray to thoroughly investigate issues related to the crimes and violence committed against women and girls during the war. Additionally, she is a researcher and lecturer at Mekelle University's Mekelle Institute of Technology.

Sister Mulu Mesfin, a registered nurse, has a wealth of experience in the healthcare industry. She obtained her nursing certificate from Aksum School of Nursing and later pursued a nursing degree at Shiba University College. Throughout her career, Sister Mulu has worked at several esteemed health institutions, including her current position at Ayder Hospital. 

She made headlines for bringing attention to the devastating impact of sexual violence on women during the Tigray war and has been a vocal advocate for the survivors through her testimony to media outlets and international organizations. Alongside her colleagues, Sister Mulu is dedicated to helping survivors of sexual assault through her work at the "One Stop Center for Sexually Assaulted Women and Children" at Ayder Hospital, where they provide specialised medical care and rehabilitation services. 

For her unwavering commitment to human dignity and her outstanding contributions, Sister Mulu was recognised as one of the BBC's Top Hundred Influential Women in 2021.

Event details

• Organiser: Centre of World Christianity

The event is open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend. 

Please note that the event will be in-person and not online, but a recording will be produced and posted on the YouTube channel of the SOAS Centre of World Christianity after the event. Kindly follow the channel to receive a notification when this has been uploaded: SOAS Centre of World Christianity - YouTube

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Dr Romina Istratii at ri5@soas.ac.uk