Instead of safety, returning Tigrayan migrants re‑victimized

*Trigger warning, this article contains references to acts of sexual violence

The war between Tigray and Ethiopia is “over” and many Tigrayan migrants are being sent back. Amongst those returning migrants, are many who suffered exploitation and violence before they fled or while abroad. Some of the most egregious accounts are from women who left due to systematic sexual and gender-based violence. And of these returning refugees who have already endured trauma, particularly the women, many are now being subjected to a lack of gender‑sensitive screening, support, or safe shelter on return. Further, in some cases, refugees are experiencing modern slavery conditions at the hands of officials. All these factors are turning what should be a safe return into survivor re‑victimization. It also underlines the perils of a new migration policy trend, “migration externalization”.

Refugees facing modern slavery on arrival

Horrific accounts of sexual violence are well documented as part of a brutal war that engulfed Tigray between 2020 and 2022. Now the war is over, and many women and girls who fled to other locations are returning along with the men. But among those interviewed, some were transferred to remote detention centers, farms, or informal holding facilities. Once there, they experienced beatings, forced labor, denial of food or medical care, and were not allowed to contact relatives. All indicators of modern slavery.

Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray (GEM Tigray) writing for Addiss Standard stated:

The story of Tigrayan women—deported, displaced, abused—shows what happens when migration governance becomes about deterrence, removal, and externalization, rather than protection, dignity, and rights. For many, “return” is not a return to home—it is a spiral of detention, invisibility, re‑victimization, and trauma.

GEM Tigray shares that this treatment “raises pressing human rights, moral, and policy questions.” It also follows a global trend of governments embracing an “externalization” of migration control. The forced returns of Tigrayans underline this global shift. Destination states are increasingly outsourcing border control, returns, and “migration management” to third or transit countries. In addition, harsh deportation and readmission policies are voted in that lack basic human rights standards. A cruel shift from the protection and asylum refugees should be given. Further, the trend does not fulfill the moral and practical obligations international law places on the treatment of refugees.

Are current policies renewing hope—or perpetuating harm?

According to international law, everyone has the right to life, security, non‑discrimination, protection from torture or ill‑treatment, and the right to seek asylum and refuge. And those laws impose clear obligations on states in regard to refugees. Particularly the principle of non-refoulement. This principle prohibits returning anyone to a place where they face a real risk of serious harm. States are also prohibited from arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance and must provide safe conditions, access to legal remedy, and non-discriminatory treatment. But GEM Tigray and other rights groups are crying foul.

GEM Tigray stated:

International human rights law—including the right to life, security, non‑discrimination, protection from torture or ill‑treatment, and the right to seek asylum and refuge—imposes clear obligations on states…(and) externalization policies—through deportations, returns without screening, detention of returnees, or deals with transit states—often flout these obligations.

Contrary to the stated aim, GEM Tigray feels the externalization of migration policy will only deepen the migration crisis, not solve it. Migration policy focused on deterrence, removal, and externalization instead of protection, dignity, and rights raises an important question. Are we renewing hope, or perpetuating harm?

Time to demand accountability, transparency, and policy change

GEM Tigray is calling for an immediate halt to arbitrary deportations and detentions. They also highlight the urgent need to establish gender‑sensitive return and reintegration mechanisms. In addition, transparency of all return, readmission, and migration‑management agreements must be ensured. And any deals with foreign states or transit partners must be publicly disclosed, subject to oversight, and conditioned on human‑rights safeguards. They are also calling for safe, legal, humanitarian pathways for migration.

Freedom United stands beside GEM Tigray and all those who are demanding an end to the externalization of migration and demand safe migration pathways. Add your voice to ours and tell governments everywhere hostile immigration policies only perpetuate exploitation, we say “not in our name.”