Additional Context: Patients face challenges and delays in accessing health facilities, which means that patients often present with severe post-rape complications by the time they are able to receive care. These complications include heavy bleeding, injuries resulting from genital penetration with foreign objects, and HIV.

This information was first published in a June 2025 research brief by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) entitled "Shuttered Clinics, Preventable Deaths: The Impact of U.S. Global Health Funding Cuts in Ethiopia." This PHR research brief presents key insights from interviews with 10 medical and public health experts who support projects across Ethiopia, including in Addis Ababa and Tigray, and data on the impact of the funding cuts across Ethiopia. This brief has a specific focus on Tigray, where impacts of regional tensions have exacerbated by cuts to global health aid between February and May 2025.

Source: Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)

Devex Researcher Note: The Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy, was reinstated by the Trump Administration in January 2025. According to the Center of Reproductive Rights, "the Global Gag Rule is a policy that restricts U.S. foreign assistance to organizations providing, counseling, or advocating for legal abortion services—regardless of local laws or non-U.S. funding sources. This action represents a significant setback for global health, gender equality and human rights, particularly for vulnerable communities who already face systemic barriers to accessing critical health care." Find more information here.