A documentary about the appalling atrocities inflicted on the women of Tigray: Not Ours to Carry

Conflict-related sexual violence is rarely prosecuted and rarely seen. Three Tigrayan women, an advocate, a researcher, and a soldier who fought to protect herself from rape, speak on camera in their own words, carrying the voices of survivors into the world.

Anonymous survivor testimony and original hand-drawn animation by Tigrayan artist Gabrielle Tesfaye bring to life what cameras could not capture during the longest communications blackout in modern history. It is the only documentary with survivor testimony from the Tigray war.

  •  280,000+ women and girls subjected to sexual violence in Tigray, per 2025 Commission of Inquiry.
  • Just 25 military convictions to date.
  • Impunity remains the rule.

THE PROTAGONISTS

Rita Kahsay — researcher, strategist, and humanrights advocate; author of In Plain Sight; has engaged the African Union, UN, EU, UK, and US to demand accountability for survivors.

Birhan Gebrekirstos Mazgbo — research assistantat World Peace Foundation, Tufts University; DWAkademie fellow; founder of Fetli radio; leads SheHeals, We Heal; official witness and confidant to survivors.

Berkti Haile — civilian turned soldier; chose tofight to protect herself from rape. Now speaks publicly, confronting the stigma that silences somany women in her community. 

VOICES

“The bravery of the women in this film, to open up the wounds of their experiences and share theirheartbreaking stories, despite the incredible personal risk, reveals how important and urgent it is forhumanity to bear witness to these atrocities.”

LESLIE GILBERT-LURIE, INTERNATIONAL BOARD MEMBER, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

“Not Ours to Carry is a powerful and deeply important film. Veronica Blecker gives voice to women whosesuffering has too often been ignored and reveals the devastating consequences of a system that permitssexual violence to persist unchecked. This is not just a story about one country. It is a reminder of ourshared responsibility to bear witness, speak out, and demand better.”

ERIC PAQUETTE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MERIDIAN PICTURES