Women don't often start wars, but they do fight in them.

My comrades die near me.

And the consequences of armed conflict can be devastating for women and families caught in the middle.

They come to my grints and I see them laughing at me.

But women are not just victims of war.

They are survivors, peace builders, and leaders.

People certainly do everything that I can to provide whatever support that you and the other women deserve.

And we bring them all together in this program.

I'm Suzanne Kiyompoor and this is Women Building Peace on the BBC World Service.

In this series, we hear the voices of women around the world who are trying to build peace and protect communities affected by violent conflict.

With the help of the Georgetown Institute for Women Peace and Security, we will be exploring how women are trying to make a difference in the conflict zones they live in,

and talking to global influencers about how the international community can help.

This week, Ethiopia.

Sexual violence against women and girls, the country's humanitarian crisis and the prospects for finding peace.

The conflict between the government of Ethiopia and forces in its Northern Tigray region has thrown the country into turmoil, with fighting going on since November 2020.

The conflict has left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands more living in famine conditions.

And there have been widespread reports of sexual violence against women and children.

We've recorded the story of one woman who was raped and Tigray in November 2020.

The soldier who was speaking to me called a group of men in order to push me to the ground.

I failed. They kicked my abdomen. I was bleeding.

We will hear more of SEGA's story later in the program.

But first, I asked a BBC reporter in the region to explain the background to the conflict.

...