Press Release

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day as appropriately chosen by the United Nations, was “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”
It takes into account why technological innovations are increasingly being recognized as a precondition by civil society organisations, governments, the academia and private sector to accelerate the attainment of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),..

This position paper is based on information gathering conducted by the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) in Somalia and involves different groups of women and women’s organizations, including grassroots women’s organizations/networks, women human rights defenders, activists, women politicians, IDPs and women with disabilities.

This position paper draws on a series of discussions and interviews conducted by the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) between August 2021 and June 2022. These discussions were complemented by an online survey completed by 98 women from various backgrounds, including grassroots women’s networks, …

Joint Civil Society Organizations Press statement:
Civil society and human rights organisations are deeply appalled by the recent decision of the Parliament of Somalia to pass the Sexual Intercourse Bill over the historic Sexual Offences Bill (SOB) that was adopted by the Council of Ministers in May 2018.

Child and forced marriage are both human rights violations and harmful practices that disproportionately affect women and girls globally, preventing them from enjoying their childhood and living fulfilling lives. This year’s National 16 Days of Activism theme in South Sudan, “Take Responsibility: Protect Women and Girls from GBV” is crucial in the context of child and forced marriage

On the 21st of December, following a retrial ordered by the appellant court, Amal1 who faced death by stoning is now facing a 6-month prison term. It is evident that the appellant court did not consider the injustices of a death sentence for the crime of adultery or the disproportionate way it affects women. The court instead called for a retrial…

Sexual violence against women with disabilities encompasses both disability-based and gender-based violence across the globe. Violence against women with disabilities is one of the categories of violence that remains highly…

People with disabilities, women, and minority groups are particularly marginalized in Somaliland due to attitudinal and environmental barriers, institutional challenges, and a lack of effective inclusion strategies and efforts. Individuals who face marginalization on multiple axes, such as, women with disabilities, women from minority groups, or women with disabilities

On the 24th of November, the Court of Appeal overturned the verdict of the Court of First Instance which had convicted Amal* to death by stoning for adultery. The case has been sent back to the primary court under the Court of Appeal’s ruling that, given the flawed proceedings and distorted implementation of the law, the whole trial will be repeated.

It is our pleasure as the SIHA management team to share with you our report for 2020 and 2021 of our journey of successes and challenges and learning throughout the two years.