Somalia has long been plagued by conflict, instability, and suffering. Years of civil war, extremist violence, and political unrest have taken a toll on the nation, resulting in displacement, poverty, and unimaginable hardships. In the midst of these crises, women and girls bear the brunt of the burden, facing increased violence, discrimination, and exploitation. …
In Somalia, the Sexual Offenses Bill (SOB), a law aimed to reduce rape and gender-based violence, was passed by the Council of Ministers and sent to the Federal Parliament in 2018, but after two years, it was repealed. The House debated a new bill in 2020 that attempted to replace the original Sexual Offenses Bill. The newly drafted Bill (Sexual Intercourse and Related Crimes Bill) allows for child and forced marriage, among other violations of women’s rights.
The late Hamdi Mohamed Farah was a student who was murdered in September 2020. She was invited to the site of the crime by a man who, according to local media reports, she thought to be her friend. Upon reaching the site, a group of assailants brutally gangraped Hamdi and pushed her off a six-floor …
#JUSTICEFORHAMDI – Decision Reached by the Court Read More »
INTRODUCTION Despite challenging socio-political environments across the Horn of Africa, women human rights defenders continue to engage in significant change and transformation in the field of women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Women human rights defenders continue to be subject to targeted repression, physical and psychological violence, intimidation and abuse, yet they continue to …
MOGADISHU: We, as the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), condemn with the strongest terms the horrendous murder of Hamdi Mohamed Farah, a young woman from Mogadishu, Somalia. Last week, Hamdi was raped by multiple assailants who then murdered her by throwing her off the 6th floor of a building. Hamdi …
MOURNING HAMDI: THIS IS NOT NORMAL, THIS IS A TRAGEDY Read More »
Women in Mogadishu – Photo Credit: SIHA Archives In Somalia, cases of SGBV and domestic violence have increased significantly since the country began its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender inequalities are typically worsened by crises and the COVID-19 situation is no different. Women are being hit harder by the negative effects of the crisis, …
Just over a week ago, it came to SIHA’s attention through one of its members that particularly heinous acts of sexual violence against a woman and two girl children. On 30th March 2020, the two young girls, both below the age of 5, were abducted and gang-raped by unknown men in the Afgoie lower Shabelle …
GENDER ALERT: THE PROTRACTED NATURE OF GENDERED KILLINGS AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN SOMALIA Read More »
Photography Credit: AMISOM Public Information, 2016 SIHA Network is a regional network that works with urban poor women in shanty, peripheral settlements in addition to internally displaced, migrant women and girls across the greater Horn of Africa. The latest global warnings and protection guidance regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been, in our view, largely a conversation …
CORONAVIRUS DOS AND DON’TS ARE BLIND TO URBAN POOR WOMEN’S REALITIES IN SOMALIA Read More »
In a horrifying attack in Galkayo – Central Somalia (Puntland), Aisha Ilyas Adan aged 12 years old went missing on Sunday 24th February, 2019 – for less than 24 hours and was discovered to have been brutally raped, tortured and mutilated. Her body was found near her house on Monday morning, a few meters away …
#HearMeToo This year, SIHA Network leveraged on the 16 days of activism as an opportune period to bring the #MeToo conversation to the light – attempting to understand how the gender power imbalance creates opportunities for men to prey on women and girls; promotes a society that ridicules the victims; allows the perpetrators to go …
16 days of Activism 2018: Taking it Further – #HearMeToo Read More »
