Somalia

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Joint Civil Society Statement: SGBV increasing while lawmakers let the SOB and SOA gather dust on the shelves

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was passed by the Council of Ministers and sent to the Federal Parliament in 2018, but after two years, it was repealed.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.

SIHA WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AWARDS – 2021

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 …

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MOURNING HAMDI: THIS IS NOT NORMAL, THIS IS A TRAGEDY

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 …

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CONFLICT, FOOD INSECURITY, FLOODS, COVID-19, AND THE RISING THREAT OF GENDERED VIOLENCE – ANOTHER BURDEN ON HER SHOULDERS

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, …

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GENDER ALERT: THE PROTRACTED NATURE OF GENDERED KILLINGS AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN SOMALIA

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 …

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CORONAVIRUS DOS AND DON’TS ARE BLIND TO URBAN POOR WOMEN’S REALITIES IN SOMALIA

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 …

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16 days of Activism 2018: Taking it Further – #HearMeToo

#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 …

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