Countries: Somalia
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1

"Last week, security forces stormed Mahmoud's home after he barricaded himself inside a room with the girl. The dramatic rescue has sparked a national outcry, with social media in uproar and protests erupting in the capital, Mogadishu. Campaigners have seized on the case to demand urgent action to protect children, as Somalia still lacks a minimum legal age for marriage" (para 4-5).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: MARR-PRACTICE-1

"An eight-year-old girl in Somalia who had been missing for six months has been discovered living with a man who claimed to be her husband. The child vanished from her home in the semi-autonomous Puntland region last September, sparking deep concern among her family. But shockingly, it later emerged that her own father had consented to her marriage to an adult man named Sheikh Mahmoud. Last week, security forces stormed Mahmoud's home after he barricaded himself inside a room with the girl. The dramatic rescue has sparked a national outcry, with social media in uproar and protests erupting in the capital, Mogadishu" (para 1-4).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: AOM-PRACTICE-1

"An eight-year-old girl in Somalia who had been missing for six months has been discovered living with a man who claimed to be her husband. The child vanished from her home in the semi-autonomous Puntland region last September, sparking deep concern among her family. But shockingly, it later emerged that her own father had consented to her marriage to an adult man named Sheikh Mahmoud. Last week, security forces stormed Mahmoud's home after he barricaded himself inside a room with the girl. The dramatic rescue has sparked a national outcry, with social media in uproar and protests erupting in the capital, Mogadishu" (para 1-4). "The horrifying saga began when a...more

Countries: Somalia
Variables: AOM-DATA-2

"A 2020 UN report found that 35 per cent of Somali women aged 20 to 24 had been married before turning 18, with the rate previously as high as 45 per cent in 2017" (para 15).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1

"But in Somalia, the practice has proved fiercely resistant to efforts at change. 'It’s persistent, it’s constant,' said Dr. Mariam Dahir, who is a rare public opponent of cutting in Somaliland, a breakaway region in the north of the country. Dr. Dahir said that there had been a campaign by some international anticutting groups to have religious leaders endorse a less-extreme version of the practice, involving the removal of some or all clitoral tissue, over the traditional practice of the full stitching closed of the labia. The latter increases the likelihood that women will experience health complications from sexual activity or in childbirth. The less extreme option appealed to some...more

Countries: Somalia
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1, SEGI-PRACTICE-2

"'It’s persistent, it’s constant,' said Dr. Mariam Dahir, who is a rare public opponent of cutting in Somaliland, a breakaway region in the north of the country" (para 15). "She posts Facebook videos calling for a total ban on cutting, which attract widespread criticism. 'Then at least I know people are hearing the idea,' she said. And that, at least, is a change from the past, when it was totally taboo for people to discuss the practice at all" (para 18).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: LRW-LAW-1

"Members of parliament decried the killings during a debate Saturday and called for the offenders to be prosecuted. Despite the condemnations, Somali lawmakers have yet to pass the UN-backed Sexual Offenses Bill that the Council of Ministers approved in 2018. Female MP Gobsan Muhumed was among those who spoke during the session" (par. 10-11). "Prosecutors in Somalia rely on provisions of the 1970s penal code to charge perpetrators of sexual and other gender-related offenses. Critics say this law is not tough enough and have called for the government to adopt harsher penalties" (par. 14).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: DV-PRACTICE-1

"Gender-based violence remains prevalent in Somalia. The situation is worsened by the absence of strong legal frameworks to deter attacks" (par. 4).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: MURDER-LAW-1

"Three women were killed in Somalia last week in what police say were marriage disputes. The country’s parliament called for urgent investigations and the arrest of the perpetrators as citizens expressed outrage" (par. 1). "Members of parliament decried the killings during a debate Saturday and called for the offenders to be prosecuted. Despite the condemnations, Somali lawmakers have yet to pass the UN-backed Sexual Offenses Bill that the Council of Ministers approved in 2018. Female MP Gobsan Muhumed was among those who spoke during the session" (par. 10-11). "Prosecutors in Somalia rely on provisions of the 1970s penal code to charge perpetrators of sexual and other gender-related offenses. Critics say...more

Countries: Somalia
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1

"In 2020, parliament debated a controversial bill to address gender-based violence but was forced to hold it back following local and international pressure over clauses that allowed for child and forced marriage and other violations of women’s rights" (par. 5). "Amina Haji Elmi, director of the Mogadishu-based advocacy group Save Somali Women and Children, said, 'Somali women, alongside others, have been living in the war-ravaged country. They were victimised by both natural disasters and man-caused problems. Currently, women are facing many challenges; among them are lack of support and poverty. They do not get protection and support after incidents.' Elmi called on security agencies to deliver justice to the families...more

Countries: Somalia
Variables: MURDER-PRACTICE-1

"Three women were killed in Somalia last week in what police say were marriage disputes" (par. 1). "The killings occurred in Mogadishu, the Lower Shabelle region and the Qoryooley District. One woman was stabbed, a second shot and a third set on fire — all allegedly at the hands of their husbands" (par. 2). "'We strongly condemn the heinous acts against these innocent women,' Elmi said. 'It is sad to hear that a mother is being killed in front of her children. We call upon the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice. We extend condolences to the families of these victims.' Members of parliament decried the killings during...more

Countries: Somalia, South Sudan
Variables: AFE-PRACTICE-1

"Uganda’s peacekeeping staff are deployed in Somalia and South Sudan — both countries where attacks on students and schools and the military use of schools by local parties have been documented" (3).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: MARR-LAW-1, AOM-LAW-1

"In 2020 a new sexual intercourse related crimes bill was proposed, which relaxed current age restrictions to allow for marriage at puberty and legalise forced marriage as long as there is family consent" (para 21).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: DV-PRACTICE-2, DV-DATA-1

"Huseina said many people, especially men, either supported or accepted domestic violence and other forms of abuse against women as part of everyday life" (para 17).

Countries: Somalia
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1, LRW-DATA-1, WAM-PRACTICE-1

"'With the advent of social media, new forms of abuse are on the increase including girls being blackmailed after being drugged and filmed while they are being raped, sometimes by more than one person. Some of these videos are sold on social media platforms'" (para 18).