In Somalia, national laws, policies and procedures are not
favourable to the rights of women and there is no framework to
address widespread Violence Against Women (VAW). This article, from
Strategic Initiatives for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA)
Network, which comprises 28 member organisations and advocates for
social change and gender equality for women in the Horn of Africa,
assesses the extent of the problem and suggests solutions.
Ravaged by 15 years of war and periods of anarchy, Somalia is a
prime example of how women become the main victims of violence in
conflict- ridden areas. Violence against women in the form of rape,
torture, looting and forced displacement are tools of war for the
humiliation and control of communities living in certain areas.
The governmental instability has ensured that Somalia continually
fails to interact with the African Commission regarding political,
social or economical affairs. To date, Somalia remains one of the
countries refusing to sign the International Convention on the
Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW).
Male dominance is an accepted norm in Somalia, and women are
consistently undermined within society. The patriarchal Somali
culture regards violence against women (VAW) on a family basis to be
a private matter. Research conducted by UNICEF highlights the
alarming reality that the physical punishment of women within family
homes is not considered to be a violation by Somali communities.
Although gender based violence is condemned widely by all sectors of
society, there is a misconception as to what really constitutes VAW
in Somalia.
Having asked a number of citizens 'How common is violence in your
family?', the results show that the majority of people believe that
violence is a rare to non-existent occurrence within Somali family
life, and 75% of those questioned believe that sexual assault does
not happen in Somalia.
Sexual harassment is prevalent throughout all sectors of society,
but women continue to hide these abuses to prevent hostility or
shame. Rape is common, and fear is widespread, but due to the
impunity created by male dominance, perpetrators of sexual
harassment are rarely punished. To safeguard the family's honour,
some girls are forced to marry the men who raped them. In other
cases, 'blood compensation' is given to the family of the victim
(usually in the form of livestock or money). This never reaches the
girl, but instead is handed to the male elders of the family, most
commonly the father.
National Laws, policies and procedures do little to protect the
rights of women. During the periods in which Somalia was left
stateless, clan-based Islamic courts were established as a means of
keeping law and order, but they concentrated mainly on family law.
Even now, the newly appointed Somali Federal Government is not
operational in many sections of the country, and no specific
policies regarding VAW have been addressed. Official authorities,
regardless of their responsibilities, constantly abuse the rights of
women, and women in detention centres are often raped by
custodians.
Some civil society organisations have filled this breach in
setting policies and procedures relating to VAW. Medical support and
counselling services are carried out by women and human rights
organisations, but there remains no shelter for abused victims.
Of a total 694 cases of violations of women's rights carried out
in the past 6 months, 36 cases have been fully investigated. All the
rest remain pending and no investigation has been done. Research was
conducted into the victims of sexual assault in Somalia, and of
those involved in the research, 60% were physically harmed, 20% died
as a result of the assault, and a further 10% committed suicide.
More than half of the perpetrators were never found, and of those
charged, many suffered no consequences. Even though many cases of
rape are confirmed, the majority of the population still deny its
existence.
In some instances, Somali women can be considered as the
perpetrators of violence against their own sex, with specific regard
to the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This harmful
practice is known to cause severe bleeding, urine retention, and in
some cases, death. The procedures of FGM cause lifelong physical
suffering for many women, yet mothers continue to subject their
daughters to this horrific practice.
The majority of Somali women agree that all girls should be
circumcised and that female circumcision is a part of Islamic
practice. Moreover, they believe that an uncircumcised girl is
unfit for marriage. A shocking 98% of Somali women continue to be
circumcised, with 90% of those being subjected to the Pharaonic
(also called Infibulation) method. The less radical form of
circumcision, known as Sunna in Somalia (also referred to as
Clitoridectomy), is mainly practiced in coastal towns.
To eradicate FGM from the cultural practices of Somalia,
awareness and knowledge must be widely disseminated. Heads of
families, religious leaders and FGM practitioners need to be
informed that FGM is a crime against women, and should not be
condoned under the guise of 'cultural or Islamic practice'.
Similarly, awareness needs to be raised amongst Somali
communities about VAW in general. Some media programmes have been
implemented by human rights organisations to raise community
awareness about VAW. In addition, articles have been published in
daily papers and information has been broadcasted on local radios.
However, there remains plenty to be done in terms of eradicating VAW
from the cultural practices of Somalia. Support strategies need to
be put in place, training of human rights activists is essential,
and pressure needs to be placed on the Somali government to sign
international and regional instruments, like CEDAW.
* This article was compiled by Strategic Initiatives for Women in
the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network from information from the Kalsan
Organisation's 2005 Country Report on VAW. SIHA, which means 'The
Outcry' in Arabic, is a network of civil society organisations from
North and South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and
Somaliland. Founded in 1995 by a collection of women's groups with
the view of strengthening their capacity, SIHA has grown over the
years and is now comprised of 28 member organisations. SIHA is
advocating for social change and gender equality for women in the
Horn of Africa, insisting that Violence against Women (VAW) in all
its forms must be stopped. We are also involved in Peace Building
and in promoting women, girls' and Human Rights.
* Pambazuka Source: PAMBAZUKA - www.pambazuka.org |