July Sexual and gender abuse

MONTHLY WOMEN & CHILDREN VIOLENCE INLOWER JUBA REGION REPORT

JULY 2007

2nd Edition

Submitted by

Mohamed Ahmed Abdi, Executive Director

Tel: +252-618 836 675E-mail: [email protected]

Date submitted: August 2007

Clearly, women cannot live free, safe, and dignified lives when violence, or the threat of violence, pervades their public and private experiences. Without the

basic right to live free from fear, all other gains are

compromised.

mailto:abnash.moshah@y

YDA Report on Monthly Women & Children Violence- Lower Juba Region – July 2007

1. Introduction:

On behalf of YDA I would like to submit this monthly womenviolence in lower Juba region report.

Young Africans Development Action (YDA) has been establishedby a group of committed youth members in Kismayo, Lower-Jubba region in 2002. The aim of YDA emergence was to renderbasic voluntary services to the youth groups and thecommunity at large in the region. YDA has it’s headquarterin Kismayo and has a branch office in Afmadow district inthe same region.

From the break down of central government youth were pronefor insecurity crisis because they are used for incitementto bang security and fuels for civil fight in the country.Youth and women were the most vulnerable victims in thissight Apart from the depletion, destruction of nearly allthe country’s institutions and infrastructure, and thegroups which bore the brunt of anarchy were women, youth andchildren.

Due to the apparent sufferings of the women, children andyouth, the main target of YDA became the rescuing of thesegroups, uplifting the role of youth in the society,propagating for peace and promotion of nationalism in thesociety. The organization is a full member of JOINT, ONHAand SACB (SSS) networks.

The organization engages in activities aimed at therehabilitation and development for the youth in Kismayo andother districts in the region. Current activities include:

Contacts: Tel: +252-1618836675 E-mail: [email protected] www.yda-africa.org 1

mailto:[email protected]


Youth Development & ICT: In this program, the organizationruns computer training programs for youth. Knowledge ofthis skill is important for the youth groups and certainlevel of skill transfer exists. Through partnership withAFRECFree Primary Education Program: Since there is noorganization in the region that has volunteered its selfto assist the marginalized youth for better education,Youth Development Association (YDA) has the potentials totrain youth so as to empower them in better and enhancedand broaden their horizon position in the community so asto make them active and effective participants in thesocial development process affecting their lives withsupport from AFREC. HIV/AIDS and FGM Awareness Campaign Programs: The organizationhas normal weekly HIV/AIDS awareness sessions. Mostlyyouth and community members participate where some sortof HIV knowledge has been created by this program throughpartnership with Oxfam Novib. Advocacy against women and children violence: is a voluntaryactivity that YDA undertakes just to make the communitywarn against women and children violence in the region. Social Activities and Sports: The organization runs a sportsclub which stands for youth integration in the region.This club pulls together diverse youth groups and takespart awareness programs. With funds from diasporas Peace and reconciliation campaign activities: the organizationimplements peace and reconciliation campaign to bring thecommunity in the lower Juba region in to thereconciliation that will take place sooner in the capitalin partnership with UNDP. Environment Conservation and Tree Planting Program: theorganization plants nursery trees and sell it to thepublic just to reduce the deforestation due to massburning of trees for charcoal. Internal Capacity Building: The organization implemented theorganizational capacity enhancement in partnership withOxfam Novib. The program covers all sorts oforganizational components as well as HIV/AIDS Training.




YDA produces this monthly women violence in lower Jubaregion report started from June 2007. This reports only aimsto outline the current women violence in the region. YDAoffice is compiling this detailed report through baselinesurveys carried out districts of lower Jubba region. Uponthe completion of this report will be shared with all theconcerned parties, local and international partners. It willhelp assess and develop plans and strategies to assist thevulnerable communities in the region. Despite this report,the organization looks forward to all new events that fullyor partially have effect on the lives of youth/women in theJuba region. Continuity of the advocate for women/childright activity is the highest value of YDA core value, sincethe topic is the most specialization of the Association.

2. Background

Somali society, while possessing a high degree of culturalunity deriving from the pastoralist economy, is pluralist inessence. It is a plurality of clans, sub-divided at manygenealogical levels, but also a plurality of unequal socialgroups – pastoralists having traditionally dominated anddiscriminated against the agricultural groups and theminorities. Recognition and acceptance of this plurality, aswell as suppressing the destructive elements of clannism andother forms of identity-based discrimination and exclusion,would go far towards ensuring effective implementation ofsocial and cultural rights, and providing equality andfreedoms for all groups and individuals. A disproportionatepercentage of human rights violations are perpetratedagainst women. Women and children are the most vulnerablevictims of the civil wars through unprecedented violence,including killing and rape. The difference between militiaand criminal activity in Somalia is very difficult to make,as conflict itself is a venture for looting and as armedconflict is increasingly linked to retaliation againstcriminal acts. Efforts to protect and promote human rightsare pursue in an unusual context in Somalia.




o First, the prolonged absence of a functional, recognizedcentral government creates a unique challenge, in thatthe standard responsible political authority forupholding human rights law is absent from the scene.

o Second, local customary law (xeer) – which is theprincipal source of conflict management, conflictprevention, and justice in Somalia – occasionallyconflicts with universal human rights conventions.Physical protection from assault, rape, or murder, forinstance, is afforded to those who enjoy membership in asufficiently powerful clan, not to the population atlarge via an impartial judicial system. Women’s rightsin customary is also not upheld to a level consistentwith international human rights standards. Crimes whichviolate human rights are addressed not as a matter ofindividual culpability, but rather as a matter ofcollective responsibility, with blood payments from theaccused’s (diya) or blood compensation group negotiatedwith the family of the victim.

o Third, Somalia’s extraordinary levels of poverty andunderdevelopment constitute a human rights challenge intheir own right. Human rights violations in contemporarySomalia tend to fall in one of several categories:violations of the rules of armed combat, including therules of armed occupation; human rights violationsperpetrated by criminals who go unaddressed by localauthorities; human rights violations perpetrated bypolitical authorities themselves.

The situation of women is especially precarious. The rate ofrapes and child exploitations cases are very common inSomalia. Many Somali women undergo sexual harassmentsviolence or are disabled during their force desires, theseviolations have caused many women died and some got severeinjuries and others after conceiving unwanted pregnancieswent to distress situations. Women violations are uncounted.Severe gender iniquity has left women and young peoplehighly vulnerable to violence, including rape, and other




women victim of violence (WVV) which has resulted women andgirls increasingly get sexual diseases HIV/AIDS.

3. Sexual Abuse and Dowry Related Violence

Somalia being one of the cultural fanatic countries thecommunity is firm to the traditional ethics. Elders have thehighest respect even more than the religious groups thoughalso they have their own respect among the community.Engagement is compulsory before intercourse for the Muslimcommunity; however, women are given less consideration whenit comes who to marry them. Really, it is anti Islam toforce a Muslim to perform things beyond his/her will, but ithas been overwhelmed by the cultural tradition heritage fromthe ancestors. Ladies are forced to marry men whom they havenever seen just because of paying dowry to the maleparent/relatives. Women and children have the least respectin the society. They cannot contribute ideas nor can theyrepresent a team in any forum.

Cases where ladies are forced to men are very common in theregion. It is a day to day continuous case. In this monthseveral of such cases have been reported to YDA office.

On 10th July, Ismahan 17 was chased from her parent homeafter she brought a man of her choice. She was previouslymarried to a man out of her desire after giving some money-dowry- to her stepfather who forced her to marry. The lifebecame difficult for her, and could not stay with the man.After long protest complain was divorced. She thereforestarted looking one of her choice as she made relationshipwith a young man of different clan. To revenge from herpreceding act of rejecting the man given, her stepfatherburnt all her clothes and sent her out of the family.Eventually, YDA officials found her and made resolutionbetween the family. Now she stays with them.

Impressive surprising hectic inhuman act performed in the recent days inthe city- Kismayo




A lady of 17 got unwanted (illegal) pregnant after having arelation with a young tough man who own nothing beyond hissoul. She knew her parents will never allow her to marry.Therefore, she has fully surrendered herself to him andfilled her belly. She never told anyone as she kepteverything secret with herself. She never removed the heavyHijabs even during stay with her own parents. The time cameand she felt labor pain. She moved far from the family andpeople. With lot of struggle, pain and scream she delivereda baby. On seeing the young infant laying beneath herthighs, she stood up pick the infant and dropped it into anold latrine pit. Thinking that now she is free fromeverything with exception of pain the young lady return backto her home. She could not tolerate the pain and she shoutedscreaming loudly, her mum, brothers and dad gathered askingwhat had happened to her. She could only reply that shefeels pain in the abdomen. A taxi was ordered and she wasdriven to the hospital. The doctor asked hers severalquestions and later noticed that the lady has recentlydelivered. Although she rejected, but the doctor told herparents to call for a midwife to assist him safeguard theirdaughter. The parents could never believe him seeing that heran mad or mockingly joking. The doctor sent one of hisassistance to call one of the town midwives. When she got inthe parents were astonished not knowing what to say. Shewent in to the doctor’s room, made little consultation withhim and she came out putting gloves. She asked the parentwhere was the infant, why they allowed her daughter deliverout of hospital. Their tongues dried, having no idea of whatwas going on they said that their daughter can never getbirth to a baby for she has never married. Now the doctorcame out after the lady felt better. He asked her parentsabout the infant, they said that they know nothing inrelation to what he was talking about. The lady came out andshe just moved out without talking to any body. The midwifecame out with a counter carrying the placenta, this is theplacenta and your daughter has recently delivered. Thefather stood up calling her name, he asked furiously, wherewas the baby; the only reply she gave was nothing she knew.




At long last she told them that the baby was in a latrinepit some miters away of their home. They rushed to the placeand met the baby laying in the pit with aunts filled everyopening; ears, eyes, nose and mouth. The baby was dead andwas graved. On getting the news YDA officials visited the family and hada counseling meeting with the two parents and the lady andshe was allowed to bring the man home and she will bemarried to him but after recovery.

4. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is the term used to refer tothe removal of part, or all, of the female genitalia. Themost severe form is infibulations, also known as pharaoniccircumcision. An estimated 98% of all mutilations in Somaliaare infibulations. The procedure consists of clitoridectomy(where all, or part of, the clitoris is removed), excision(removal of all, or part of, the labia minora), and cuttingof the labia majora to create raw surfaces, which are thenstitched or held together in order to form a cover over thevagina when they heal. A small hole is left to allow urineand menstrual blood to escape. In some less conventionalforms of infibulations, less tissue is removed and a largeropening is left.

In Somali societies, to be called a woman “uncircumcised” isa deadly insult; often, women who refuse circumcision becomeunmarriageable outcasts, shaming their families and theirtribe. All these factors keep women invested in thecontinuation of the practice, even though they are also itsvictims. Men are warned to not marry uncircumcised girls. Itis believed that uncircumcised girls are morally weak.Normally, men do not usually participate directly in FGM,however, and in some cases they oppose it. For the mostpart, women plan, implement and enforce FGM. The familyloses dowry and respect in the society if daughters are notcut. We therefore say women play a greater cultural




dominance and are the strongest opponents of FGMeradication.

The Qu'ran does not mention FGM. In a Hadeeth, FGM ispermitted, but nowhere is it required. In a Hadeeth, theHoly Prophet, Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him, cautioned acertain woman, Um Attiyah (known as a specialist inperforming FGM) to be moderate (removing only the prepuce["foreskin"] from the clitoris).

On 14th July, a young, YDA-Kismayo studentgirl of 5 have been circumcised. The case hasbeen noticed after the little girl DekaAbdikarim missed her lessons fro 4 days. Anytime the teacher asks her sisters, where DekaAbdikarim was he was replied “sick”. Four

days is not short time, the teacher then decided to visithis sick clever student. On knocking the gate with the guideof her sisters, her mother opened the gate and welcomed theteacher with open face. The teacher refused to sit unlessshown the girl. ‘She is only mutilated, not sick’, themother said happily. The teacher got shock and could notproduce a word. After sitting for quite a time, he asked herto allow him to come with some YDA officials so that she getcounseling of which she immediately admitted. On reportingthe matter to the office, 3 YDA staffs of all ladiesaccompanied the teacher to the family. They have reallydebated and discussed and later on agreed on ceasing thepractice with the mother. The mother told that she has 3other younger ones and she will not perform the FGM on them.

A depressing and memorable bereavement took place in Kismayo through FGM.

“As a Human rights watch and advocate, 19th July 2007 is aday we cannot fail to remember. After getting a call fromone of the villages in Kismayo, a dweller reported that 9years old Zaynab no longer with us at 9:30 in the morning,subsequent to under-going nasty and merciless Female GenitalMutilation (FGM) carried out by a traditional midwife in the




town. The girl dead from terribly flow of blood. Zaynab wasliving with her Aunt after her mother dead months ago andher father dead years before her mother’s. This event hasdriven YDA staff to act quickly and organized trainingsaiming to raise awareness and ultimately abolish thepractice.”

5. Raping cases:

Though not as endemic as in the period 1991-1992, rapecontinues to be used as a weapon against enemy clans or sub-clans during armed clashes. In addition to the use of rapeas a weapon in wartime, criminal gangs and roaming militiasare committing this crime with near impunity. They targetwomen in socially weak and vulnerable groups, which poselittle to no threat of retaliation. This has been aparticular human rights crisis for female IDPs and otherneedy groups.

For fear of being stigmatized, Somali women who are victimsof rape often refuse to acknowledge publicly that they havebeen raped, even when medical evidence indicates that theattack occurred. In other cases, women do not seek medicalassistance or file a police report because they do not wantit known that they were raped. Most women who have beenraped only go to a doctor if they suffer other injuries frombeing beaten, knifed or shot, and even then, many do notmention that they were raped. In some cases, the women donot perceive the rape itself as an injury.

On occasion, if a rapist is identified, the families settlethe case through the elders with the rapist's family paying"blood money" in compensation for the crime committed.Unfortunately, the defrayal is usually negotiated on behalfof the woman by her male relatives, sometimes against herwishes, and the settlement money often remains with the malerelatives.




On 9th July a woman of 4 children have been abducted fromher home by two men and raped her. Hawa Amin told that shehas been awakened by two men with guns while she wassleeping with her husband and her kids in Jibril Camp. Theyordered her to follow them as they threatened her husband ifhe could make any voice. They dragged her to Qoryoley bitchnear the Wamo stadium in Kismayo. After raping her they ledher to her home.

On July 10, 2007 a vehicle that left Kismayo heading toBadhadhe District has been fired injuring some of thepassengers. Sulekha narrates that as they were chatting inthe vehicle and making funs, a bullet was heard. It was justbeyond the Kismayo international air port around 7:00 pm inthe evening. It kept on firing some of the passengers werealready injured. As the driver stack on the break, the gangscould come from every direction. They started looting andsearching the pockets of the injured asking for money. Theythen turned to the ladies as every team took one to thebush. Among them was a virgin, 7 men raped her, piercingknives to break her virginity easily, as she kept crying formore than 2 hours screaming for help.

6. Wife/husband Abuse:

Spouse abuse is commonly termed "domestic violence". Whileit is a crime that is perpetrated by both genders, it is acrime whose victims are primarily women and often children.It is a crime that annually leaves many women in Somaliabattered by their husbands. It is a crime committed everytime, with a woman and possibly her children, beingvictimized, most often in the one place where they shouldfeel safe...the home.

Victims of domestic violence are found among allwife/husband relationships. Domestic violence includesphysical abuse, sexual violence, and psychological and/oremotional abuse of a woman by her husband. Accuratestatistics on the extent of spouse abuse are difficult tocalculate. However, we know that physical battering accounts




for injuries to women. In addition, we know that spouseabuse in domestic violence is the most common unreportedcrime in Somali community, occurring in families from alleconomic, social, cultural, and educational backgrounds.Sexual violence and emotional abuse, including threats,verbal insults, deprivation, harassment, etc., oftenaccompany physical violence. Kicking, biting, hitting,pushing, choking and assaults with weapons are behaviorsmost often associated with physical domestic violence.Pregnant women who are victims of physical abuse oftensustain injuries to the abdomen and, potentially to theunborn child. A victim of chronic abuse may have bruises onher face, neck, arms, legs, or torso which are in a varietyof healing stages or show signs of swelling or puffiness inthe face or around the eyes. She may have a readyexplanation for such injuries, not wishing to raise anysuspicions on the part of relatives, neighbors, or co-workers.

Such cases are very common in the community and almost morethan 20 cases of the kind might take place in a village ofless than 100 families monthly. You can imagine how popularthe practice. Today numerous organizations are working toraise public awareness about women violence and yet, thereis still much to be done to educate society towardprevention of this most devastating form of abuse.

On 2nd July Anab Warsame was beaten by her husband afterthey failed to agree on the family bill. He beat her will abig stick. She broke her arm and was hospitalized.

On 11th July 2007 an old Halima was strike by her oldhusband. Halima was 8 months pregnant when her old husbandthrough her to the pavement of their house which caused herbled and killed the infant in the womb. Fartun who was herneighbor tried to safeguard the life of her friend, butunfortunately, her husband knocked her with a chair he wassitting on and she broke on of her fingers as she was tryingto prevent rest of her fragile body.




7. Child labor:

Children are the future representatives of all tomorrowresponsibilities and producers of any productive activities.There are several internal displaced young children due totraumatic experiences of – fighting, killing of civilians,grenade attack, shelling and bombing, displacement, floodsand other natural and man made disasters- suffering inKismayo town. These have hampered their hopes in the future.They need care health and education support. However, mostof the children of the poor and displaced families act asworkers. Some of them perform heavy duties like taking partin constructions and loading of heavy goods in towns. Thedisplaced children who cannot get enough meals from theirfamilies carry out casual activities just to contribute billto their families. Street children and the unaccompaniedyoung ones are the most vulnerable. Girls are the worst.They are hired with less cost as house maids or babysittersby the tycoon/rich families. They work more than 16 hours aday with less than $20 a month. To them it is an opportunityto have shelter and food, though they get no other rightsfrom their employers.

Registered unaccompanied children with YDA in Kismayo

No.

Name Sex Age

State of health

Place of origin

Current place of survival

1. Abdifatah MohamedAbdi

Male 11 Suffering from skin rushes

SunguniVillage

Badr Camp

2. Abkow Husen Jum’ale

Male 12 Good looking Koban Badr Camp

3. Abdullahi Ali Mohamed

Male 13 Arare Pass Camp

4. Fatima Ali Omar Female 12 Suffering from cold

Jamame Street child

5. Abdiwahab MubangaAhmed

Male 7 - Wirkoy Dharkeenley camp




6 Mohamed Ali Musse Male 8 Boney and skin

Kimtirey

Street child

7 Halimo Omar Female 14 Oral thrush - Fanole8 Ardo Mahayno Female 13 Doing fine Kamsuma Farjano9 Khadijo Mohamed Female 14 healthy - farjano10 Jama Said Abdi

GabMale 11 Good looking Kismayo Street

Child

Khadija Mohamed is an unaccompaniedyoung lady. She is a house maid inKismayo who work more than 16 hours aday. She is very happy with this becauseshe has no other alternative. Her dutiesinclude performing all house work;cooking, fetching water, going to the

market for buying vegetables, babysitting the youngchildren, washing utensils, cleaning the compound and beyondstay indoors and stand by for any other duties that may comeanytime. She earns less than $20 per month as salary. Hersalaries will never enough her clothing and other needs.

Jama Said Abdi Gab 11 is a youngunaccompanied boy. His both parents diedyears ago. He used to live with hisgrandmas who is too old and poor thatcannot get her daily bread. Jama leftthe family after he could not bear thehunger. He therefore joined the streetchildren who get their daily lives

through different ways. Jama is a shoe polisher. In everypasserby Jama could check their feet just to recognizewhether their shoes need polishing. Many a times people askhim to accompany them to far places as he fulfills in orderto get some money. From that he earns, he shares with hisold poor grandmas. YDA made a survey in Badade District just to gatherinformation on child labor and education for girls. Really,




what we found was not pleasing. Girls carry gericanes fullof water on their backs, heads and hands from very fardistance of about 1 KM. They are not taken to schools andcan only marry to the wish and choice of their parents.Divorce is common as women have no rights in the family.Practice of FGM is widespread among the community. Really,women play no role but act what I could term us slaves. Theyperform every task duties and they are not even recognizedleave of recommending. Women and children have the leastrespect in the society. They cannot contribute ideas nor canthey represent a team in any forum.

8. Lack of Education and Illiteracy:

An interview, YDA officials had with the Juba EducationNetwork (JEN) in Kismayo on June 2007, confirmed that theenrolment of girls are less than a third of the totalstudents population in Juba region schools. The ages ofgirls in schools differ from 6 to 15. This is due to thetraditional believe that girls/ladies contribute nothing tothe family for she will be married to a man and she will bepart of the husband’s family that her contribution goes tothem. Therefore there is no need for educating her andwasting money on her education once her contribution goes toothers. Others believe that she can totally contributenothing.

A survey we carried in Badade district also kowtowed thatgirls get least education and only 10% of the school agedgirls go to primary schools in the district. This is becauseof the believe that girls are meant to work in the familyand look after children. There is no secondary school in thewhole district.

9. Recommendation:




Make survey and learn about common perceptions andpractices regarding domestic violence in the community.

The international community and the UN agencies shouldpressure the TFG to introduce and implement the lawagainst women violence in order to cease the practicefrom the Somali community.

Prepare the community for the subsequent training bydeveloping relationships with community members andestablish Projects to culminate women violence.

Strengthen capacity of CSOs staff and support beginimplementing a domestic violence prevention project

Support from international community and UN agencies toshore up CSOs voluntary activities in the region.

10. Conclusion:

Violence is not inevitable. However it can be done much toaddress and prevent it. The individuals and communitieswhose lives each year are shattered by can be safeguarded,and the root causes of violence tackled to produce ahealthier society for all.

The region has not yet fully measured the size of this taskand does not yet have all the tools to carry it out. But theCSOs knowledge is growing and much useful experience hasalready been gained. This report is hoped that it willinspire and facilitate increased cooperation among thedonors and local CSOs, innovation and commitment topreventing violence in the region.



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July Sexual and gender abuse