- Title: SOMALIA: Somalia needs a strong judiciary to fight rampant rape
- Date: 5th April 2013
- Summary: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TARABUNKA CAMP FOR THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED WOMEN AND CHILDREN SITTING OUTSIDE MAKESHIFT TENT WOMAN SITTING OUTSIDE TENT WOMEN AND CHILDREN OUTSIDE TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) FATIMA OMAR, DISPLACED PERSON SAYING: "We are filled with fear when the sun sets in the evening because armed men come here to rape and rob people at
- Embargoed: 20th April 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Somalia
- Country: Somalia
- Reuters ID: LVAC251DUZIDSBZCR8JUE73T3R8J
- Story Text: In the sprawling Tarabunka camp for the internally displaced in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, women are afraid of living their makeshift tents for fear of being raped.
The displaced Somalis fled their homes following a protracted conflict that plagued the horn of Africa state for two decades.
During the civil war al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents seized control of large areas in the south and central parts of the country before African peacekeeping troops (AMISOM) began a counter offensive aimed at restoring order.
Last September the rebels were pushed out of their final bastion and relative security has returned to the country.
However the UN says rape has become an everyday crime, women and girls are increasingly assaulted while inside settlements like Tarabunka that dot the city, and perpetrators go free from any form of justice.
"We are filled with fear when the sun sets in the evening because armed men come here to rape and rob people at night, we cannot come out of our makeshift tents because of insecurity," said Fatima Omar.
Victims of sexual abuse seldom report the atrocities due to fear of being stigmatized, and although talking about rape in Somalia is taboo, the scourge was thrown into the global spotlight in February.
This was triggered by a judge who gave Luul Ali Osman, 27, a one-year jail sentence for claiming she had been gang-raped by soldiers.
The government accused Osman and the journalist who had interviewed her of fabricating the story in an attempt to malign law enforcers.
This verdict drew condemnation from Somalia's union of journalists and Human rights groups, who called the trial politically motivated, aimed at covering up widespread sexual abuse of women by the security forces.
A National and international outcry forced the government to drop all charges against the two a month later.
This incident has prompted the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura to visit Somalia to raise awareness and discuss with the authorities, ways of addressing sexual violence in the country.
"My visit is to gain first-hand knowledge, to listen, to hear the content of what is happening in relation to sexual violence, to be able to know what and where are the gaps, and what can we do to be able to work with the government and the national stakeholders on the ground to address this problem of sexual violence," said Bangura.
The envoy says the U.N. has evidence indicating that 1,700 Somali women had been raped in camps for internally displaced people in the Mogadishu between January and November last year, with the majority of offenders reportedly wearing uniforms.
Some local non-governmental organizations have set up shelters where assault victims are given free medical treatment and taught vocational skills like hena design - a highly sought-after traditional dyeing technique used by women to decorate their bodies on special occasions.
The women can use the acquired knowledge to generate income and improve their living standards.
Bangura says a team of experts from her office will be deployed to Somalia in July to carry out a needs assessment with the aim of training the police, so they can speed up prosecution of lawbreakers and ensure protection of rape survivors. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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