Somalia

Somalia is the most dangerous country on earth to be a woman and a “living hell” for those struggling to feed their children amid war and drought, the country's minister for women says.

The daily violence, the constant fear of getting shot or raped, the lack of education and healthcare as well as practices like female genital mutilation make women's lives extremely hard, Maryan Qasim said.

UN Women Executive Director Ms. Michelle Bachelet has raised concerns over insecurity facing Somali women and girls in refugee camps in Kenya.

“Women are raped in their homes, in the bushes and many times on the roads,” said Ms. Bachelet. “New arrivals don't have shelters to sleep in and end up sleeping in the open outside the camps, exposing themselves to security risks.”

Many Somali women have lost their husbands and eldest sons, who either died in the country's conflict or simply left home to emigrate to another country. Women often find themselves alone with several children and relatives to look after - and traditionally, women are not typically the breadwinners of the family.

The United Nations today voiced alarm over the plight of Somali civilians caught up in the fighting pitting forces of the country's transitional government, who are backed by African Union peacekeepers, against insurgents of the Al-Shabaab armed group.

Amina Ahmed Barre, 29, a mother of two, has lived in refugee camps most of her life. She is one of nearly 14,000 Somali refugees in Djibouti. Barre fled Somalia with her parents in 1991 when civil war broke out; she was only eight years old.

Barre's home today is a makeshift shelter at the Ali Addeh refugee camp, 130km south of Djibouti-Ville, the capital. She spoke to IRIN about her experiences and hopes for the future:

What is SOMWA's relationship with other international organizations?

SOMWA has partnered with a few international organisations, such as IREX (International research and exchange Board) . We worked with them to create a Media Advocacy Project in Supporting Media and Civil Society in Somalia and Somaliland. SOMWA has also partnered with CARE International in creating a Media Women Empowerment Project.

The Somali government should direct new expertise and funding toward existing Somali reconciliation initiatives, women-led peacebuilding efforts, UN rule of law and security trainers, and local coast guard forces who have been working with far too few resources. Instead, the government is bringing into a crowded conflict a new, expensive breed of Somali gunman, the Western contractor.

When the punishment, 100 whip lashes, was postponed because she was pregnant Ms Anab Mussa thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. She had misread the Al-Shabaab-backed court.

The court in Wanlaweyn town, some 100 kilometres west of Mogadishu, had convicted Anab for having sexual relations out of wedlock.

Mogadishu — When the punishment, 100 whip lashes, was postponed because she was pregnant Ms Anab Mussa thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. She had misread the Al-Shabaab-backed court.

The court in Wanlaweyn town, some 100 kilometres west of Mogadishu, had convicted Anab for having sexual relations out of wedlock.

Historically, violence against women has been used as a political weapon in Haiti. Since last year's devastating earthquake, experts say women and girls are even more vulnerable to gender based attacks. NY1's Shazia Khan filed the following report.
You don't have to speak Creole to understand the terror experienced by Maricia Jean, a victim of rape in Haiti in 1991.