Sexual violence in Somaliland

[Tallaabo]

By ABDI GULED Associated Press

 

MOGADISHU, Somalia May 12, 2013 (AP)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An upsurge of gang rapes has hit the breakaway region of Somaliland — a normally peaceful enclave considered by many to be a sanctuary from Somalia's decades of violence.

 

Knife-wielding young men follow women along the dusty streets of Hargeisa, the capital of the region, dragging them inside buildings to rape and rob them. Children are among the victims.

 

At least 84 women have been raped since the beginning of this year, according to rights activists and medical officials.

 

"This year is more terrifying than last year when we were barely receiving two or three in each month. This year we are seeing a new victim for every day," said a nurse at a hospital in Hargeisa. She insisted on anonymity because she is not authorized to release the details.

 

"It's rampant and victims are being attacked at homes, streets or anywhere now," she said.

 

The northern region of Somaliland declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1960, but it has not won international recognition as an independent state. Having escaped decades of conflict in Somalia, Somaliland employs its own security and police forces, justice system and currency. It is seen by some neighboring countries as a bulwark against terrorism. It also has a reputation for successfully maintaining law and order for its population of 3.5 million.

 

The outbreak of gang rapes in Somaliland began early this year and has surprised local residents who blame gangs of young men.

 

Confronted by the spate of attacks, police have arrested dozens of suspects, but the rapes continue on Hargeisa's streets and in back roads.

 

Some of the victims were beaten while others suffered stabbings by the gangs. This could dent the women's freedom in Somaliland where they can drive and exercise many freedoms. Many women do not wear the veil in public.

 

But now some religious leaders suggest that women remain closer to their homes to avoid the rapes.

 

"This is in fact a horrible outbreak, raped and bleeding children are being brought into hospitals every day," said Nimo Hussein Qowdhan, Somaliland's deputy health minister. "It's becoming out of control. We must concentrate on fighting it."

 

Two young children were recent victims of the gang-rape attacks, said officials.

 

"It's a disturbing development, even children are being raped by criminals," said Fathia Hussein Ahmed, chairwoman of Somaliland's national human rights commission. "According to a report we have made, children are the most affected."

 

She said rapes continue to haunt victims, as many women are shunned by some communities after being raped by gangs. Some are divorced by their husbands because of the rapes.

 

"We are creating awareness among local communities to illustrate the negative impact of rape," she said.

 

The sexual attacks have brought the long-taboo subject into street conversations and have provoked calls for a new approach toward rapists, instead of the traditional clan-related legal solutions. Clan elders often let off rapists with softer punishments. In Somaliland, it is common for the clans to make their own rulings to evade harsher sentences from the government judiciary.

 

"We warn that the traditional clan justice system (should) avoid solving these cases, instead, courts must apply the ruling to such cases," said a statement from a consortium of human rights groups in Somaliland.

 

Unlike the rest of Somalia where women avoid reporting crimes to law enforcement agencies, women in Somaliland are increasingly reporting their cases to the hospitals and police. Hospitals are creating counseling for victims of sexual attacks. Activists say this may also be driving the increase in reported rapes, as women are aware of services and more likely to seek help or report rape.

 

However, police and rape victims struggle to identify the culprits who are believed to be unlinked, making it hard for investigators to contain the violence through arrests.

 

"You never know who's to blame," said Sadiya Hassan, a resident in Hargeisa, the capital of the breakaway region by phone. "The attacks forced us to avoid walking while dark or through back roads."

 

"This is not easy to pinpoint exactly what triggered (the rapes) but the cost of marriage for young people in Somaliland is too high and contacts between the opposite sex before marriage is also frowned upon and the fact that many youths in the diaspora returned to the country may also have contributed," said Mohamed Abdillahi, a university professor in Hargeisa city.

[Wiil Cusub]

After HIV/AIDS and FGM now rape is lattes way to get budget for NGO's.

 

Somaliland police crime rapport shows decline:

 

Crime up 30% in Somaliland, police pledge to increase force

By Barkhad Dahir in Hargeisa

November 13, 2012

 

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Somaliland is experiencing a significant uptick in crime, with about 5,000 more crimes reported in the past year than in the previous 12 months, according to an annual police report released this month.

 

 

Police officers patrol in Hargeisa in 2010. With crime up 30% in the past year, local officials have pledged to increase the police force. [barkhad Dahir/Sabahi]

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"There have been 18,989 reported crimes [from November 2011 to October 2012], of which 4,514 were prosecuted in court while 7,990 were resolved using mediation," said Mohamed Duale, operations chief of Somaliland police. He said 2,963 cases were dismissed and 3,522 are still under investigation, 1,500 of which were in Hargeisa.

 

Duale presented the police force's annual report on November 3rd at a ceremony held at police headquarters in Hargeisa commemorating the 19th anniversary of the force's formation.

 

He said the number of crimes reported in the past year has increased 30%, up from 14,506 during the previous 12 months.

 

Duale said common crimes in Somaliland include assault, gang violence, rape, robbery, theft, embezzlement and murder. There were 77 murder cases in the past year, Duale said, adding that police arrested 70 suspects in the deaths of 79 people, while nine suspects have evaded arrest.

 

The number of rape cases dropped by 26% in the same period (131 compared to 176 in the 2011 reporting period). Duale said 150 of the 162 accused rapists have appeared in court.

 

Car accidents as a result of traffic violations also went down by 105 cases in the past year, with 2,875 accidents resulting in 150 deaths and 1,440 people injured.

 

Somaliland police confiscated 20,045 litres of alcohol smuggled into the country to be sold on the black market, Duale said, adding that the region has experienced an influx of drugs smuggled in from neighbouring countries.

 

Police also seized counterfeit currency in the amounts of $10,250 and 2,700 Somaliland shillings, and arrested 14 suspects in connection to the crime, he said.

[Che -Guevara]

Good thing that they are not sweeping it the under the rug. Traditional mediation is not sufficient enough to deal with this sort of crime. Perpetators must be brought before a court, tried and sentenced accordingly.

 

We Somali men should speak up.Silence is acquiescence.

[D.O.C]

Associate press from muqdisho, what do you expect?

 

Associate press is not reporting the killing of innocent people on daily basis in muqdisho, and now they reporting so called rape cases in Hargeisa like any other city in the world. This is one the big reasons that we are not willing to re-unite with you.

[Tallaabo]

You are right Che. Rape is a very serious crime according to our Islamic faith but our traditional elders belittle its seriousness and worse force the female rape victim to marry her tormentor. I don't know how long such sham marriage last but I am sure such an arrangement will only add salt to the wounds of the victim and unnecessarily prolong their misery. I believe it is time the Somalis end this bad practice and treat rape for what it is- a crime against society. Offenders should be named and shamed and given hefty punishments like ten or more years of jail terms to deter others and send a strong signal that sexual violence against women will not be tolerated.

[D.O.C]

Who is more serious rape or killing in Islam?????

[Tallaabo]

D.O.C;949245 wrote:

Who is more serious rape or killing in Islam?????

Killing but nontheless both are crimes against humanity.

[nuune]

D.O.C;949245 wrote:

Who is more serious rape or killing in Islam?????

Which one do you wish for your family, to be killed, or to be raped, the answer you give will most likely be to be killed, then you have answered it for yourself!

 

 

Condemn this series crime and stop jumping moagdishu this and unite this with that

[D.O.C]

^I don't wish my family with none of the two, but I know where you stand now dying is your norm which you don't mind with your family. Su'aaashu waxay ahayd diintu maxay ka qabtaa, keebaa xun aan meelkalaad ila qabatay?

[Che -Guevara]

D.O.C;949242 wrote:

Associate press from muqdisho, what do you expect?

 

Associate press is not reporting the killing of innocent people on daily basis in muqdisho, and now they reporting so called rape cases in Hargeisa like any other city in the world. This is one the big reasons that we are not willing to re-unite with you.

Unless you have been living under the rock, no city gets more news coverage than Xamar, news that include rape committed against IDPs.

 

You don't need to interject politics into this matter. Victims need justice not politics.

[NGONGE]

^^ Wait until the infamous Xaaji arrives and blames this on Oromos and IDPs.

[nuune]

^ DOC, It was more or like common sense driving mode.

 

If you rape someone, in Islam, you will be killed, if you kill someone, in Islam, you will be killed.

[D.O.C]

Che -Guevara;949258 wrote:

Unless you have been living under the rock,

no city gets more news coverage than Xamar, news that include rape committed against IDPs.

 

Exactly because of the daily killings. Not the rape!

 

You don't need to interject politics into this matter. Victims need justice not politics

.

So those killed don't need justice, only the living one has to has a justice. That is where brain cells don't function as they should, and that is why xamar needs brainy ppl.

[D.O.C]

nuune;949260 wrote:

^ DOC, It was more or like common sense driving mode.

 

If you rape someone, in Islam, you will be killed, if you kill someone, in Islam, you will be killed.

No not necessarily, in Islam owe kills another, it's automatic kill. Allah SWT says, whom ever killed a believer it is as he killed everything I have created.

 

 

Rape is totally different, if he is married before he obviously has to be killed but witnesses (4 men or more) have to prove that the raper did this, with body part inside. If the raper is not former married one, then he is facing the death penalty.

[D.O.C]

The former unmarried raper is NOT facing the death penalty.