🔗 Share this article

A woman is now awaiting the death penalty in the Horn of Africa nation after being found guilty of murdering a 14-year-old girl in her custody.

The murder of orphan Saabirin Saylaan in November, and the shocking details that emerged about the circumstances surrounding her death, triggered demonstrations near her home in Galkayo, along with fresh calls for stronger child protection.

The incident touched a deep nerve in a nation where child abuse frequently goes unreported, especially when it occurs inside kinship networks.

For numerous people, Saabirin's death represented a broader shortcoming in child protection and the sluggish implementation of legal safeguards meant to prevent such tragedies.

A Rare Verdict

The guilty verdict of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder marked one of the uncommon cases in Somalia where a court imposed the ultimate penalty for child abuse.

Diiriye had rejected the charges and her lawyer has lodged an appeal against the decision.

Her spouse, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was acquitted of murder but sentenced one year in prison and ordered to pay $500 for failure of care.

A Tragic Upbringing

Saabirin was left parentless when both her parents passed away within a short period when she was just one year old.

Both of her elder female relatives had also died so she was cared for by her late mother's aunt, who ensured she got an education and attended a traditional Quranic school.

But her life took a tragic turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who required a home help, could take her in.

Proof of Maltreatment

During their inquiry, police revealed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had endured "regular physical abuse" - she was assaulted and subjected to cruelty.

Proof recovered from Diiriye's phone, including recordings and audio recordings captured ongoing violence. Some of these were released to the public before the trial.

In one especially harrowing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I'm enjoying your pain."

A autopsy of Saabirin's body showed multiple injuries and deep stab wounds consistent with sustained violence.

Public Outcry

As details of the police investigation surfaced, community outrage escalated.

Hundreds of women and young people demonstrated in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "Justice for Saabirin" and calling on the authorities to bring to trial all those responsible.

They assembled outside the local hospital where her body was lying in the morgue.

Things got so heated that during one protest demonstrators clashed with police and a young man was shot dead.

Online, young women and girls launched a wave of solidarity campaigns, using hashtags invoking Saabirin's name.

"No child should die like this," a emotional 18-year-old protester said in a clip shared on social media. "We also oppose the attempts by traditional elders who want to resolve this case through tribal agreements or behind closed doors."

This refers to when elders from the families of those involved in a dispute intervene with the aim of avoiding revenge, rather than establish criminal guilt.

A Widespread Problem

Child abuse in Somalia is often concealed within households, and extended families are traditionally viewed as safe spaces – where the state should not intervene.

Diiriye's trial and other related hearings were streamed live on social media to ensure public trust in the justice system.

A regional police commander said the verdict marked an significant moment in the quest of justice for the murdered teenager.

"The perpetrator is now only awaiting the carrying out of the death sentence. If further evidence emerges proving that additional individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be spared, the law will be fully applied to them as well," he said.

A director of a child rights organisation said that "the case highlights the profound gaps that still exist in safeguarding the most basic human rights of children in our society."

"Children continue to face violence inside family homes, and only the most extreme cases ever reach the police," he added.

Legal Frameworks and Challenges

In June this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, acted on a report that a three-year-old boy had been severely abused inside the home of his father's wife. The accused perpetrator was swiftly arrested.

According to a assessment, three horrific acts of violence against children occurred in the country during October and November.

The head of a local women's association in Galkayo said the community was overwhelmed with cases of violence in the home, many of which never make it to the courts.

On 1 October this year, Somalia's parliament ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

The long-standing charter outlines legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against children.

Its provisions include:

• Criminalising all forms of child abuse
• Strengthening legal punishment for guardians who harm or neglect children
• Ensuring state responsibility for vulnerable and orphaned children
• And establishing monitoring systems in schools, hospitals and communities.

But just three days later, a government department issued a statement stating that the implementation of the charter would be in accordance with Islamic law, with provisions contrary to religious teaching not being applied.

It said that Somali family rights was paramount and no external entity could override it.

Weak Enforcement

A women's and child's rights activist argued that enforcement of existing measures in Somalia remained ineffective.

The police lack the resources to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get interfered with clan elders, which undermines the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.

She adds that children were often did not know that they could report abuse and many schools were not teaching them that they could report abuse.

"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a behind-the-door agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been settled," the activist said.

A official for the region's ministry of women's development rejects that the authorities are neglecting in their responsibility to protect children.

She highlighted programmes to help youths and efforts to protect street children.

She did however admit that in cases like Saabirin's, it is sometimes difficult to act. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase understanding that people can raise concerns if they suspect that a child might not be safe.

"Every child has the right to be removed from any household in which they do not feel safe," the official said.

A Force for Conversation

Although Saabirin's life was cut tragically short, her death is now compelling overdue conversations about child safety in Somalia.

But as the local community reflects on the verdict, some are uncertain if justice will be achieved in the long run.

"There is nothing to celebrate yet, we still need certainty," one of the young protesters said. "We don't want justice in words, we want to see it with our own eyes. We don't want delays."