GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Violence against women is a major problem in Somalia. Through our program, we focus on empowering women to combat these challenges and prevent abuse.

Sexual Gender-Based Violence

DANDOR have been actively involved in GBV interventions for the last seven years, implementing GBV projects in Puntland. During our work with the IDP community in the IDP settlements, we have noticed that sexual violence, rape, domestic violence, harmful traditional practices (female Genital Mutilation), early marriages and sexual exploitation and abuse were all forms of GBV that were common in the settlements. GBV incidents have been notably increased in the IDP settlements and especially after IDPs were forcibly removed from their previous settlements by landowners. Girls and women in particular are facing gender-based-violence incidents from both host community and within the IDP settlements of which most of them go unreported. Besides, IDPs feel reluctant to report the incidents to police who they said would not take into account what was said, and that perpetrators, if captured, would be released within days, therefore making it useless course of action to take.

The forms of violence other than those mentioned above were described as abandonment of husbands, restricted access to reproductive health and sanitary pads, divorce, etc. Women in Somali tradition and customs are considered to be the property of the men, and it is a common belief that women are to be bought, sold or treated as a commodity. Some even believe that violence should be part of the women’s life.

Why do we use the term “gender-based violence”? Because the term attempts to define the NATURE of the violence, and suggests that in order to address VIOLENCE, it is necessary to address issues of GENDER that cause and contribute to the violence.