WHRDs / HRDs in Somalia are the least connected human rights activists in the world due to the lack of protection mechanism available to them and they are brave some to work in the most exceptional situations in the world. This report sheds the light of their situation of work and untold challenges they face, and we will only mention the WHRD / HRD with her or his name initials. •
SH. A. G. is Somali women human rights defender WHRD, who worked in the rural areas of Luuq Jeelow (25 km) south of Beledweyne, Somalia. She worked for the human rights organization hanahr.net where she advocated for the rights of women and girls who are subjected to forced marriage, rape and female genital mutilation. She is an active member of the Coalition of Somali Human rights defenders CSHRDs www.cshrds.org as the focal of the coalition of Somali HRDs in Luuq Jeelow. • F. H. SH. is Somali women human rights defender WHRD, who worked in the rural areas of Kismayo, Lower Juba region, Somalia. She worked for the human rights organization Faanoole HR NGO and for hanahr.net where she advocated for the rights of women and girls who are subjected to forced marriage, rape and female genital mutilation. She is an active member of the Coalition of Somali Human rights defenders CSHRDs www.cshrds.org as the focal point of the coalition of Somali HRDs in Kismayo, juba region, Somalia. She was engaged in non-violent human rights advocacy in line with the universal declaration of human rights. framework. Due to her human rights advocacy, she was subjected to attacks and death threats by Al-shabab militias and had to leave Somalia to seek protection and safety.
• N. X. C. is Somali women human rights defender WHRD, who worked in the rural areas of Bulo Burte in Hiiraan region, Somalia. She worked for the human rights organization (Horn Afrik News Agency for Human Rights HANAHR as Women Human Rights Program Director at the human rights NGO (www.hanhr.net) where she set the agenda for research of women Human rights and girls in Hiiraan region, Somalia. She is also an active member of the Coalition of Somali Human rights defenders CSHRDs www.cshrds.org as a member in the general assembly. She was engaged in non-violent human rights advocacy in line with the universal declaration of human rights. framework. Due to her human rights advocacy, she was subjected to attacks and death threats by Al-shabab militias and had to leave Somalia to seek protection and safety. Generally, in Somalia: Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) are exposed to gender-based violence due to the nature of their work, in line with patriarchal norms that perpetuate gendered misconceptions regarding the place of women in society. They experience violence within their own communities which they are a part of. Attacks against WHRDs often take gender-specific forms, including sexist and misogynistic verbal abuse, assault, harassment, and sexual abuse. WHRDs are subjected to threats, intimidation, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention and prosecution, online attacks, sexual violence, physical violence and attacks directed at their loved ones. Further, there are high numbers of reported extrajudicial killings of WHRDs. Many of these killings are preceded by direct or indirect threats, which are often intended to intimidate, silence, and stop them from carrying out their work. HRDs at include:
1. A. M. 2. I. A. H. 3. A. DH. A. 4. M. SH. 5. C. X. C.
Challenges facing Somali WHRDs / HRDs The shrinking civic space in Somalia and lack of protection mechanism in place for them in Somalia imposes existential threat against them and their work as they are targeted by both the government of Somalia and Al-shabab terrorists, given the nature of their work which engages in the documentation of human rights violations in Somalia. Abdalla Mumin is a living example about the legal bullying and harassment against HRDs advocating for the freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Somalia. Abdalla Mumin, is the secretary General of Somali Journalists syndicate (SJS) was arrested at the city’s Aden Abdulle International Airport by NISA offers. His arrest followed a statement by the media fraternity that strongly condemned a new government directive banning the independent media Houses from broadcasting Al-Shabaab propaganda. Their situation is worsened by the lack of regional (eastern and horn of Africa regions) protection mechanism in place and the few organizations that claim to work for the protection of HRDs/ WHRDs in the above-mentioned regions like ‘defend defenders’ based in Uganda is accused of corruption and discrimination against WHRDs/HRDs from Djibouti, Somalia, and Ethiopia. HRDs from Somalia have issued an open on 3rd of August 2018 to the international community supporting HRDs / WHRDs in the region not to allow ‘defend defenders’ to continue discriminate against them and deny them access the most needed protection, more than ten signatories signed the open allegation letter to the UN. International human rights lawyer and human rights defender who is human rights consultant at the Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders, has described the situation of WHRDs / HRDs in Somalia as desperate and untenable and calls for the European parliament and the African union to intervene in the situation before it is too late and establish an urgent inclusive protection mechanism that safeguards and protects WHRDs / HRDs operating in Somalia.