Human rights record mixed in Somalia, report says

 From Sabahi online :

Although the new Somali government has publicly committed to protecting citizens from human rights abuses, insecurity and lack of capacity have undermined these efforts, according to the 2014 Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report.

All parties to Somalia's long-running armed conflict were responsible for serious violations of international law, including indiscriminate attacks, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrests and detention, the January 21st report says.
Al-Shabaab maintains control of much of southern Somalia, where the militant group "continues to forcibly recruit adults and children, administer arbitrary justice, and restrict basic rights," according to the report.
"Al-Shabaab has committed targeted killings, beheadings and executions, particularly of individuals it accused of spying," the report said.
The report noted a few particularly high-profile attacks in the capital -- such as the suicide commando attack on the Mogadishu court complex in April that left at least 29 civilians dead, the suicide attack on the United Nations compound in June that killed at least eight people and the September 7th attack on the Village restaurant that killed at least 30 people and wounded 50.
Nonetheless, al-Shabaab is not the only party at fault for human rights violations in Somalia.
"Those fighting against al-Shabaab -- a combination of Somali government armed forces, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Ethiopian government troops and allied militias -- have also committed abuses," the report says.
The report cites an example from February, when Somali government forces arrested a woman who alleged rape and the journalist who interviewed her. The judiciary convicted the pair of "tarnishing state institutions", but they were eventually acquitted after widespread international criticism of the case.
In addition, Somalia remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to work, and "impunity for these killings prevails", the report said.

Protecting displaced persons, women, journalists

Fartun Ibrahim, a member of the Mogadishu-based Peace and Human Rights Network (PHRN), said the human rights violations documented in the HRW report were an ongoing problem in Somalia.
"Women are among the people who face the most problems when it comes to human rights violations," she told Sabahi.

 "They suffer rapes and torture and are targeted because of the clans they are from, which are minority clans that have little power within Somalia. Combating this issue will require a huge awareness campaign and meetings to address it."

As a way to combat human rights abuses that happen in Mogadishu, PHRN launched an FM station called Xurmo Community Radio."On Xurmo Community Radio, we broadcast awareness programmes that address the violations against women and the rights of a person who suffers violations," she said. "The women who face violations come to us and we give them advice."

Ibrahim said that Somalia's leaders talk a lot about their intentions to address human rights violations against women, but there is nothing tangible that has yet been done.
She said she would like to see the government's promises to address violations against women fulfilled, and called on the authorities to stop being hasty in jailing women who claim to be raped before verifying the
 matter.

Minister of Women and Human Rights Khadijo Mohamed Diriye told Sabahi that human rights violations would be the first issue her ministry tackles.

She said Somalia is still recovering from nearly two decades of conflict, but the government is working on improving human rights and it will launch awareness campaigns and programmes to educate the public.
"Many people do not know much about human rights, so it is better that they understand their rights," she said.
She also said the government would not go after journalists who report on rape cases, as was the case before.
For his part, Abdullahi Hassan Shirwa, director of Mogadishu-based organisation Somali Peace Line, also criticised the government for its lack of follow-through on its promises to improve the human rights situation for internally displaced persons and women in particular.

"Tens of thousands of displaced people remain in dire conditions in Mogadishu and are subjected to rape, forced evictions and clan-based discrimination at the hands of government forces, allied militia and private individuals including camp managers known as 'gatekeepers'," the HRW report said, adding that the gatekeepers and militias have also diverted and stolen food aid from the camps.

"We can see that nothing much has come from the many promises because the [human rights abuses] are still there, and as long as the problems exist, it is necessary to expedite efforts to remove them," Shirwa told Sabahi. "It is my opinion that the efforts to address these issues have not met their goal and are far from adequate.

Therefore, the government agencies concerned must take special responsibility for this."
He said the problems facing journalists, women and internally displaced people are issues that also concern the entire population.

Access to justice

Amina Mohamed, 24, who studied business and administration at Mogadishu University, attributed the continuation of human rights violations in Somalia to the fact that people do not have access to a fair judicial system. "Every society is led to progress by justice and fairness and I believe that the violations that are taking place in Somalia against people, and even animals, should not be tolerated," she told Sabahi. 

"I do not know of any place in the world where the judicial system allows a woman who has claimed to be the victim of rape to be subjected to jail and torture," she said. "I would say that we are still lacking leaders who will take action to address that issue."

Hawl Wadag resident Ismahan Salah, 21, said the government should not be the only one blamed for the rape issue. Rather, the entire public has to realise that each citizen bears responsibility to do something about it. 

"The victims being raped are Somali women, the journalist who is jailed is a Somali man and the person accused of rape is a Somali, so it makes no sense to deflect the blame for human rights violations in Somalia," she told Sabahi.

"I believe we should all face it from one side because there are many people who are known to have committed violations, yet they are supported and viewed as people who are worthy of prestige and honour among the public. Nothing will [change] while that exists."