Thirty years of conflict have severely impacted Somalia’s formal security structures, with their few available resources diverted to deal with the armed insurgency. As a result, the everyday security needs of communities are often not met. Working with our partners – the Somali Women Development Centre (SWDC), the Somali Women Solidarity Organization (SWSO) and Isha Human Rights Organization – in 2021 we entered the fifth and final year of our Addressing Root Causes of Conflict project designed to re-establish community structures that can help improve people’s day-to-day security and safety, and strengthen links with local authorities and formal security providers.
Significant strides have been made by the project’s 14 volunteer action groups. They have established longlasting and trusting relationships with their communities in Mogadishu, Kismayo and Baidoa, and have continued their advocacy efforts with local governments for greater stability and peace. In June 2021, we launched our Somali website, which will help further our advocacy aims and reach a wider audience.
Following our advocacy based on data from police advisory committees (PACs), the Jubaland Ministry of Justice has set up a committee – consisting of representatives from communities, police and government – to draft the first policy on the rights of detainees and prisoners, which will introduce a monitoring and oversight process to meet detainees’ basic needs and their right to legal representation. Looking ahead, we hope to further build synergies with the Somali police force and expand the Ila wadaag1 forum from Mogadishu to all federal member states.
Together with our partners, SWDC and SWSO, and Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), we also produced a report on how women’s rights and civil society organisations have been sidelined in COVID-19 preparedness and response policies and measures. As a consequence these have fallen short in preventing and addressing the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls. The Executive Directors of SWDC and SWSO (interviewed for Saferworld) were also selected to be part of the Prime Minister’s advisory committee.
