Mogadishu, Somalia – The recent deaths of three women, allegedly murdered by their husbands, has sparked public outcry and protests in Somalia over the country’s high rates of femicide.
In the first week of February, police identified the husbands as suspects in the killings of the three women, two of whom were pregnant. The brutal nature of these murders has incited demonstrations in Mogadishu, with protesters demanding justice and an end to violence against women. One of the victims, Lul Abdi Aziz Jazira, was doused with petrol and set on fire, suffering severe burns and lingering in agony for a week before succumbing to her injuries.
According to her brother, Jazira was a widow with six children when she met her second husband at the airport where she worked. The case was further complicated by the suspect’s escape to an area of intense conflict between the government and the Islamist group Al-Shabaab, delaying his apprehension. However, a man is now in custody in Mogadishu in connection to the crime.
In another heartbreaking incident in the southern district of Qoryoley, a man was arrested for stabbing his 22-year-old pregnant wife to death. The couple’s ongoing disputes had previously been addressed by their families using Somali customary law known as xeer.
Protests have raged on as the Chair of the Somali Women Development Centre, Maryam Taqal Huseina, vowed to continue until there is justice for the three women. She highlighted the pervasiveness of domestic violence and abuse against women in Somali society, emphasizing the need for change.
Huseina further noted the lack of specific laws in Somalia against domestic violence, calling attention to a proposed sexual intercourse related crimes bill that raised concerns by relaxing age restrictions for marriage and legalizing forced marriage with family consent.
The tragic deaths of these women have shed light on the urgent need for legal and societal measures to protect women from domestic violence in Somalia. The ongoing protests serve as a powerful demand for justice and an end to the pervasive culture of abuse and violence against women in the country.