Friday, February 03, 2012
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With drought and economic hardship worsening frustrations, sexual and gender-based violence is on the rise among displaced persons in Somaliland.In the self-declared independent country of Somaliland, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is on the upswing among displaced populations. Cases of domestic abuse are also increasing.
Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland, hit by drought and economic hardship, which community workers think led to frustrations running high, fuelling domestic violence.
Much of the country’s population remains dependent on remittances transferred from abroad, though the national income is also reliant on duties from goods passing through the port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden.
Further inland, Hargeisa’s Stadium camp for internally displaced persons (IDP) holds 30,000 men, women and children—5,000 families.
Aid workers are working in Stadium and other camps to address the problem, facilitated by the lack of police patrols and poor lighting that leave women and girls vulnerable.
The Comprehensive Community-Based Rehabilitation Somaliland has been running SGBV prevention programmes with the help of funding from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
The group has generally handled 15-20 SGBV cases each month, about 180-240 cases annually. But, last year, 500 cases of domestic violence alone were processed, said the group’s Shukri Osman Said.
The group also works to help disabled persons, while connecting victims of violence with health care and legal aid.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia after the ousting of dictator Siad Barre in 1991. The struggle to secede was marked by tens of thousands of deaths and the destruction of entire villages. While Somalia has been without an effective central government for about two decades, Somaliland retains a working political system, a police force and its very own currency. Still, the country, its government and institutions remain formally unrecognized.
Overall health indicators remain low with only 200 doctors and unregistered midwives to meet the needs of the population. According to the UN Children’s Fund, maternal mortality rates there are among the worst in the world.
Ensuring that all children have the benefit of life-saving immunizations and sanitation has also been a challenge. Vaccine-preventable illnesses account for one fifth of child mortality cases.
Less than half of the population has access to safe water and sanitation. Respiratory infections and malnutrition/diarrhea each continue to account for about two-fifths of child deaths.