MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Hafsa was married at age 13 by her father to a man who paid $ 100. She and her mother say she was beaten and raped for two years before convincing him to divorce her.
Nurta Mohamed, 13, a Somali girl sits in her mother’s prose shelter after leaving a suspected forced marriage in the Alafuuto camp for displaced persons in Garasbaaley district of Mogadishu, Somalia August 14, 2020 REUTERS / Feisal Omar
‘The man just slept with me, always hit me,’ she said, sitting next to her mother, who was holding her daughter tightly. “I’m sorry I was born.”
There is no law requiring a minimum age for marriage in Somalia. A bill introduced in parliament this month by an ally of the president caused a storm of criticism from lawmakers when they realized that marriage would legalize puberty – all 10 for some girls.
Data from a government survey this year show that almost a third of girls are married before their 18th birthday – just under half of those before the age of 15.
“Some families marry their daughters to reduce their financial burden or earn an income. Others may do so because they believe it will ‘secure’ their daughters ‘futures or protect them,’ said Dheepa Pandian, a spokeswoman for UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Political unrest in Somalia – the prime minister was ousted last month and elections this year are likely to be delayed – means it is unclear when parliament will be able to vote on the bill. The Horn of Africa nation is also struggling with an Islamist uprising.
Many lawmakers, such as lawmaker and human rights activist Sahra Omar Malin, reject the bill.
“Our constitution is based on Islam. It says that the age of adulthood is 18, this is the exact age for voting or for a girl to get married, ”she said.
Vice-speaker Abdiweli Mudeey, who presented the bill, did not return calls seeking comment, but told lawmakers it was scrutinized by clergy and “this bill … is the right one based on Islam.”
Nadifa Hussein, who runs three camps in the capital for families fleeing violence, hides many abused and abandoned child molesters.
“Most women here were married at 13 and are divorced by the time they are 20,” Hussein said. “They have no one to feed them.”
Among them is Sirad, a shy 16-year-old with two children. Her husband is gone, but when he returns, she should welcome him, she said sadly.
“Who else wants me?” she asked, covering her face. “If you get thrown into a pool and can’t get out, the only option is to try to swim.”
Written by Omar Mohammed and Katharine Houreld; Edited by Janet Lawrence
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