A wave of outrage has engulfed Somalia following the shocking discovery of an eight-year-old girl, who had been missing for six months, living with a man who claimed to be her husband. The revelation has sparked furious debates over child protection laws and ignited public protests across the country.
The girl disappeared from her home in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, in September last year. Her family, desperate for answers, reported her missing. However, months later, it emerged that her father had consented to her marriage to an adult named Sheikh Mahmoud—a claim that has further fueled public condemnation.
The case took a dramatic turn last week when security forces stormed Mahmoud’s residence after he barricaded himself in a room with the girl. The authorities forcefully entered, rescuing the child and taking Mahmoud into custody.
The incident has triggered massive backlash, with social media platforms flooded with calls for justice and protests erupting in Mogadishu. Activists, religious scholars, and human rights organizations have voiced their condemnation, demanding stricter legal measures to protect children.
A Deeply Troubling Ordeal
Fadumo Ahmed, chairperson of the Somali Women Vision Organisation, expressed deep distress over the case. “What’s more shocking than the tragedy itself are the allegations of abduction and the fact that her family had no knowledge of her whereabouts for months,” she told the BBC. “We trust the responsible institutions to take the right and necessary legal action.”
According to the child’s uncle, she was taken from her home in Bosaso last September by a female relative who had claimed to be escorting her on a trip to visit another family member. However, months later, an unsettling video surfaced online, showing the young girl reciting verses from the Quran.
Alarmed, her family launched an intensified search, leading them to the Carmo area, where they discovered she had been living with Sheikh Mahmoud. Initially, Mahmoud insisted that he was merely teaching the girl the Quran, but after legal complaints were filed, he changed his stance, declaring that he had lawfully married her with her father’s consent.
When confronted by the BBC, Mahmoud attempted to justify the marriage, claiming that Islamic traditions and the Shafi’i school of thought permitted such unions. His defense was swiftly met with opposition from numerous Somali Islamic scholars, who dismissed his interpretation. Despite this, Mahmoud defiantly maintained that he would not renounce the so-called marriage.
Legal Intervention and a Call for Reform
Authorities in Puntland acted decisively on March 25, removing the girl from Mahmoud’s residence following her family’s legal complaint. Puntland’s police force confirmed to the BBC that the child has been reunited with her family, while government officials have launched a full investigation into the case.
The case has intensified calls for stronger child protection laws in Somalia, where child marriage remains a pervasive issue. According to a 2020 report by the United Nations Population Fund and the Somali government, 35% of Somali women aged between 20 and 24 were married before the age of 18—a decrease from 45% in 2017. However, factors such as poverty, insecurity, and deep-rooted traditions continue to drive child marriages in the country.
In 2023, Somalia’s Ministry of Women and Human Rights attempted to introduce a draft child rights bill aimed at curbing the practice. However, the proposal was rejected by parliament after objections to certain provisions. While efforts to reintroduce the bill are expected, no clear timeline has been established.
As the nation grapples with this deeply disturbing case, the public outcry continues to mount, with activists demanding that the government take definitive action to prevent such tragedies from happening again. The case of the eight-year-old girl has become a rallying cry for child rights advocates, placing immense pressure on Somali lawmakers to enact and enforce stringent laws against child marriage.
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Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson #ahotoronline.com
