Somaliland: Women Vow to Eliminate GBV as they Commemorates IWD 2013

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The first lady Amina Weris ( front row 5th Left) poses with participants at the IWD functionAs a man goes berserk and murders his pregnant wife and her two children

By: Latifa Yusuf Masai

HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – A promise is a promise and it is time for action to violence against women”

Women from all parts of the country commemorate the 2013 international women’s day-IWD held on the 8th of March in the capital city were in unanimous agreement that Gender based violence must come to an end.

The function co-implemented by the giant Women umbrella organizations of NAGAAD and National Women Organization-NOW saw prominent women personalities in attendance led by the first lady Amina Sheikh Mahmud Jirdeh “Amina Weris”, Dr Edna Aden Ismail and deputy health minister Hon Nimo Qawdan.

In line with the 2013 international women’ day motto the assembly of women pledged to ensure that Gender Based Violence-GBV is brought to a stop at all levels while seeing to it that victims are provided with necessary psychosocial support and relevant welfare.

As a means to alleviating GBV the women concurred on the stiff punishment for offenders which is to be made possible by vigorous lobby for security personnel to enforce necessary laws.

A similar function at the Awdal regional capital of Borama saw women suffering from mental illnesses receive beddings and other household goods that were meant to help rehabilitate them.

While addressing the Borama function the NOW regional secretary Ms. Radwa Mohamed Egge said that women nationwide are not only committed towards eliminating GBV but sharing various difficulties with all female Somalilanders in the country.

The IWD which was initiated in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies has been commemorated in Somaliland for over a decade.

Meanwhile and as women were commemorating the IWD 2013 a man went berserk in Hargeisa where he butchered to death his eight months pregnant wife and two children aged 2 and 4 respectively before he botched a suicide attempt.

The middle aged murdering husband and father known as Abdirahman Mohamed Ahmed is reported to recovering under police guard at the Hargeisa group Hospital where he is receiving treatment for severe cuts he inflicted on various parts of the body in an attempt to do away with his life after the heinous act on his entire family.

While cases of violence against women are known to occur in Somaliland just like any other countries worldwide- the murder of the pregnant woman and her children has raised concern and needs urgent action.