A helpless victim
One man raped her, another held her tightly and beat her while the third held her mouth shut. She fought hard but the men were too strong. Ninety minutes later they finally let her go. She returned to her hut in tears. "I had strong pains in my abdomen and back and I felt I had been abused," Sharifa recalled. "The pain was so strong I couldn't get up for some time."
For a year now the country has had a legitimate head of state in the person of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and there has been financial aid from abroad, including Germany, to strengthen the police force. But it remains ineffective and corrupt. It does not feature in people's awareness as somewhere to turn to for help. And certainly not in an emergency.
Support from aid agencies
The next morning Sharifa saw three women close to her hut. The three worked for the aid organization, "Save Somali Women and Children" which provides help, including legal aid, for women who have become victims of violence.
Fartuma Ibrahimi works for the organization which has been active in Mogadishu for about a year. It has been sought out by almost 1,300 women. "They are women of all ages, between four and 80," Fartuma says, adding: "It's not only girls who are abused, but also boys."
Jail sentence for rape victim
Generally the perpetrators are not prosecuted. Partly because talking about rape is taboo. Even if the victims do press charges, the judicial system does little. Sometimes it even acts against them.
Earlier this year a Somali court sentenced a rape victim to one year in prison. The woman had accused state security forces of being responsible for the crime but the court ruled that she was guilty of insulting state institutions.
http://www.dw.de/easy-prey-victims-of-s ... a-17039853
