Visioning a world free from violence where every women regardless of color or religion lives happily: A voice from Somali Women

Dear Respected U.S. President Barack Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton, vice president Biden and U.S. Senators.

As IVAWA voting approaches, I am writing to beg and encourage you to pass this important Act for the benefit of women and girls everywhere in this world.

In this letter I want to clarify and share some of the tragedy issues that Somalia women face.

Somali women have suffered their share of rape during the civil war, and afterwards, and until today as refugees in foreign camps. It is a four-letter word that many shun for one reason or another, but for women who have to bear the ugly pain of rape, it is a life time sentence handed to them by neighbors, friends and their compatriots. A taboo topic that needs to lose the walls of disgrace that hides its raw truth. It is simply a mere luxury to avoid it and to hope it shall never appear on the horizon of debate for reasons of guilt and infamy of those who have perpetrated it and the many others who have contributed their share of indignity by silence.

On 29th September 2010 at around 8:00 pm two unidentified men with guns came to the house of a well respected housewife, a 40 years old Mather of five kids residing in Garsoor sector of north Galkaio and took her to unknown place, they beat her up, raped and left her there, latter on she came back to her house. In the morning she has been admitted to GMC Hospital, she has been treated with minor injuries as a result of the assault and been given medical examination. It’s just only one example of the awful events women face in this community.

Not only rape but also they faced all kinds of human rights violations including domestic violence. The following is just one of the tragedy and awful events women face in this community.

It was just last month October 2010 when a lovely housewife slept happily not imagining or expecting any harm from her beloved husband, though she had an argument with him earlier but had she ever thought or imagined that he is going to kill her!!!. After she slept he came with a knife, cut her tongue so that she doesn’t scream for help and neighbors couldn’t hear it, and then cut her entire body in to pieces, and didn’t even run away, instead he went to a farm he used to work and spent the night over there, in the morning when the police caught him and put him in jail planning to take him to court his clan came and argued that they just lost a woman and they are not willing to lose the man too since the man and the woman were related to each other. If this man has got people who defended him, what about this poor woman who lost her life in that tragedy and awful way? Who is going to fight for her rights and give her justice? Who is going to fight for the justice of other women who loses their lives or been violated everyday?

It reached that women/girls can’t walk alone as from 6:00pm even if they had to in one of the stable cities let alone in those still burning cities, or else they will be snatched, raped and been assaulted. In this 11 months (from January till November 2010) 120 rape cases has been reported only in one of the stable cities, imagine the rest of the cities in the country! How many cases take place daily? How many women and girls suffer out there silently? How many of them have lost their hope in getting justice?

These are only few examples of the many that take place in my community, all women's rights have been violated and nobody is fully committed in taking actions. they suffer silently, its not only the perpetrators who violate them but also those they hold dear. I want to raise my voice as well as the voices of the many voiceless women and girls in my community.

Mr. President, as a powerful leader from a powerful country I urge that you help pass this act. I know you have got a power and capability of helping women and girls across the world.

Looking forward to hear good news.

Sincerely,
Marian Hassan
Puntland, Somalia

Please join the PulseWire community in speaking out against violence and urging the U.S. government to pass the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA). Write your letter in your PulseWire journal to share your personal and observed experience in gender-based violence, both in your life and within your community. Tag your journal "IVAWA", and World Pulse will send your letter directly to President Obama, along with letters from women around the world. Learn more: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire/programs/international-violence-agai...