STORY: Maryan recounts how she survived

sexual violence and her struggle to move on

SOURCE: UNSOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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DATELINE: 19/JUNE/2017, MOGADISHU,
SOMALIA

Maryan recounts how she survived sexual violence and her struggle to
move on

Mogadishu, 19 June 2017- Maryan Ali (not her real name) reveals a stab
wound scar on her right arm as she remembers the fateful day she was gang
raped.

Maryan eked out a living working as a receptionist in one of the markets in the
Somali capital of Mogadishu, and she had big dreams for herself. However,
the crime turned her life upside down, leaving her shaken and disheartened.

A man came and asked me to carry a basket. I did not know that it was a
trap. When I reached an alley, with the basket balanced on my head, three
men pounced on me. One of them stabbed me and I fell down. Then two of
them descended on me, she says as tears flow freely from her eyes.

As Maryan struggled to free herself from the assailants, one of the criminals
slashed her with a knife and left her unconscious before disappearing into the
night.

The 35-year-old woman was rescued and taken to a facility operated by

Haweenka Horseedka Nabadda Iyo Nolosha (HINNA), a local non-
governmental organization in Mogadishu which supports victims of gender
violence.

According to Fadwa Hassan Jimale, the protection officer at HINNA, the

centre supports at least 50 female survivors of sexual and gender-based
violence every month, a clear proof of the enormous task Somalia has in
tackling the vice.

Ms. Jimale observes that the centre provides both legal and medical aid to
victims and helps them return to normal life. We give them legal advice if they
want and we support whoever is willing to pursue a case against their
assailants, she says.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) is working with
other partners to raise awareness about the dangers of sexual and gender-
based violence.

Noel Kututwa, a Women Protection Officer with UNSOM, says the Mission
works closely with both the Federal Government and civil society to mitigate
the effects of such violence through the provision of various services.

UNSOM works with the Ministry of Women and Human Rights; Ministry of
Justice and the Ministry of Religious Affairs in order to build government
institutions to address sexual violence, notes Mr. Kututwa.

The UNSOM official observes that between January and March 2017, the
gender-based violence sub-cluster partners reached a total of 17,353
beneficiaries with sexual and gender-based violence prevention response and
capacity-building activities.