The Mistreatment of Women in Somalia

Introduction

Women in Somali, most of them who are "prisoners" and some to the extent of being "slaves", have no control of their lives. Their live revolves around the decision of their male counterparts. This restriction is based on the culture of the Somali country as a whole their sole purpose is to supply more children for recruitment by the warlords and to serve the male in the household setting. This denies the Somali women a chance to political participation, education equal rights and exposure to financial instability. The strong clan customs expose the women to unending outdated practices of forced marriage and genital mutilation.

Thesis statement

The Somali women continue to enjoy colonial discrimination decades after the country gained independence. The sole factor to blame is their culture and beliefs and not the government. This is because there is no government to blame. Somali is like a wild world where everyone is thirsty for power and control of resources. Most likely the Somali woman will get her fair share centuries after the power hungry male gets his share and is comfortable. There is no likely situation to find the female enjoy the freedom while the male is still in war. Therefore, for the Somali women to benefit there have to be peace in Somali. This is because the Somali women are reliant on the male factor for judgment, power and decisions. The Somali women are weak, defenseless and prone object of mistreatment for the male Somalis. This is due to the fact that women are blinded by customs and their position in society. Due to the ongoing war, the Somali woman has to go to silence in exchange for protection by the men. This denies the women the right to education and even further their careers since they have to attend to their men full time.

KEY AREAS OF MISTREATMENT

• Education

Girls often enter into school at a later stage and leave school after just duration of about five years to be married off.thier parents do this in exchange for quick cash. The girl five-year education isn't enough to put her in a position to know the benefits of education. Knowledge is power; maybe this is what scares the Somali women. The men might be so afraid to let their women get knowledge as they know the result of this. On the other hand, the customs of Somali people dictate that girls should be married at a young age. Natural factors like menstruations keep girls out of school as they don't have access to sanitary pads to avoid the embarrassments. The idea that girls are only for hose work, scares the girls' mentality and they tend to believe so and, lack interest for education.

• Marriage

Even after being mistreated by their own families by getting married to persons who are not their desire, the Somali women still find it difficult to survive in her new found home. The men are rarely at home as they spend most of their time either chatting or at war. This leaves a space in the marriage as women ends up being viewed as objects of sex and housekeepers. The women have no means to get the extra cash as they spend most of their time catering for their children welfare and this result to lack of decision making in the family as they are financially unstable and they can't make a single move. At later stage of the marriage, the women end up getting divorced or widowed. Many are scared to oppose abuse because they are afraid of losing protection and property. Those that speak are thrown out.

• Equal rights

There is a lot of opposition on Somali women rights from their custom and the Somali constitution. The culture doesn't recognize the women in any decision-making body, while the constitution doesn't recognize gender-based organizations.

Recommendations

The Somali women should unite and speak as one voice. Before this happens, there has to be peace and stability in Somali. The women should get better access to education. This will enable them to learn more, know their rights and methods to oppose mistreatments. Somali women need to know about their rights according to Islam - that demanding for your rights does not mean going against culture and religion.