The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) opened a two day training workshop in Mogadishu for various community leaders and representatives on how to tackle sexual and gender based violence. The community sensitization workshops, which are being conducted in all areas of operation under AMISOM, are expected to turn community volunteers into gender champions to help prevent cases of sexual abuse and gender-based violence. As part of this campaign, AMISOM Police gender officers are mentoring Somali Police Force officers on community engagement in handling sexual and GBV cases, victims’ support and prosecuting cases against perpetrators.
Deputy chair of Somalia National Women’s Association Mrs. Madino Mohamed Warsame said the sensitization exercise is targeting key community leaders such as elders, youth, religious leaders and representatives from the Somali Police Force. “We intend to ensure that all individuals and groups within society who handle cases of sexual and gender-based violence are familiar and are able to implement best practices when dealing with these cases,” Madina said. AMISOM police gender officer Mrs. Rachel Malabo said they are targeting community leaders as they are among the first responders to cases of sexual violence.
“These cases happen within the community and clan elders and religious leaders are the focal persons in the communities. They are the first people who receive those cases and because of that we thought of training them so that whenever they receive these cases, they know their responsibilities and how they handle those cases,” said Malabo. AMISOM police gender officer, Mrs. Stella Sedame, said some perpetrators have been using community leaders as a shield against prosecution. Therefore, sensitizing those leaders on the legal requirements and best ways to deal with the perpetrators other than the traditional methods would help prevent sexual violence. “When (a case) happens, sometimes it is the elders who shield it. This makes the perpetrators feel that they can get away with it. But this will help them to know that they have a responsibility to handle these cases carefully,” Sedame said.
