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A woman is presently awaiting execution in the Horn of Africa nation after being convicted of killing a 14-year-old girl in her care.

The tragic death of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in last autumn, and the horrific details that came to light about the conditions surrounding her death, triggered protests near her home in Galkayo, along with reinvigorated calls for greater child protection.

The incident touched a deep nerve in a nation where child abuse frequently remains hidden, particularly when it takes place inside extended families.

For many, Saabirin's death represented a wider shortcoming in child protection and the delayed enforcement of legal safeguards meant to prevent such atrocities.

An Uncommon Judgment

The guilty verdict of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder represented one of the rare cases in Somalia where a court imposed the ultimate penalty for child abuse.

Diiriye had denied the charges and her lawyer has filed an challenge against the decision.

Her spouse, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was acquitted of murder but sentenced one year in prison and ordered to pay $500 for failure of care.

A Tragic Upbringing

Saabirin was left parentless when both her parents passed away within a short period when she was just one year old.

Both of her grandmothers had also died so she was looked after by her late mother's aunt, who ensured she got an schooling and attended a classical Quranic school.

But her life took a devastating turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a domestic helper, could assume her care.

Proof of Maltreatment

During their inquiry, police disclosed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had endured "routine physical abuse" - she was beaten and tortured.

Proof obtained from Diiriye's phone, including recordings and audio recordings documented repeated violence. Some of these were leaked to the public before the trial.

In one especially harrowing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I'm enjoying your pain."

A autopsy of Saabirin's body showed multiple injuries and deep knife wounds indicative of prolonged violence.

Community Anger

As details of the police investigation emerged, public anger escalated.

Many of women and young people marched in Galkayo, holding signs reading "We Demand Justice" and calling on the authorities to prosecute all those responsible.

They gathered outside the local hospital where her body was lying in the morgue.

Things got so tense that during one protest demonstrators clashed with police and a young man was shot dead.

Online, young women and girls launched a wave of solidarity campaigns, using hashtags invoking Saabirin's name.

"No child should die like this," a tearful 18-year-old protester said in a clip shared on social media. "We also oppose the attempts by traditional elders who want to resolve this case through tribal agreements or behind closed doors."

This describes when elders from the families of those involved in a dispute intervene with the aim of avoiding revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.

A Widespread Problem

Child abuse in Somalia is often concealed within households, and relatives are customarily viewed as safe spaces – where the state should not interfere.

Diiriye's trial and other related hearings were broadcast live on social media to foster public trust in the justice system.

A regional police commander said the verdict represented an significant moment in the quest of justice for the murdered teenager.

"The offender is now only awaiting the carrying out of the death sentence. If further evidence surfaces proving that other individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be spared, the law will be fully applied to them as well," he said.

A director of a child rights organisation said that "this tragedy highlights the profound gaps that still exist in safeguarding the most basic human rights of children in our society."

"Children continue to face violence inside family homes, and only the most extreme cases ever are reported to the police," he added.

Legal Frameworks and Challenges

In the summer this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, received a report that a three-year-old boy had been brutally mistreated inside the home of his father's wife. The alleged perpetrator was quickly arrested.

According to a report, three appalling acts of violence against children occurred in the country during October and November.

The head of a local women's association in Galkayo said the community was overwhelmed with cases of violence in the home, many of which never reach the courts.

On 1 October this year, Somalia's parliament approved the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

The long-standing charter details legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against children.

Its stipulations include:

• Criminalising all forms of child abuse
• Strengthening legal punishment for guardians who harm or neglect children
• Ensuring state responsibility for vulnerable and orphaned children
• And establishing monitoring systems in schools, hospitals and communities.

But just three days later, a government department issued a clarification stating that the implementation of the charter would be guided by Islamic law, with provisions conflicting with religious teaching not being enforced.

It said that Somali parental authority was fundamental and no external entity could supersede it.

Lax Implementation

A women's and child's rights activist contended that enforcement of existing measures in Somalia remained weak.

The police do not have the resources to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get mediated by clan elders, which weakens the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.

She notes that children were often unaware that they could speak out and many schools were not teaching them that they could report abuse.

"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a private agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been settled," the activist said.

A coordinator for the region's ministry of women's development denies that the authorities are neglecting in their responsibility to protect children.

She highlighted programmes to help youths and efforts to protect street children.

She did however admit that in cases like Saabirin's, it is sometimes difficult to intervene. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can speak out if they suspect that a child might not be safe.

"Every child has the right to be taken from any household in which they do not feel safe," the official said.

A Force for Conversation

Although Saabirin's life was ended too soon, her death is now forcing long-delayed conversations about child safety in Somalia.

But as the local community considers the verdict, some are unsure if true accountability will be achieved in the long run.

"There is nothing to celebrate yet, we still need clarity," one of the young protesters said. "We don't want justice in words, we want to see it with our own eyes. We don't want delays."