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

The tragic death of orphan Saabirin Saylaan in last autumn, and the gruesome details that emerged about the circumstances surrounding her death, sparked protests near her home in Galkayo, along with fresh demands for greater child protection.

The case struck a chord in a country where child abuse often goes unreported, especially when it takes place inside kinship networks.

For numerous people, Saabirin's death symbolised a broader shortcoming in child protection and the sluggish enforcement of legal safeguards designed to prevent such tragedies.

A Rare Verdict

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

Diiriye had rejected the charges and her lawyer has filed an appeal against the verdict.

Her husband, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was cleared of murder but given one year in prison and fined $500 for failure of care.

A Tragic Upbringing

Saabirin was left parentless when both her parents died within a brief time when she was just one year old.

Both of her grandmothers had also died so she was cared for by her late mother's aunt, who made sure she got an schooling and attended a traditional Quranic school.

But her life took a devastating turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a home help, could take her in.

Evidence of Abuse

During their inquiry, police revealed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had suffered "regular physical abuse" - she was beaten and subjected to cruelty.

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

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

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

Community Anger

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

Hundreds of women and young people marched in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "We Demand Justice" and calling on the authorities to bring to trial all those responsible.

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

Things got so heated that during one protest demonstrators clashed with police and a young man was killed by gunfire.

Online, young women and girls initiated a wave of solidarity campaigns, using social media tags invoking Saabirin's name.

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

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

A Systemic Challenge

Child abuse in Somalia is often concealed within households, and extended families are traditionally viewed as private spaces – where the state should not intervene.

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

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

"The perpetrator is now only awaiting the carrying out of the death sentence. If further evidence emerges 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 "the case underscores the deep gaps that still exist in protecting the most basic human rights of children in our society."

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

Laws and Obstacles

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

According to a assessment, 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 inundated with cases of violence in the home, many of which never make it to the courts.

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

The decades-old charter outlines legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against children.

Its provisions include:

• Criminalising all forms of child abuse
• Strengthening legal punishment for guardians who harm or neglect children
• Guaranteeing 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.

Weak Enforcement

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

The police lack the capacity to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get interfered with 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 disclose abuse.

"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a private agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been resolved," 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 challenging to intervene. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can raise concerns 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 reflects on the verdict, some are uncertain if true accountability will be achieved in the long run.

"There is nothing to celebrate yet, we still need certainty," 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."