The silent war: domestic violence against women in Hargeisa, Somaliland
By: Fatima Nuur , Naima M, Hassan and Ayan Mohamed Jama Domestic violence is a widespread threat to the rights of women. Its effects can include harm to the individual’s health, mental and emotional well-being as well as their social and economic standing. In Somali culture, it is common for men to yell at, slap, ignore, or abuse their wives. Interestingly, the majority of women in rural and specific urban areas feel their husbands have the right to abuse them if they neglect their responsibilities and alleged duties. According to the Somaliland H uman Rights Commission, the number of instances of domestic abuse they have documented has increased since last year, yet the majority of survivors do not report to the office out of fear of social stigmatization. In the last nine months alone, the SHRC complaint office received 52 cases of domestic abuse, compared to 48 in 2021. Violation of women’s rights is a violation of human rig:”:” Most Somali men have toxic mascul