Government convenes meeting on gender-based violence
Hana
Ismail Muse
University of Hargeisa
Somaliland
Hargeisa, Somaliland, June 28, 2007- National Gender Based Violence
(GBV) Coordination Meeting was held at Maansoor Hotel Hargeisa.
It was
organized by Minister of Family Affairs And social Development (MFASD)
and funded by Danish Refugees Council (DRC), and that was going on
two days.
Mr.
Ahmed Hassan Yusuf, the Director General of the Ministry has
officially opened the National GBV (Gender based violence)
coordination meeting, and he expressed the aims and objectives of
this National GBV Coordination meeting to participants “I express my
best gratitude to the participants from far regions, government
agencies, and regional office coordinators, local and international
NGOs and UN agencies that are involved on GBV related in their area
of activities. The role of the Ministry of Family Welfare and Social
Development for GBVs including many areas such as participation,
coordination, monitoring and support as Somaliland communities is
socio-economically pastoral and agro-pastoral to their culture, they
have to cope with their daily lives shaped the society where the
women are positioned in an inferior poison, and many problem with
their male are counterparts.” Said Mr. Ahmed Hassan Yusuf, the
Director General of the
The
ministry has studies various angles of how certain problems that
parentally hindering the realization of equal rights for all.
Mrs.
Fatima Sa’id, UNDP office in Hargeisa said that: “Our GBV activities
are started from 2004 and we support women police department and
women and children desk.”
And
she added that “the existence of so many GBV cases including
domestic violence, wife killing, beating, child abuse, traumatized
children, rape under aged boys and girl by older perpetrators are a
result of families’ culture of hiding the victims. There are unjust
traditional and cultural practices that must be changed and new
policy levels of interventions are needed such as public awareness
through media, laws ands punishment of violators. ”
Mrs.
Halimo M. Weheliye, care international stated that: “trauma center
is stigmatized even though there are the best medical and counseling
services.”
And
she added there are high quality medicines and specialized medical
staff including four midwifes, and consultant doctors for FGM and
GBV victims. There are 1356 cases registered since its
establishment.
Miss.
Khadra Aden Hassan, National Police women department said that: “so
many cases of GBV and child abuse occurred in different places of
the county, and we all have to emphasize a controlling mechanism.
The violators must be hardly punished and published in the media so
all the people will know him, and he will never try to violate
again.”
Shiekh.
Abdirahman Aden Derie, Ministry of religion and endowment said
that:” the rate and type of GBV and child abuse cases in Somaliland
presented by different participants are beyond my imagination. Our
Somaliland populations are 100% Muslim, so it is intolerable the
rate of such kind of GBV and child abuse cases to be commonly
occurred and no reaction and response are really obvious. ”
At the
end before the closing word of the national coordination meeting by
the Director General of the Minister of Family Affairs And social
Development (MFASD)
Mr.
Ahmed Hassan Yusuf appreciated the efforts that all the participants
showed and their agreement on some specific objectives to reset a
useful policy for GBV victims.
Mr.
Ahmed H. Yusuf, DG of MFASD in his closing word thanked DRC and also
all participants, facilitators and expects nice trip to those from
regions and look ahead for next meetings in the future.