Sources this Pic UNSOM “The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (foreground right) meets women leaders in Mogadishu, Somalia”.
In this article, we shall highlight the role of women in peace-building and what the major challenges they face are. What advantages do they have over men in terms of working for peace?
Somali women's participation in peace-building and conflict resolution in Somalia has been very limited, and they have been marginalized in all aspects of decision-making and governance. However, during the Somali civil war, many women found themselves at the center of conflicts fought between their sons, husbands, and other male relatives. For the sake of their families, many women have been active in peacemaking and peace building.
According to Conciliation resources “In Somali society, it is men, specifically the elderly, who traditionally have the means to make peace through dialogue and mediation. But although women are typically excluded from decision-making forums where peace accords are negotiated, their position within the clan system gives them the ability to bridge clan divisions and to act as a first channel for dialogue between parties in conflict".
Women can play a vast role in the country's peace building.
Typically, women are not involved in initiating or causing war. That is the first priority in the community of Somalia women, so they can lead, advocate, and organize the reconciliation and peace-building process in the country.
The entire society should trust women who are less complicated than men.
Peace working requires social integration and knowledge of their lifestyles, so the women are easy to integrate into society.
She is a mother. The mothers are careful about their children. However, the more numerous young Somali youth flare-up in hostile Somalia, the more women can play a huge role in stopping these young children. In terms of joining radical groups and amongst.
Women can mobilize society more than men, and they are also hard workers.
Women should be obtained from the government and non-governmental institutions at the following points:
They acquire training that enhances their skills.
Getting knowledge and empowering young women.
Creating small businesses and business opportunities and so on.
Hand over awareness toward the working peace building process.
Building centers for Somalia women.
Creating a budget for women and organizing them.
Women's rights should be incorporated into national policy.
The main challenges Somali women face are currents.
There are several challenges that surround Somali women, which come in different ways in life. Some of the challenges are similar to those of other people. Women play an important role in Somalia's reconstruction, whether through nation building, reconciliation, community mobilization, social cohesion and integration, or by working for peace building, peace-making, and peace-keeping. Nevertheless, they are facing obstacles that limit their capacity, and so many opportunities are able to do several things in the community. In this article, we will highlight some of the scopes that are important to mention.
Domestic violence or, in general, gender-based violence including rape, female genital mutilation, domestic violence, denial of resources, and inheritance denial. These are the social problems that Somali women face.
According to UN WOMEN Africa, "The women of Somalia bear an unequal brunt of the hardships occasioned by poverty, conflict, and a clan-based culture that promotes strict male hierarchy and authority. This is further exacerbated by cultural limitations on the role and status of women in Somali society.
The difficulties that a woman faces in the peace-building process, as well as political representation, are other challenges for them.
1. Lack of participation in politics
Somalia's politics is the main thing that manages all of the country in terms of making decisions and implementing rules and regulations. In the last 10 years, political participation for Somali women has seemed to increase compared to the past 30 years. There are some factors that are increasing participation for women, such as women's educational achievements and their work in society as volunteers. However, there is an argument that I have met while writing this article, I met some girls and women who wish to be part of different sectors in the government. They told me, "Somali women don’t get enough participation in the government, such as in the parliamentary sector and other sectors of the passions. There are a few women who are part of the various levels of government, but it is not sufficient".
Although the current government is making an effort and promising to ensure women's quota for participation in politics and pressure the federal state members in the 2022 Somali elections, women are looking to participate with a high level of passion because they want to be part of the last decisions in the country and implement the country's policies for peace building and other policies. This issue has existed for many years and women have advocated getting involved, but as an author, I am sure that if women get involved, they are able to change many things.
2. Unrepresentative sector of the peace building process in the country.
There are several institutions that do a variety of jobs. Some of them are working on peace, human rights, justice, and others, and they include public and private. It is essential to be part of those institutions and contribute their ideas and roles to Somali women. As we all know, peace work is a collective responsibility shared by every citizen in the country.
From that perspective, women should get a chance to work in peace. Working on peace building processes requires wide mobilization, awareness, reconciliation, mediation in societies, and so many other activities. Therefore, the only group that has access and does well is women, because they are staying with the community and may be working as volunteers. The non-institutional government, the governments, and others interested in women's affairs should recognize them and give them a percentage, and also use the women as guidelines to achieve the nation's goals.
3. Clan-based on political power sharing in Somalia (4.5)
The formula 4.5 is the system of sharing power in terms of policies and government administration in Somalia's government for the last few years.
Those who decided in 2000 to use 4.5 as part of Somali Solutions and to be part of the clan sharing power to build a system of government At this point, I can say it definitely is the disease called cancer in the Somali community. In other words, 4.5 is not a solution for the Somali government. Of course, we used it as a solution to solve our internal issues, but it is not permanent damage to the country. Many people are victims of 4.5. I am confident that if those people (marginalized people) got the opportunity or chance, they would be able to contribute and share their knowledge and experience with society, but this system for 4.5 creates a barrier and a bridge that cannot be crossed. It's not only political affairs; there are several challenges they are facing, like the economy, getting job opportunities, and the superior clan population. Those challenges also affect political growth nowadays, as well as many other problems related to the country.
For example, just because women come from super clans does not mean they have a better chance than others. If she wants to hold a high position in the nation, one of her clans will not also support her because she is a woman, so the percentage she can win is low. Because of their clan, they prefer men to represent that position. However, this issue is not only marginalizing communities.
4. Cultural beliefs
Somali people have strong beliefs when it comes to their culture and habits, which have heritance from many years ago. Right now, Somali women have problems with it, and it's bringing many young girls’ ambitions down. They have been trying to change that perspective with their knowledge, but it still exists. When it comes to representing politics, especially in high positions, it will be particularly tough for women because the political culture in Somalia is based on building clan representatives of the government, so the clan thinks more of the person who they send to either a national level or a federal member of state. It's clear that the clan prefers a man over a woman, but there are two reasons that indicate that challenges where it comes
The women cannot speak on behalf of their clans. In short, the clan will ask themselves two questions, which are: is it difficult to find men in the clan? If she represents us, what will our dignity in the community look like?.
The women get married to, maybe, another clan. How can she be qualified to represent ours when she is married to another clan and may be serving her husband's relatives? It happened.
Those points mentioned above are not common in all Somalia's communities, but there are general issues in the Somalia community and it possible.
5. Perspective on society
This point is not exactly popular in the Somali community, although the concept still exists in society. It depends on the variety of lifestyles and places and also determines the subcultures in the community. Some in the Somali community believe women don’t have enough education, leadership characteristics, and long-term ambition, while others believe the opposite. As far as I'm concerned, I believe women have strong ambitions and can leader society, even the country. Look at learning places, such as schools, colleges, and universities. The majority students are girls, so how can we say the women don’t have an education?
Conclusion and recommendation
For Somali women, the challenges and opportunities in Somalia are the same as in any other society, but women are part of the most vulnerable people who need attention and get unique treatment, so may I recommend to Somali women that they be
Women should attend school and learn new skills to enhance their power.
They should try to help the community, even if it's only through volunteering.
They have to be on the lookout for opportunities in the country; they don’t sit down and put their hands up.
Edited by Joe Muthoka
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