STORY: Annual 16-day campaign to end violence against women and girls gets underway

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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ SOMALI/ NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 25/NOVEMBER/2018, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

1. Wide shot, UNSOM Spokesperson Joe Contreras giving opening remarks at the start of
the press briefing on the launch of the annual campaign 16 Days of Activism against
Gender-Based Violence.
2. Med shot, Peter de Clercq, the Deputy UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Somalia, and Amina Haji Elmi, the Director of the Save Somali Women and Children
Organisation (SSWC), at the press briefing
3. Wide shot, journalists listening during the press briefing
4. Med shot, journalists covering the press briefing
5. Close up shot, Jebbeh Forster, the Regional Governance, Peace and Security and
Humanitarian Advisor with the UN WOMEN, listening
6. Med shot, journalists following the press briefing
7. Med shot, journalist listening
8. Wide shot, journalist following the briefing
9. Med shot, UNSOM Spokesperson invites Peter de Clercq, the Deputy UN Secretary-
General’s Special Representative for Somalia to give his remarks
10. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) PETER DE CLERCQ, THE DEPUTY UN SECRETARY-GENERAL’S
SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOMALIA
“Today we call on the Federal Government of Somalia, the Federal Member States and
all other national and international actors to play a vital role in creating awareness,
providing legal and medical aid, and facilitating access to services for those who are the
most vulnerable, in line with the principles of leaving no one behind.”

11. Wide shot, interpreter talking

12. Close up shot, interpreter
13. Med shot, Peter de Clercq, the Deputy UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Somalia, looking on
14. Close up shot, Peter de Clercq, the Deputy UN Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Somalia looking on
15. Wide shot, UNSOM spokesperson inviting the next speaker
16. Med shot, Journalist covering the press conference
17. Med shot, Peter de Clercq, the Deputy UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Somalia, looking on
18. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) MS. JEBBEH FORSTER, THE REGIONAL GOVERNANCE, PEACE
AND SECURITY AND HUMANITARIAN ADVISOR WITH UN WOMEN
 “When we consider the fact that we have high maternal mortality rates, could that be
linked to child marriage? Could that be linked to issues of complications of FGM? It is
time to critically look at some of those things that put women and girls at a
disadvantage. As UN WOMEN we want to say that we stand with Somalia, we stand with
the women of Somalia, we stand with the women of Africa and we stand with women
globally to end violence against women. It's a scourge that cuts across culture, it cuts
across economic status, social status and is a global phenomenon. And unless there is a
global coalition to end violence against women and girls, it will never end”.
19. Med shot, Ms. Jebber Forster concluding her remarks
20. Med shot, journalist covering the press conference
21. wide shot, journalist covering the press conference
22. Med shot, UNSOM spokesperson inviting the next speaker
23. Med shot, Ms. Amina Haji Elmi, the Head of the Save Somali Women and Children
Organisation (SSWC) listening
24. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) MS. AMINA HAJI ELMI, THE DIRECTOR of THE SAVE SOMALI
WOMEN AND CHILDREN ORGANISATION (SSWC)
“Survivors should be housed at safe houses and provided with security, food and
accommodation until their cases are solved and they are unified with their loved ones.
SSWC carries out trainings and awareness campaigns to enlighten the masses of Gender-
Based Violence and also to provide a platform for stakeholders to air their views”.
25. Mid shot, UNSOM spokesperson inviting the next speaker
26. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Ms. Fadwo Hassan, the Protection Coordinator with HINNA, an
organisation that supports survivors of sexual violence
“Most of the survivors do not prefer the formal mechanism due to the fear of
stigmatisation. They prefer informal mediation. We have lawyers to negotiate if they
want. But if they don’t want, we cannot force them. It’s the survivors’ wish and rights. It
is a survivor-centred approach, that we utilise in our centres”.
27. Med shot, UNSOM spokesperson inviting questions from journalists
28. Wide shot, journalists covering the press conference
29. Wide shot, journalist asking a question
30. Wide shot, UNSOM spokesperson inviting another question from the journalists
31. Wide shot, journalist asking a question
32. Mid shot, journalist asking a question
33. Mid shot, journalist taking down notes
34. Close up shot, face of journalist taking notes
35. Close up shot, Ms. Jebbeh Forster, the Regional Governance, Peace and Security and
Humanitarian Advisor with the UN WOMEN responding to the questions
36. Wide shot, journalists covering the press conference
37. Mid shot, UNSOM spokesperson speaks at the conclusion of the press briefing
Annual 16-day campaign to end violence against women and girls gets underway

Mogadishu, 25 November 2018 – The annual 16-day campaign of activism against gender-
based violence was launched at a press briefing today in the Somali capital.

Global in scope, the campaign seeks to raise awareness on the need to end violence against
women and girls and is led by the UN Women agency with participation from the entire United
Nations family, national governments, civil society and the private sector.

Jebbeh Forster, a UN Women Regional Policy Advisor on governance, peace and security and
humanitarian action issues, said gender-based violence in Somalia has deepened the cycle of
poverty for women and girls and hindered their empowerment.

She singled out the high incidence of child marriages and high maternal mortality rates in the
country as the most serious challenges facing Somali women and girls today. The UN estimates
that at least 45 per cent of women in Somalia between the ages of 20 and 24 years are married
off before their eighteenth birthday.

“It is time to critically look at some of those things that put women and girls at a disadvantage,”
said Ms. Forster.

The UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, said
more needs to be done to strengthen preventative measures and ensure that the necessary
legal provisions and services are in place to discourage gender-based violence.

“Today, we call on the Federal Government of Somalia, the Federal Member States and all other
national and international actors to play a vital role in creating awareness, providing legal and
medical aid, and facilitating access to services to those who are the most vulnerable,” said Mr.
de Clercq.

“The 16 days of activism campaign is a moment of reflection and renewed commitment to

bolster organized efforts to root out gender-based violence, which is a gross violation of the
human rights of women and girls. These violations must stop,” the senior UN official added.

The launch of the campaign coincides with today’s observance of the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women. The campaign will end on December 10, when
International Human Rights Day is commemorated.

“As UN Women, we want to say that we stand with the women of Somalia, we stand with the
women of Africa and we stand with women globally to end violence against women,” stated Ms.
Forster. “It's a scourge that cuts across culture, it cuts across economic status, social status, and
it is a global phenomenon. And unless there is a global coalition to end violence against women
and girls, it will never end.”
The campaign will highlight numerous challenges facing women and girls in Somalia. Persisting
conflict and humanitarian disaster are said to worsen already dismal indicators for women’s
empowerment and gender equality. Out of the 4.2 million persons needing humanitarian
assistance in Somalia, about half are women and girls. Humanitarian actors estimate that 2.6
million people are internally displaced in Somalia – and women and girls living in displaced
communities are more vulnerable to gender-based violence than those living in stable
communities.

Mr. de Clercq noted that Somalia has made significant strides in recent years to prevent and
criminalize sexual offences and gender-based violence. At the federal level, the Council of
Ministers passed the Sexual Offences Bill in May of this year, a positive step towards addressing
sexual violence and strengthening the provision of support to survivors. The bill is currently
awaiting parliamentary endorsement. A similar bill was enacted into law in Puntland in 2016
that provides improved legal protection for women and girls living in that federal member state.

Amina Haji Elmi, an activist who operates a sanctuary for women and girls affected by gender-
based violence, emphasized the need for safe houses to protect vulnerable women. “Survivors
should be housed at safe houses and provided with security, food and accommodation until
their cases are solved and they are unified with their loved ones,” said the director of the Save
Somali Women and Children Organisation (SSWC).

Fadwo Hassan, a Protection Coordinator with an organisation called HINNA that supports
survivors of sexual violence, said that in her experience, most survivors do not seek justice in
Somalia’s formal judicial system. These women and girls often opt instead for informal justice
mechanisms that can spare them the ordeal of social stigmatization. “We have lawyers to
negotiate if they want. But if they don’t want, we cannot force them,” she stated. “It is a
survivor-centred approach that we utilise in our centres.”