In a shocking turn of events, a man from Somalia escaped death penalty in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl after he paid 75 camels to her family.
According to Reuters, the girl was abducted from a market in northern Puntland’s Galkayo in February 2019. She was raped by three men, later murdered and her genitals were mutilated. The brutality of the incident had sparked public outrage and demonstrations against the authorities.
The three rapists and murders were given capital punishment under the 2016 sexual offences law. It was the first law introduced in the African country which criminalizes sexual harassment and rape.
Two of the rapists were executed by the firing squad earlier in February. However, the execution of the third rapist- Abdisalan Abdirahman, was delayed.
Later on February 20, Abdirahman was released after paying 75 camels as compensation to the family, a relative of the girl confirmed.
Ubah Mohamed from the Somalia Gender Hub, a women’s rights advocacy group said that she was upset at how the third man was left out. In Puntland, and in Somalia in general, rape victims don’t get justice due to the involvement of traditional leaders,” she said.
Sagal Abas, an activist with the British charity Oxfam was very vocal about the incident on Twitter. In a series of tweets, she wrote, "75 camels was given as a form of ‘blood money’ to the family of Aisha who was raped and killed. The family is not to blame here as they are also victims. Instead I blame the @TheVillaSomalia that fails to address the rape culture and the poor legal systems."
She added, "What future is there for women’s rights in Somalia if issues such as sexual violence are still being discussed under a tree by male clan leaders?"
