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A female is now facing execution in Somalia after being found guilty of murdering a teenager in her care.

The killing of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in November, and the gruesome details that came to light about the conditions surrounding her death, provoked demonstrations near her home in Galkayo, along with reinvigorated calls for enhanced child protection.

The case touched a deep nerve in a nation where child abuse often goes unreported, particularly when it occurs inside clan households.

For many, Saabirin's death represented a broader shortcoming in child protection and the delayed enforcement of legal safeguards designed to prevent such tragedies.

A Rare Verdict

The conviction of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder represented one of the rare instances in Somalia where a court imposed the death sentence for child abuse.

Diiriye had denied the charges and her lawyer has lodged an challenge against the decision.

Her spouse, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was cleared of murder but sentenced one year in prison and ordered to pay $500 for failure of care.

A Tragic Upbringing

Saabirin was orphaned when both her parents passed away within a brief time when she was just one year old.

Both of her elder female relatives had also died so she was looked after by her late mother's aunt, who made sure she got an schooling and attended a classical Quranic school.

But her life took a tragic turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a domestic helper, could assume her care.

Proof of Maltreatment

During their inquiry, police revealed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had endured "regular physical abuse" - she was beaten and tortured.

Evidence obtained from Diiriye's phone, including recordings and audio recordings captured repeated violence. Some of these were released to the public before the trial.

In one especially harrowing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I take pleasure in your pain."

A post-mortem examination of Saabirin's body revealed multiple injuries and deep knife wounds consistent with sustained violence.

Community Anger

As details of the police investigation emerged, community outrage escalated.

Hundreds of women and young people demonstrated in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "We Demand Justice" and calling on the authorities to prosecute all those responsible.

They assembled outside the local hospital where her body was held in the morgue.

Things got so tense that during one protest demonstrators clashed with police and a young man was shot dead.

Online, young women and girls launched a wave of support movements, using social media tags invoking Saabirin's name.

"No child should die like this," a tearful 18-year-old protester said in a clip shared on social media. "We also reject the attempts by traditional elders who want to settle this case through tribal agreements or behind closed doors."

This describes when elders from the families of those involved in a dispute step in with the aim of avoiding revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.

A Widespread Problem

Child abuse in Somalia is often hidden within households, and extended families are customarily viewed as safe spaces – where the state should not intervene.

Diiriye's trial and other related hearings were streamed live on social media to foster public trust in the justice system.

A regional police commander said the verdict marked an important moment in the pursuit of justice for the murdered teenager.

"The perpetrator is now only awaiting the implementation of the death sentence. If further evidence emerges proving that additional individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be spared, the law will be fully applied to them as well," he said.

A director of a child rights organisation said that "this tragedy highlights the deep gaps that still exist in protecting the most basic human rights of children in our society."

"Children continue to face violence inside family homes, and only the most severe cases ever reach the police," he added.

Legal Frameworks and Challenges

In June this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, received a report that a three-year-old boy had been brutally mistreated inside the home of his father's wife. The accused perpetrator was quickly arrested.

According to a report, three horrific acts of violence against children occurred in the country during October and November.

The head of a local women's association in Galkayo said the community was inundated with cases of violence in the home, many of which never make it to the courts.

On 1 October this year, Somalia's parliament approved the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

The long-standing charter outlines legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against minors.

Its stipulations include:

• Criminalising all forms of child abuse
• Strengthening legal punishment for guardians who harm or neglect children
• Ensuring state responsibility for vulnerable and orphaned children
• And establishing monitoring systems in schools, hospitals and communities.

But just three days later, a government department issued a clarification stating that the implementation of the charter would be guided by Islamic law, with provisions conflicting with religious teaching not being applied.

It said that Somali family rights was paramount and no external entity could supersede it.

Weak Enforcement

A women's and child's rights activist argued that implementation of similar measures in Somalia remained weak.

The police do not have the capacity to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get mediated by clan elders, which undermines the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.

She notes that children were often did not know that they could report abuse and many schools were not teaching them that they could report abuse.

"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a private agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been resolved," the activist said.

A official for the region's ministry of women's development denies that the authorities are failing in their responsibility to protect children.

She highlighted programmes to help youths and efforts to protect street children.

She did however admit that in cases like Saabirin's, it is sometimes difficult to intervene. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can speak out if they suspect that a child might not be safe.

"Every child has the right to be taken from any household in which they do not feel safe," the official said.

A Catalyst for Change

Although Saabirin's life was ended too soon, her death is now compelling long-delayed conversations about child safety in Somalia.

But as the local community reflects on the verdict, some are unsure if true accountability will be achieved in the long run.

"There is nothing to celebrate yet, we still need clarity," one of the young protesters said. "We don't want justice in words, we want to see it with our own eyes. We don't want postponements."