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A woman is now facing the death penalty in Somalia after being found guilty of killing a teenager in her charge.

The tragic death of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in last autumn, and the horrific details that emerged about the circumstances surrounding her death, provoked demonstrations near her home in Galkayo, along with fresh demands for enhanced child protection.

The case touched a deep nerve in a country where child abuse often remains hidden, particularly when it occurs inside extended families.

For many, Saabirin's death represented a broader failure in child protection and the sluggish enforcement of legal safeguards meant to prevent such atrocities.

A Rare Verdict

The guilty verdict of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder represented one of the uncommon instances in Somalia where a court handed down the ultimate penalty for child abuse.

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

Her spouse, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was cleared of murder but given one year in prison and fined $500 for negligence.

A Tragic Upbringing

Saabirin was left parentless 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 cared for by her late mother's aunt, who ensured she got an education and attended a traditional Quranic school.

But her life took a devastating 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 disclosed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had suffered "routine physical abuse" - she was beaten and subjected to cruelty.

Evidence recovered from Diiriye's phone, including videos and audio recordings captured ongoing violence. Some of these were leaked to the public before the trial.

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

A autopsy of Saabirin's body revealed multiple injuries and deep knife wounds consistent with prolonged violence.

Public Outcry

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

Hundreds of women and young people marched in Galkayo, holding signs reading "We Demand Justice" and urging the authorities to bring to trial all those responsible.

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

Things got so heated that during one protest demonstrators confronted police and a young man was shot dead.

Online, young women and girls initiated a wave of solidarity campaigns, using social media tags invoking Saabirin's name.

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

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

A Systemic Challenge

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

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 represented an significant moment in the quest of justice for the murdered teenager.

"The perpetrator is now only awaiting the carrying out 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 enforced to them as well," he said.

A director of a child rights organisation said that "the case highlights the profound gaps that still exist in safeguarding the most basic human rights of children in our society."

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

Laws and Obstacles

In the summer this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, acted on 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 appalling 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 overwhelmed with cases of violence in the home, many of which never make it to the courts.

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

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

Its stipulations include:

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

But just three days later, a ministry issued a statement stating that the implementation of the charter would be in accordance with Islamic law, with provisions contrary to religious teaching not being enforced.

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

Lax Implementation

A women's and child's rights activist contended that implementation of existing measures in Somalia remained ineffective.

The police lack the resources 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 adds that children were often unaware that they could report abuse and many schools were not teaching them that they could disclose abuse.

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

A coordinator 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 challenging to act. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can raise concerns 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 cut tragically short, her death is now compelling overdue conversations about child safety in Somalia.

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

"There is nothing to rejoice yet, we still need certainty," 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 delays."