The IRC is working to strengthen the network of health care workers in Somalia to better protect survivors of sexual assault. Specially trained health staff is critical in a country where women and girls face challenging conditions due to the widespread violence, insecurity and displacement caused by two decades of conflict.
Violence against women in Somalia is reported to be among the highest in the world, yet many survivors and community leaders do not speak about it. One doctor, however, has refused to contribute to the silence.
“I can’t say that sexual violence will vanish in Somalia,” says Amal Ahmed*. “But I will do everything I can to give the women and girls who survive gender-based violence a chance to recover and rise.”