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A female is now awaiting execution in the Horn of Africa nation after being found guilty of killing a teenager in her care.

The killing of orphan Saabirin Saylaan in November, and the shocking details that came to light about the circumstances surrounding her death, sparked demonstrations near her home in Galkayo, along with fresh demands for enhanced child protection.

The incident struck a chord in a country where child abuse often remains hidden, especially when it takes place inside clan households.

For numerous people, Saabirin's death represented a wider failure in child protection and the delayed enforcement of legal protections meant to prevent such atrocities.

A Rare Verdict

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

Diiriye had rejected the charges and her lawyer has filed an appeal against the decision.

Her husband, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was acquitted of murder but sentenced one year in prison and fined $500 for negligence.

A Tragic Upbringing

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

Both of her grandmothers 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 elder relative agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a home help, could take her in.

Proof of Maltreatment

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

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

In one particularly harrowing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I'm enjoying your pain."

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

Public Outcry

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

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

They gathered outside the local hospital where her body was lying 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 initiated a wave of support movements, using social media tags citing 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 refers to when elders from the clans of those involved in a dispute intervene with the aim of preventing revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.

A Systemic Challenge

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

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

A regional police commander said the verdict marked 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 surfaces 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 safeguarding 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 are reported to 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 alleged perpetrator was swiftly arrested.

According to a assessment, 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 details legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against children.

Its provisions include:

• Criminalising all forms of child abuse
• Toughening legal punishment for guardians who harm or neglect children
• Ensuring state responsibility for vulnerable and orphaned children
• And creating 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 guided by Islamic law, with provisions contrary to religious teaching not being applied.

It said that Somali parental authority was paramount and no external entity could supersede it.

Lax Implementation

A women's and child's rights activist contended that enforcement 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 weakens the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.

She adds that children were often did not know that they could speak out and many schools were not teaching them that they could report 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 resolved," 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 understanding 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 cut tragically short, her death is now forcing overdue conversations about child safety in Somalia.

But as the local community considers the verdict, some are unsure if justice 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."