Today marks International Human Rights Day. The UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day in 1950, to bring attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. This is something we continue to wholeheartedly endorse, and strive to achieve. Today is also the culmination of the 16 days of activism campaign. The campaign is an important way of highlighting the issues, galvanising support and opening discussion on how we can all work together to eliminate sexual violence against women. I have been reading the blogs of our guests, the comments posted, and your comments on twitter carefully, and encourage the strong debate.
I want to thank our guest bloggers for their contributions; they have provided invaluable insight to the issues they’re working to tackle, and I thank them for their hard work and commitment to improving the lives of women in Somalia. Their stories are inspiring and empowering, as well as, at times, concerning. Somalia has suffered hugely over the last two decades but green shoots of hope are emerging. While there is a huge distance still to cover, I hope that we are on the path to a time where women in Somalia can live without fear, in safety, with equality.
Human Rights Day also presents an opportunity to announce £1 million of UK spending on projects to prevent sexual violence across South Central Somalia. We have worked to develop a coherent package of direct programming, led by Somali organisations across South Central Somalia. Our approach is victim-centred, starting with the provision of basic services. Projects focus on training and capacity building including health workers, providing psychosocial, legal, and economic support and raising awareness through education. In addition, we’re providing dignity kits for victims who fled their homes without basic items like clothing and toiletries and are living in deplorable humanitarian conditions. This is combined with a wider effort by our DFID colleagues, as detailed in my previous blog. I applaud the efforts of our partners who are delivering front line services in dangerous and challenging conditions, often risking their own safety to do so. I hope this funding leads to a real improvement in the lives of those it reaches.
This week also marks the visit of the UK – UN Team of Experts on Sexual Violence. The President signed the PSVI communiqué at the Somalia conference in London in May, in which the government agreed to work with this team to develop recommendations for tackling sexual violence. We’re excited to have the opportunity to bring the team to Mogadishu to meet with government representatives, civil society, lawyers, justice sector representatives and international partners, so that they can better understand the realities of the situation on the ground. We look forward to hearing their recommendations in the coming days and weeks, and mobilising international efforts to support the government in implementing real solutions to the problems Somali women face every day.
Everyone needs to take part in the effort to reduce violence against women and girls. I was struck by the comments in Sagal Sheikh-Ali’s blog that the Somali Women’s Development Centre has been running awareness sessions for men in IDP camps. This is not a single gender issue and men need to be engaged and involved in the debate – and in finding solutions. We’re ensuring that engagement with women – and men – is mainstreamed in our programming. I encourage men in Somalia and outside to contribute positively to the debate, and inform our thinking. This global, and frightening problem cannot be tackled by individual partners or projects. We all need to play a part in supporting survivors and addressing the root cause of gender discrimination and sexual violence. This is a priority for the British Embassy Mogadishu, and we will continue to develop our political and programme support. If we don’t collectively address these issues, and women’s rights aren’t improved, Somalia will not be able to move forward and become the country it deserves to be. I hope all will all therefore join me in marking international Human Rights Day.
Your comments and contributions will be very welcome