4 November 2008
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has deplored last week's stoning to death of a 13-year-old Somali girl who was a victim of rape.
Aisha Duhulow was stoned to death in a stadium full of spectators in the southern port city of Kismayo on 27 October after authorities found her guilty of adultery.
But reports indicate that she had been raped by three men while walking to visit her grandmother in the capital Mogadishu. After the attack, Aisha asked for protection from prosecutors, who in turn accused her of adultery and sentenced her to death.
"This is a tragic and deplorable incident," said Christian Balslev-Olesen, UNICEF Representative for Somalia. "A child was victimized twice - first by the perpetrators of the rape and then by those responsible for administering justice."
According to media reports, Aisha pleaded for her life before she was forced into a hole, buried up to her neck and then pelted with stones by some 50 men until she died in front of more than 1,000 people.
UNICEF said that this incident underscores the vulnerability of girls and women in the war-wracked Horn of Africa nation, where it says sexual and gender-based violence is commonplace and gender inequalities persist in access to essential services.
"Authorities and institutions of civil society have a role to play in supporting and protecting the rights of every child," Mr. Balslev-Olesen said, noting that this killing reflects the great effort that must be undertaken to protect the rights of Somali girls and women.
"UNICEF is committed to promote the status of females and will continue to work with local authorities and partners to reduce the risks to them through the promotion of girls' education, HIV prevention and support to services for survivors of all forms of sexual and gender-based violence."
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Lawless behaviour in Somalia overshadows the high moral code of Islam.
Muslim continues to kill Muslim in Somalia.
This is forbidden in Islam.
99% of people in Somalia are Muslim.
Within Somalia there is a lack of understanding of the high moral code in Islam that forbids the doing of bad and promotes the doing of good. Many Somalis have a limited Arabic language understanding.
A project seeks support to establish a short wave broadcast station “Radio Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim” (Radio for the sake of God, Peace through Radio, Voice following the peace of the Sunnah) to teach the high moral code of Islam in the Somali language.
Everyone on the path of peace is welcome to join this project for Allah’s sake.
More on http://somaliaradio.blogspot.com
Contact me on email somaliahamradio@yahoo.com
Regards, Sam Voron VK2BVS, 6O0A 2 Griffith Ave, Roseville, N.S.W., Australia 2069 Tel- 61-2-9417 1066 Web: http://somaliaradio.blogspot.com
when are the un stop letting that country down and let it start to rebuild please also get back to me about opening a school in mogadishu soon asap