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A woman is currently awaiting the death penalty in the Horn of Africa nation after being found guilty of murdering a teenager in her charge.

The killing of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in November, and the shocking details that emerged about the conditions surrounding her death, sparked protests near her home in Galkayo, along with fresh demands for enhanced child protection.

The tragedy struck a chord in a nation where child abuse often goes unreported, especially when it takes place inside clan households.

For numerous people, Saabirin's death epitomised a wider shortcoming in child protection and the slow enforcement of legal safeguards designed to prevent such atrocities.

A Rare Verdict

The guilty verdict of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder marked one of the infrequent instances in Somalia where a court imposed the ultimate penalty for child abuse.

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

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

A Tragic Upbringing

Saabirin was orphaned when both her parents died within a brief time when she was just one year old.

Both of her elder female relatives had also died so she was looked after by her late mother's aunt, who ensured she got an schooling and attended a classical Quranic school.

But her life took a tragic turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a home help, could take her in.

Evidence of Abuse

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

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

A post-mortem examination of Saabirin's body revealed multiple injuries and deep stab wounds consistent with sustained violence.

Public Outcry

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

Many of women and young people demonstrated in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "We Demand Justice" and urging the authorities to prosecute 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 confronted police and a young man was killed by gunfire.

Online, young women and girls initiated a wave of solidarity campaigns, using hashtags 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 settle this case through tribal agreements or behind closed doors."

This refers to when elders from the families 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 concealed within households, and relatives are traditionally viewed as private spaces – where the state should not intervene.

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

A regional police commander said the verdict represented an important moment in the quest of justice for the murdered teenager.

"The offender 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 applied to them as well," he said.

A director of a child rights organisation said that "this tragedy underscores 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 severe cases ever reach the police," he added.

Laws and Obstacles

In June this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, acted on a report that a three-year-old boy had been severely abused inside the home of his father's wife. The accused perpetrator was quickly arrested.

According to a report, 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 overwhelmed with cases of violence in the home, many of which never reach the courts.

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

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

Its provisions include:

• Outlawing all forms of child abuse
• Toughening legal punishment for guardians who harm or neglect children
• Ensuring 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 clarification 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 parental authority was paramount and no external entity could supersede it.

Weak Enforcement

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

The police lack the resources to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get interfered with clan elders, which weakens the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.

She notes 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 private agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been settled," the activist said.

A official 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 intervene. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase understanding 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 Force for Conversation

Although Saabirin's life was ended too soon, her death is now forcing long-delayed conversations about child safety in Somalia.

But as the local community reflects on the verdict, some are unsure if justice will be achieved in the long run.

"There is nothing to celebrate yet, we still need clarity," 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."