Women and girls in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia are facing a new type of abuse, driven by digital devices, such as being stalked through recorded videos.
The Director of the Children and Women’s Department of the Somali Regional State Women’s Office, Suhuura Hassan Omar, in an exclusive interview with BBC Somali, reported on the crimes using digital devices to target women and girls.
“There are these cases, not many now, but there are some. There is now a convicted case that was sentenced to 7 years and several months, which involved a video of a girl; there are others that are going on like this and are in the system,” said Suhuur.
She said that society is still not very aware of the dangers of social media and smartphones, which can be stalked through secretly recorded videos, or private photos that are accidentally released.
“For example, a relationship is being established with a girl; over time, you see the girl being asked for videos and pictures, and it is possible that she will be raped,” Suhuur added.
She said that women who file self-defense cases are still very few in the Somali Region, but there are many girls who have private photos and videos kept and are being abused behind their doors.
She added that in recent days, during the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women and Girls, the office has been taking social awareness measures about violence using mobile phones, and is also meeting with different segments of society.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which is observed every year from November 25 to December 10, is a global campaign to address violence against women. This year’s theme is: “Let’s unite to end violence using digital devices against women and girls.
