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A woman is presently awaiting the death penalty in the Horn of Africa nation after being found guilty of murdering a 14-year-old girl in her care.

The murder of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in November, and the shocking details that emerged about the circumstances surrounding her death, sparked demonstrations near her home in Galkayo, along with renewed demands for greater child protection.

The tragedy resonated deeply in a country where child abuse often goes unreported, particularly when it takes place inside kinship networks.

For many, Saabirin's death symbolised a broader shortcoming in child protection and the sluggish implementation of legal protections meant to prevent such tragedies.

A Rare Verdict

The guilty verdict of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder marked one of the rare instances in Somalia where a court handed down the death sentence for child abuse.

Diiriye had rejected the charges and her lawyer has filed an challenge against the verdict.

Her spouse, 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 brief time when she was just one year old.

Both of her elder female relatives had also died so she was cared for 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 elder relative agreed that Diiriye's family, who required a domestic helper, could assume her care.

Proof of Maltreatment

During their investigation, police revealed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had endured "routine physical abuse" - she was beaten and subjected to cruelty.

Proof obtained from Diiriye's phone, including recordings and audio recordings documented repeated violence. Some of these were released to the public before the trial.

In one particularly harrowing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I take pleasure in your pain."

A autopsy of Saabirin's body revealed multiple injuries and deep knife wounds indicative of prolonged violence.

Community Anger

As details of the police investigation surfaced, public anger grew.

Hundreds of women and young people marched in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "We Demand Justice" and calling on the authorities to prosecute all those responsible.

They gathered outside the local hospital where her body was held in the morgue.

Things got so tense that during one protest demonstrators confronted police and a young man was shot dead.

Online, young women and girls initiated a wave of support movements, using hashtags invoking Saabirin's name.

"No child should die like this," a tearful 18-year-old protester said in a clip shared on social media. "We also oppose the attempts by traditional elders who want to resolve this case through clan customs or behind closed doors."

This describes when elders from the families of those involved in a dispute step in with the aim of avoiding revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.

A Widespread Problem

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

Diiriye's trial and other related hearings were broadcast live on social media to foster 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 perpetrator 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 enforced 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 protecting the most basic human rights of children in our society."

"Children continue to face violence inside family homes, and only the most extreme cases ever are reported to the police," he added.

Laws and Obstacles

In the summer 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 assessment, three appalling 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 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
• Guaranteeing state responsibility for vulnerable and orphaned children
• And creating monitoring systems in schools, hospitals and communities.

But just three days later, a government department 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 applied.

It said that Somali family rights was fundamental 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 do not have 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 adds that children were often did not know that they could report abuse and many schools were not teaching them that they could disclose abuse.

"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a private agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been resolved," the activist said.

A official for the region's ministry of women's development denies that the authorities are neglecting 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 difficult to intervene. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can raise concerns if they suspect that a child might not be safe.

"Every child has the right to be removed from any household in which they do not feel safe," the official said.

A Catalyst for Change

Although Saabirin's life was ended too soon, her death is now compelling overdue conversations about child safety in Somalia.

But as the local community reflects on the verdict, some are uncertain if true accountability will be served in the long run.

"There is nothing to celebrate 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 postponements."