Africa | Somalia | Activism

Somali Who Overcame Horrors To Fight For Refugees Named Woman Of The Year

Mariam Ibrahim Yusuf is a campaigner, a public speaker, a choir singer and a mother. She is also an asylum seeker, who risked her life and was separated from her children in order to flee conflict-wracked Somaliafor the United Kingdom. That was nearly eight years ago, and U.K. authorities have repeatedly rejected her asylum claim, leaving her in legal limbo. The 38-year-old will collect a Woman of the Year’ award at a ceremony in London, that the United Nations refugee agency organized with U.K. nonprofit Migrants Organise, which honors the accomplishments of refugee and migrant women

Africa | Somalia | Activism

Seven Somali Women Making a Difference

Source: Africa.com

There are many strong, capable women in Somalia. Dr. Hawa Abdi, Deqo Mohamed, Amina Mohamed, Edna Adan, Ilwad Elman, Fartuun Adan, and Fatima Jibrell are seven such amazing women. The actions of each demonstrate that in adversity there is the opportunity to make a positive difference and even to inspire others. Here are their stories:

Africa | Somalia | Activism

Women push for greater say in Somaliland policy-making

Source: Pangea Today

Gender equality advocates in the self-proclaimed independent nation of Somaliland are renewing pressure for a long-overdue political quota that would allow women greater participation in government and decision-making forums. Somaliland is internationally recognized as a region of Somalia and not as an autonomous state, but it has its own elections and president. It is considered a fledgling democracy that circumvented Somalia’s fate as a failed state. But noticeably absent from the decision-making processes are women, and activists argue that this is to the detriment of the territory�

Africa | Somalia | Leadership

12 Trailblazing Somali Women

Source: Okay Africa

Horn is a new publication featuring trailblazing women from the Horn of Africa. Issue 1 of the magazine, which launched last month, shines a special spotlight on Somali women. According to Horn‘s editor and founder, Sumaya, the project arose from a question of where the “carefree Somali girls” were being portrayed. “They most often self-identify as Muslim and African, yet are rarely ever represented in both arenas,” says Sumaya. “Within their communities and households, they basically run things, but are usually behind the scenes. They are in the unique position of being black

Africa | Somalia | Activism

Somali Women: On the Pathway to Gender Equity

Source: Somali Current

After weeks of intense meetings, lengthy discussions and deliberations, several female activists and academics launched Somali Gender Equity Movement (SOMGEM). For hours, organizers and members of the movement weighed various locations. Rather than choosing Europe or Africa, they settled on holding the event in Minnesota, where a welcoming crowd of supporters was simple enough to summon. A number of people came together here at Doubletree Hotel in Minneapolis on Saturday night July 13 to mark the launch of Somali Gender Equity Movement (SOMGEM). The event brought together numerous women act

Africa | Somalia | Politics

SOMALIA: The Blurred Line Between Politics of Subjectivity and Women Rights

Source: MakeEveryWomanCount

Since the collapse of the central government in 1991, Somalia has suffered from civil-war, widespread famine, broken infrastructure, rampant human, women, and civil rights abuses, poverty, human trafficking, rape, murder and corruption on every level of the society. Given this backdrop and all the internal and external crises facing Somali society, I was dumfounded to read a recent (March 24, 2015) Somali government press release, in which the government embroiled itself in a diplomatic dust-up between Sweden and Saudi Arabia. The press release reads: "The Government of the Federal Re