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A female is currently facing execution in the Horn of Africa nation after being found guilty of murdering a 14-year-old girl in her care.

The tragic death of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in last autumn, and the horrific details that emerged about the conditions surrounding her death, provoked protests near her home in Galkayo, along with reinvigorated calls for enhanced child protection.

The case resonated deeply in a nation where child abuse often goes unreported, especially when it takes place inside clan households.

For numerous people, Saabirin's death symbolised a broader shortcoming in child protection and the sluggish enforcement of legal safeguards designed to prevent such tragedies.

A Rare Verdict

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

Diiriye had denied the charges and her lawyer has filed an challenge against the ruling.

Her spouse, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was acquitted of murder but given one year in prison and fined $500 for negligence.

A Life Cut Short

Saabirin was left parentless when both her parents died within a short period when she was just one year old.

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

But her life took a devastating turn in September after Saabirin's elder relative agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a home help, could assume her care.

Proof of Maltreatment

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

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

In one particularly disturbing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I'm enjoying your pain."

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

Public Outcry

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 bring to trial all those responsible.

They assembled outside the local hospital where her body was lying in the morgue.

Things got so heated that during one protest demonstrators confronted police and a young man was killed by gunfire.

Online, young women and girls initiated a wave of support movements, 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 oppose 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 clans of those involved in a dispute intervene with the aim of preventing revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.

A Widespread Problem

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

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

A regional police commander said the verdict marked an significant moment in the pursuit of justice for the murdered teenager.

"The perpetrator is now only awaiting the carrying out of the death sentence. If further evidence surfaces proving that additional individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be exempted, 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 extreme cases ever reach the police," he added.

Legal Frameworks and Challenges

In June this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, received a report that a three-year-old boy had been severely abused inside the home of his father's wife. The alleged 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 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 long-standing charter outlines legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against minors.

Its stipulations include:

• Criminalising 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 government department issued a statement 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 paramount and no external entity could override it.

Lax Implementation

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

The police do not have the capacity 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 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 behind-the-door agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been settled," the activist said.

A coordinator for the region's ministry of women's development rejects 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 act. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase understanding that people can speak out 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 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 justice will be served in the long run.

"There is nothing to rejoice 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."