Women and girls trafficking in Somalia: a tragedy
Mahdi Haile
March 12, 2010
A report says Golf States especially Dubai is the destination point for girls being trafficked into the country from Bangladesh, Burma, Somalia and the Sub-Saharan Africa states.It is also the transit point for girls brought in from East Africa and Asia before being smuggled into the Gulf States. The report also says the country has become a recruiting ground for Somali and other East African girls who are bought here and taken to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Some of them were promised jobs and taken to Iraq.
The Northern Somalia and Puntland Province is witnessing a steady rise in cases of women trafficking for prostitution purposes, reveal surveys done by some NGOs. While the majority of the girls forced into the trade are Somali, the number of other parts Of Somalia trafficking girls is also on the rise.
Last year, a survey conducted by Somali women´s Foundation, an NGO working on women´s rights, brought to surface 39 cases of women trafficking in the Parts of north Eastern Kenya, Southern Somalia. However, the Foundation spokesperson told US the survey was not comprehensive. "It is extremely difficult to unearth all such cases for a host of reasons," she says.
Investigations confirm that Mogadishu, Bossaaso , Hargeisa and Kenya North Eastern province Garisa districts top the list in the sale and purchase of girls as young as 13-year-olds. While some are taken to the Dubai after being "married off" and abused, in most cases they end up in the Gulf states for prostitution purposes.
Sources say the seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that a top intelligence agency has been asked to conduct investigations into the business. BC Somali service have reported; As recently as last week a child stolen from a family in Portland was found with a Russian man staying in Somali-Land to transport the young girl to Eastern Europe. The Somaliland police arrested the man at Hargeisa airport after being tipped off by this agency.
In some instances, interested parties take advantage of the poverty of the parents and the tradition among some clans of selling off girls for a price. Some reported cases reveal the girls were married off to one person who then used them to entertain other customers.
A ´Situational Analysis´ on trafficking of Women and Children in Somalia CSSU Engineer Abdirahman Sharaf says the issue is grave and complex and needs to be addressed at various levels. The report says Dubai is the destination point for girls being trafficked into the country from Somalia, Burma, and the Sub-Saharan African States. It is also the transit point for girls brought in from Far East Asia and Bangladesh before being smuggled into the Gulf States. The report also says the country has become a recruiting ground for Dubai and Saudi Arabia and Somali girls who are bought here and taken to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Police officials confirm these findings. A senior police officer from the Crimes Branch told this Site that scores of Somali girls are trafficked to five-star hotels in Dubai every month. "Dubai is where girls from various countries, including Eastern Europe and Russia, end up," he said. This fact was confirmed by our analyst last year during a brief stay at one of the five-start hotels in Dubai. The hotel´s discotheque was teeming with girls who were being picked up by clients.
Sources in Mogadishu claim that most upper-class Somali women in that city have taken to prostitution since falling upon bad days. "Of course, the trade goes on surreptitiously. It´s the same situation in Hargeisa and Boosaso," he said.
Senior police officers admit the trafficking cannot go on without the collusion of certain law enforcement officials. "There are many factors involved here. Of course there is the element of corruption. But there is also the element of poverty and greed of the parents who are prepared to accept money from unknown people and marry off their daughters to strangers. There is nothing the police can do if it looks like a lawful wedding," says a senior officer.
The Northern Somalia and Puntland Province is witnessing a steady rise in cases of women trafficking for prostitution purposes, reveal surveys done by some NGOs. While the majority of the girls forced into the trade are Somali, the number of other parts Of Somalia trafficking girls is also on the rise.
Last year, a survey conducted by Somali women´s Foundation, an NGO working on women´s rights, brought to surface 39 cases of women trafficking in the Parts of north Eastern Kenya, Southern Somalia. However, the Foundation spokesperson told US the survey was not comprehensive. "It is extremely difficult to unearth all such cases for a host of reasons," she says.
Investigations confirm that Mogadishu, Bossaaso , Hargeisa and Kenya North Eastern province Garisa districts top the list in the sale and purchase of girls as young as 13-year-olds. While some are taken to the Dubai after being "married off" and abused, in most cases they end up in the Gulf states for prostitution purposes.
Sources say the seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that a top intelligence agency has been asked to conduct investigations into the business. BC Somali service have reported; As recently as last week a child stolen from a family in Portland was found with a Russian man staying in Somali-Land to transport the young girl to Eastern Europe. The Somaliland police arrested the man at Hargeisa airport after being tipped off by this agency.
In some instances, interested parties take advantage of the poverty of the parents and the tradition among some clans of selling off girls for a price. Some reported cases reveal the girls were married off to one person who then used them to entertain other customers.
A ´Situational Analysis´ on trafficking of Women and Children in Somalia CSSU Engineer Abdirahman Sharaf says the issue is grave and complex and needs to be addressed at various levels. The report says Dubai is the destination point for girls being trafficked into the country from Somalia, Burma, and the Sub-Saharan African States. It is also the transit point for girls brought in from Far East Asia and Bangladesh before being smuggled into the Gulf States. The report also says the country has become a recruiting ground for Dubai and Saudi Arabia and Somali girls who are bought here and taken to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Police officials confirm these findings. A senior police officer from the Crimes Branch told this Site that scores of Somali girls are trafficked to five-star hotels in Dubai every month. "Dubai is where girls from various countries, including Eastern Europe and Russia, end up," he said. This fact was confirmed by our analyst last year during a brief stay at one of the five-start hotels in Dubai. The hotel´s discotheque was teeming with girls who were being picked up by clients.
Sources in Mogadishu claim that most upper-class Somali women in that city have taken to prostitution since falling upon bad days. "Of course, the trade goes on surreptitiously. It´s the same situation in Hargeisa and Boosaso," he said.
Senior police officers admit the trafficking cannot go on without the collusion of certain law enforcement officials. "There are many factors involved here. Of course there is the element of corruption. But there is also the element of poverty and greed of the parents who are prepared to accept money from unknown people and marry off their daughters to strangers. There is nothing the police can do if it looks like a lawful wedding," says a senior officer.
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