An analysis of the socio-political effects of the Somalia conflict on Somali women (1991-2005)

Abstract

Conflicts are endemic in the human society. Since they are endemic in the society, they should be accepted as a reality and managed in such a way that their dysfunctional effects are minimized and their positive aspects maximized. Conflicts affect men and women differently. Women are mostly affected because they do not posses means to take-off during conflict, they have a strong attachment to taking care of the family especially children, and women have become targets of armed conflict. During armed conflict, women have found themselves unaccompanied by their male counterparts, their role of taking care of children while their husbands are at war is aggravated by the lack of resources, and women have become refugees. Women have become targets of armed conflicts as a means of warfare. Women are raped, tortured, mutilated and killed. When such happens to women, they are not accepted to the society as victims who need the care of the society. Such victims have been considered outcasts in the society. Women continue to be downplayed despite attempts to emancipate them in social and political spheres. The Somalia conflict is one of the protracted conflicts, which intensified since the 1991. The Somalia community is organized along patriarchal lines. Such organization tends to elevate men in the social and political circles while reducing or downplaying the social and political role of women in the society. Women are socially and politically marginalized and disadvantaged. This can be based on cultural values and accessibility to resources. The Somalia conflict especially since 1991 intensified the plight of the Somali women both socially and politically. On the other hand, during the Somalia civil war the have been attempts to emancipate the women. Although the women suffered mostly during the conflict, they also came out as significant actors in the socio-political situation of Somalia. This study presents and analyses the social and political effects of the Somalia conflict on Somali women.