Widespread outrage has erupted in Somalia after an eight-year-old girl, missing for six months, was found living with a man who claimed to be her husband. The shocking case has reignited debates about child protection laws in the country, where there is currently no minimum legal age for marriage.
The child disappeared from her home in the semi-autonomous Puntland region in September 2024. Her family later learned that her father had consented to her marriage to an adult man, identified as Sheikh Mahmoud.
Authorities acted last week when security forces raided Mahmoud’s home after he locked himself inside a room with the girl. Puntland police rescued the child and returned her to her family on March 25. The case has triggered protests in the capital, Mogadishu, and a public outcry on social media, with rights groups calling for legal action.
Fadumo Ahmed, chairperson of the Somali Women Vision Organisation, condemned the situation, saying, “What’s more shocking than the tragedy itself are the allegations of abduction and the fact that her family had no knowledge of her whereabouts for months. We trust the responsible institutions to take the right and necessary legal action.”
According to the girl’s uncle, she was taken from her home in Bosaso by a female relative who claimed she was escorting her to visit another uncle. However, months later, a video surfaced online showing the child reciting the Quran, prompting her family to launch a search.
They eventually tracked her to the Carmo area, where she was living with Sheikh Mahmoud. Initially, Mahmoud claimed he was simply teaching the girl religious studies, but after legal complaints were filed, he admitted to marrying her with her father’s consent.
When questioned by the BBC, Mahmoud attempted to justify the marriage by citing Islamic traditions and the Shafi’i school of thought, which he claimed allowed child marriage. However, many Somali Islamic scholars have strongly opposed this view. Mahmoud remained defiant, insisting he would not abandon the marriage.
Puntland authorities have launched an investigation into the case, with human rights groups calling for accountability.
Child Marriage in Somalia
Somalia has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. A 2020 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Somali government found that 35% of women aged 20-24 were married before turning 18, down from 45% in 2017.
The practice is fueled by poverty, insecurity, and deep-rooted traditions. Attempts to introduce stronger legal protections have faced resistance. In 2023, Somalia’s Ministry of Women and Human Rights proposed a Child Rights Bill that included provisions to ban child marriage. However, the bill was rejected by Parliament and is yet to be reintroduced.
With no clear timeline for legal reform, activists warn that cases like this will continue unless decisive action is taken to protect vulnerable children.
