“The police women of Somalia are in need of our support. Use the internet to make some noise.” – Jane
In 1979, the first Somali female officer, Asha Hassan Hussein, was riding a police motorcycle to patrol the streets of Mogadishu. Three decades later, women are still grappling to work in a generally male-dominated profession that breeds a masculine environment. Today Somali women are under-represented in the higher ranks of the national military and police.
In times of war and societal breakdown, crimes against women reach new levels of brutality and frequency. Choosing to become a cop is not easy for women. Female officers in the Somali National Army (SNA) are vulnerable and are high on al-Shabab’s hit list. Working outside the home and with men goes against their views of acceptable behavior.
On January 30, 2014, a group of female law enforcement officials staged a protest against an injunction released by the department of the police ordering all active duty women to go home. The protesting women told the press about the crucial roles they played in helping bring peace and stability to the country. The Somali women accused the Somali Police Department of trying to dismantle the country’s female police system. Read more
