Final Report

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FINAL REPORT

Psychosocial support for Gender Based and Sexual Violence’s survivors, Galkayo District, Mudug Region, Somalia

21st July 2011 - 31st January 2012

Table of contents

Geographical and security background ...... 3 An overview of the traditional structure ...... 5 Introduction ...... 6 The Set-Up ...... 7 1. Evaluation and follow-up tools ...... 7 2. Identification criteria...... 7 3. Criteria for survivor’s psychological rehabilitation ...... 8 4. Medical referral pathway ...... 8 5. Criteria for the selection for socio-educational activities ...... 9 6. IDPs Focal Point selection ...... 9 7. TASS partnership and social workers selection ...... 10 Confidential Identifications...... 10 Psychosocial Support ...... 12 Medical Referral ...... 17 Socio-Educational Reintegration ...... 17 1. Henna training ...... 18 2. Literacy programme...... 19 Opinion Leaders Workshops ...... 20 Awareness Activities ...... 21 Social Workers Trainings ...... 23

Geographical and security background

Located on the border between Puntland and South-Central Somalia, Galkayo District, specifically Galkayo town, is a key trading centre linking Bossaso (Puntland) to the north, Mogadishu (South-Central) to the south, and Ethiopia to the west. Its geostrategic role has led to a dynamic and bustling city that accommodates travelers from afar, but has also led to mutual suspicion based on the potential and actual threats to peace of the district1.

Map of Galkayo District, with the approximate location of the Green Line separating Puntland and Galmudug

The Galkayo District is located in Mudug Region, which is divided between Puntland and Galmudug. The part of Galkayo District that falls under the Puntland administration is referred to as North Galkayo, while the portion falling under the Galmudug administration is referred to as South Galkayo. The same terminologies apply to the district capital, Galkayo town, which is similarly divided

The Puntland government was formally established in 1998, and North Galkayo immediately came under its authority. In 2006, the Galmudug administration was formally declared in the south of Mudug and the north of Galgadud. Importantly, the two administrations have managed since then to protect common interests and avert a new major outbreak of violence. Most prominently, between 2006 and 2007, they unified their militia forces to defeat the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and prevent it from taking over power in Galkayo. In August 2009, Puntland reformed the Galkayo administration, and collaboration proceeded particularly on issues related to security, including police operations and humanitarian access. Since the beginning of 2009, a number of small conflicts between north and south, and between governments and communities have been mitigated through mediation efforts, generally involving a combination of government representatives of one or both sides, and traditional

1 OCVP - Safety and Security District Baseline Report - 2011.

elders or other community leaders. But tensions between clans continue to simmer, as demonstrated by a constant string of revenge killings.

The security situation in Galkayo, during the project period, remained unpredictable as it was constantly changing, going from quiet days to several assassinations within the same week. Planned assassinations, however, have increased since July 2011. Most of them have taken place during and after evening prayers outside the mosque. Residents have been alerted to stay indoors during this time, but since this is the most popular period to move before dark, many remain at risk.

Control over the airport is a main source of contention between the rival clans due to division of revenue sharing. Exchange of anti-aircraft missiles between Puntland and Galmudug authorities were reported on November 22, 2011. In total from July to December 2011, the conflict and disputes amongst the various actors (including among them pirates), resulted in 35 people killed, 20 injured, 1 car hijacked, and three people kidnapped (two were released in January 2012).

The violence escalated particularly on 1st of September 2011 when Puntland forces launched an attack against some groups suspected to be behind the planned assassinations in the city. The heavy fighting continued until 5th of September and caused hospitals to close, restricted movements for communities in North and South Galkayo, and forced many NGOs to temporary halt operations. A ceasefire was observed on the 9th of September with both parties pledging to enable businesses to reopen, cease propaganda and evacuation of civilians. While open confrontation has been avoided for a while, the intentions on the two sides remained active with Leylkase militias insisting for a complete pull-out of Puntland security forces from Garsoor village and Puntland authorities threatening of a full-fledge military attack against that area. Clan militias from Garsoor village were reported mobilizing financial and military resources from the surrounding areas. The elders from Leylkase clan had been working to dismantle militias and on the 11th of October the Leylkase elders peacefully took control of the Bulo Kontrol checkpoint from Leylkase clan militias. This has been a positive step in the reconciliation process between the Leylkase clan and Puntland. Although the reconciliation between the parties seemed to be going in the right direction, some of the main underlying reasons for the initial resentment of the Leylkase against Puntland (access to political power) are yet to be addressed.

A female journalist from Radio Galkayo was seriously injured and a Puntland MP, who was reportedly involved in the September negotiations, was assassinated. Immediately following the Puntland MP’s assassination, the governor of Mudug Region survived an RCIED attack in the city centre.

While the attacks have mostly targeted local leaders and media personnel, the increased insecurity have put humanitarian workers at greater risk. On October 25th, two international staffs from an INGO were kidnapped by a group of gunmen believed to be pirates/local gangs near the Galkayo airport (both have been released in January 2012). In Garsoor village, on October 30th, the acting director of a LNGO was killed by unknown gunmen. On November 18th, a national staff member working with an INGO in Galkayo North was killed by unknown gunmen when leaving a local mosque after evening prayers. In addition to assassination attempts, residents and visitors are at risk of being caught in cross-fire, hand grenades and carjacking attacks. Pirates, who now have an inland base in Galkayo, reportedly exchange in random gun fire while under the influence of alcohol causing civilian causalities.

Together, these risks have compounded the public ability to mobilize and prevent such incidents. Efforts to address the unstable security environments through public meetings have been jeopardized by threats of hand grenades targeting public gatherings being circulated in leaflets.

An overview of the traditional structure

In Puntland the legal system is a three-tier system consisting of the Secular, Sharia and Customary (Xeer) law, where the Xeer is the most widely used and preferred in most cases2. The function of the formal secular courts is hence primarily to register verdicts made by the traditional elders. However, where the traditional conflict resolution procedure can not solve the conflict, the case will be taken to the formal court. The traditional and formal systems work together in some aspects.

The Somali customary laws (Xeer) are administrated by the traditional leaders (Nabadoons in Puntland). The Xeer is informal in structure and not based on a written constitution; nevertheless it determines people’s lives and the social, economic and political interaction between them. The Xeer is often locally framed and bilateral, i.e. contractual between two clans and hence the Xeer can vary between the different mag-paying groups or clans.

The basic and functional family unit is the mag-paying group also known as diya-paying group. The mag-paying group is a small corporate group of a few lineages, who descent to a common ancestor some 4 to 8 generations back, and is sufficiently large in numbers (few hundred to a few thousand men) to be able to pay the mag3. This group is the most important level of social organization for each individual.

In principle the rights of the mag-paying groups are protected by force or threat of force by the clan. The collective and individual security rests upon the clan’s mag-paying group’s ability to fight (in a symbolic understanding) and the solidarity between the mag-paying groups of the wider clan and their fighting capability. The mag-groups should not only be able to retaliate by force but also be able to negotiate or pay compensation - the mag. The mag is the compensation to another clan in case of a crime committed by one of the mag-paying group’s members against the other clan and is often measured in camels4.

All men are defined by their belonging to a mag-paying group and the social and political relations are defined by contracts - the Xeer - which are valid within and between the mag-paying groups. These mag-paying groups form the basic unit for protection and social security - meaning it is only through membership of a mag-paying group, that an individual can receive protection and has any political and legal status.

The Xeer is both guarded and implemented by respected elders but at the same time widely open to interpretations, although there are some core principles of Xeer, which are generally applied with only minor variations from lineage to lineage, such as the welfare of the guests, protection of the weak and vulnerable, family obligations and sharing of the natural resources such as grazing pasture and water. These are the most fundamental, unchallengeable aspects of Xeer.

The Xeer is dynamic and is constantly revised to meet new conditions and challenges posed by the changing society. The traditional leaders did not see any obstacle in changing old negative Xeer nor had any objections against establishing new Xeer stipulating rights and obligations between parties in a development partnership.

For IDPs and refugees not originally from their area of displacement or from weaker clans in terms of threat of force, they have no legal status with clans in Puntland and are therefore not party to any Xeer. As a result the Somali minority groups are heavily discriminated against. In the Somali tradition weak and scattered clans can seek protection from stronger clans in the areas where they settle and enter a protection agreement with them. There are varying degrees of adoption and of incorporation within stronger lineages/clan structures, ranging in degree of dependent status. Adoption of weak clans does happen and it is possible to make stronger clans

2 Birgitte Degnegaard - Community Based Protection in Somalia - 2007. 3 “Mag” is the compensation paid by the mag-paying group if a member of this group has caused death, injury, rape or similar to another mag paying group. 4 According to Sharia diya is measured to be 100 camels for homicide.

responsible and compromise with their traditional position - even make them pay mag for the adopted clan members. The reason for this tradition not being practiced in the case with IDPs in Puntland, according to Degnegaard, is because the host clans may have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of IDPs, and that the clan structures have not been sufficiently functional in the urban areas where the IDPs settled. Another reason is the interventions and approaches of international humanitarian aid. The latter discouraged the traditional norms and obligations, by not being sensitive to the local traditions. The reactions by host clans are largely to leave their obligations to the international aid community and instead compete for the aid resources.

Introduction

Psychosocial support to gender-based violence survivors and other vulnerable individuals is characterized by various approaches according to the context evolution. In Galkayo, where much of the community is living in an emergency context and trying to gradually recover from the situation, GRT focuses on a community-based approach to gender-based violence, primarily composed by prevention and response activities5.

The identification of survivors is carried out on the basis of an active research, through outreach activities carried out by community Focal Points. In conflict or emergency contexts, GRT prioritizes sexual violence, where the aggressor is perceived as an external attacker, in order to address violence committed within the community. Once this step is completed, community sensitization on GBV related topics can be carried out. GRT also intervenes on problems related to family reintegration of young adolescent mothers and children resulting from rape.

The beneficiaries receive psychosocial support and are referred to other service providers.

Psychosocial support can be considered as an entry point for the affected population/individual, a platform for all the other required actions. In this type of intervention the variety of responses needed by the population/individual are identified on the basis of the outcomes of initial psychosocial assessment. The survivor will be then accompanied through the referral pathway (see chart on “Response activities”, Annex 2) by the psychosocial assistant. Survivors’ reintegration in socio-educational activities within local associations is proposed in order to primarily facilitate their social reintegration.

Community actors, civil authorities, police and military as well as teachers are invited to workshops for an open discussion on the rights of women and children. The workshop focuses on the forms of violence perpetuated during times of peace and conflict, on the risks and position of the survivors exposed to gender-based and sexual violence, and on the unavoidable weaknesses the community will face as a whole if no measure is taken to protect its members.

The 3 results of the project are interrelated in 3 core components, which operate in a continuous cycle beginning with sensitizing the community (Violation Prevention), training the staff and providing services: 1. Violation prevention - the community, as a whole, develops (or regains possession of) protection, risk reduction and supportive mechanisms for the survivors (Result 2). 2. Training - development of a community-based psychosocial support system by training local social workers to increase their accountability (Result 3). 3. Psychosocial support - survivors benefit from an integrated psychosocial support and socio-educational rehabilitation (Result 1).

5 See Annex 1 and 2 “GRT - GBV Prevention and Response Activities”.

The Set-Up

1. EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP TOOLS

Individual files A file is created for each beneficiary to compile all the information and constitutes the reference for the database. The file is composed of : 1. GBV reporting tool 2. Psychosocial rehabilitation plan 3. Follow up form

A database and monthly statistics GRT has designed an elaborate database to collect information about identified survivors and assistance delivered to them6. The database is constructed on the basis of the GBV/SEA Working Group’s recommendations and it collects enough data in order to better understand the evolution of the violence pattern as well as the impact of the project activities to provide corrective measures.

GRT’s database is dynamic and is filled with the data coming from the individual files that the psychosocial assistants use on a daily basis. Whenever a new action is undertaken with a survivor already registered, the database will be updated. Monthly statistics are established in order to analyse sexual violence’s evolution and action’s impact. This allows actions to be adjusted to the reality.

The database is divided in 5 chapters: 1. Survivor's data 2. Incident data 3. Consequences of the incident 4. Survivor's resources 5. Actions undertaken

Quarterly meetings with medical partners GRT and MSF-H, Galkayo Medical Center e Mudug Regional Hospital share and cross-check information on the assistance accorded to survivors through mutual referral activities.

Monthly meetings with the psychosocial partner Even if follow-up and evaluation of the activities are done on a daily basis, monthly meetings with the psychosocial partner TASS allow a more objective analysis of the project (impact evolution and achievements).

2. IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA

Some of the identification criteria used are based upon the coming GBVIMS. GRT is currently using the following criteria:

6 The GBVIMS (Gender-based violence information management system) to monitor the number of GBV incidents. To be rolled out in Somalia in 2012.

1. Men, women and children7 who have been raped or victims of an attempted rape. In particular children who are victim of unwanted kissing, fondling, or touching of genitalia and buttocks (i.e., where penetration has not occurred). This decision is based on the assumption that a child doesn’t have all the means to cope with the consequences of such actions and needs a specific support. 2. Men, women and children who have been forced to have sexual intercourses. 3. Men, women and children who have been victims of torture on their sexual organs. 4. Men, women and children who have been victims of physical violence (for example hitting, slapping, choking, cutting, shoving, burning, shooting or use of any weapons, acid attacks or any other act that results in pain, discomfort or injury) or victims of psychological and sexual abuses (infliction of mental or emotional pain or injury, for example threats of physical or sexual violence, intimidation, humiliation, forced isolation, harassment, unwanted attention, remarks, gestures or written words of a sexual and/or menacing nature, destruction of cherished things, etc.).The incident can take place within the context of an intimate partner relationship. 5. Partners of a forced marriage (without consent8). 6. Partners of an early marriage. Early marriage is defined by the age of the survivor (less than 16 in the Somali context, see footnote n°2) at the time of the incident of early marriage. 7. Victims of harmful traditional practices. Such as acts derived from social, cultural and religious values, that relate to age, gender and social class, which are harmful to the health, well-being and development of the person it is committed against. Most often they are practices affecting women and girls, such as female genital cutting/mutilation (all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons), son preference, and dowry demands.

3. CRITERIA FOR SURVIVOR’S PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION

Specific criteria are established to determine the degree of recovery. At each follow-up session, the psychosocial assistant is able to determine whether the client is recovering or not. The criteria include:  Persistent reactions to the problem (emotional, physical or social). The focus is on how client’s situation has improved or worsened compared to the previous follow-up session;  The objectives met (or not) according to the client’s individual rehabilitation plan;  Social resources and stress management mechanisms the client is using to cope (focus on who is supporting the healing process).

4. MEDICAL REFERRAL PATHWAY

MSF-H, Galkayo Medical Center e Mudug Regional Hospital are the medical partners in Galkayo. Into details, following medical services were offered by the health actors:

72 hours => PEP Kit (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) = EMERGENCY  Treatment for HIV prevention

7 For the purpose of this project and according with the Somali context, we agreed that all persons under 16 years of age are considered to be children. 8 Consent is when a person makes an informed choice to agree freely and voluntarily to do something. There is no consent when agreement is obtained through: a) the use of threats, force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, manipulation, deception, or misrepresentation, b) the use of a threat to withhold a benefit to which the person is already entitled, or c) a promise is made to the person to provide a benefit. Many laws set an age of consent. These legal parameters do not apply to the incident types proposed for this project.

 Sexually Transmitted Infections prevention (such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, etc.)  Prevention of a possible pregnancy through emergency contraception  Prevention of the risk of Tetanus and Hepatitis B infections

3-5 days => emergency treatment  Sexually Transmitted Infections prevention (such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, etc.)  Prevention of a possible pregnancy through emergency contraception  Prevention of the risk of Tetanus and Hepatitis B infections

5-10 days => emergency treatment  Sexually Transmitted Infections prevention (such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, etc.)  Prevention of the risk of Tetanus and Hepatitis B infections

Consultation after 10 days  Sexually Transmitted Infections prevention (such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, etc.)

5. CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION FOR SOCIO-EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Identified survivors are integrated in socio-educational activities according to the following criteria: 1. Survivor who is rejected by his/her partner and/or his/her family because of the incident (basic needs not satisfied); 2. Survivor who stops employment because of the incident; 3. Parents of a less than 15 years old survivor who abruptly dropped out of school because of the incident and wishes to resume their schooling; 4. Single Women head of household (e.g. divorced, widow, etc.); 5. Overcrowded Household (more than 8 children); 6. Survivor who is pregnant because of the incident (pregnancy identified at the moment of identification); 7. Member of the family of a dead survivor (because of the incident); 8. Girl form 15 to 18 years old living alone (or orphan) and experiencing sexual and/or domestic exploitation; 9. Survivor who is experiencing psychological problems linked to a depression because of the incident and who is not improving after the 5th session of counselling; 10. Survivor (or a member of the survivor’s family) who is physically impair/challenged or who has a chronic illness).

6. IDPS FOCAL POINT SELECTION

21 Focal Points (67% women) are selected in order to guarantee awareness and mobilization activities, as well as identification process, in the 21 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) settlements (North and South Galkayo).

The selection criteria are:  Focal point should be an official member of the IDP committee  Focal point should live in the settlement and not outside the settlement  Focal point should be able to read and write  Focal point should be more than 20 years old  Focal point should be a responsible, respected and trusted person in the community  Focal point should not be a drug user (e.g. qat etc.)

7. TASS PARTNERSHIP AND SOCIAL WORKERS SELECTION

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between GRT and TASS (Tadamun Social Society) was established to ensure a correct and timely implementation of the Project according to the Italian Cooperation rules and procedures as well as ensuring an efficient and effective use of the resources towards the achievement of the Project results.

GRT is the head of the project and is responsible for overseeing the project while TASS is the psychosocial operational partner. TASS accepted and signed “GRT Guiding Principles - Staff Standards of Conduct”, in particular confidentiality procedures.

Confidential Identifications

Among 159 survivors identified during the project period, 23 are minors (less than 18 years old9) at the moment of the identification. One man has been identified, as seen in the chart below.

Survivors' repartition according to their age (21/07/2011 - 31/01/2012) The age used for the statistics is 134 the one at the time of incident.

The youngest 21 survivor is 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 years old and the

F M F M F M F M oldest is 70 years old. 0 - 4 years old 5 - 17 years old 18 - 59 years old 60 years old and above

9 For the purpose of the database all persons under 18 years of age are considered minors, according to the international human rights conventions.

Disaggregation of the survivors’ incidents by calendar year Year Total 2011 140 April 1 May 1 August 11 September 25 October 48 November 36 December 18 2012 19 January 19 TOTAL 159

Below the table with survivors’ repartition according to the settlements where they live.

Survivors’ repartition according to the settlements (21/07/2011 - 31/01/2012)

Qoraxay Six settlements out of 21 in Galkayo 21 B. Kontrol (Qoraxay, Bulo Kontrol, Howl Wadaag, Allamin Howl Wadaag 17 1, Bulo Ajuraan and Bulo Juwan/Celgab) 74 Allamin 1 represents more than 15 53% of all the B. Ajuraan identifications during the period. 14 B. Juwan/Celgab

8 10 15 Other Settlements

Psychosocial Support

All the survivors identified have been accompanied through the psychosocial needs assessment followed by an individual rehabilitation plan and follow-up, as described in the table below.

Disaggregation of the survivors identified by services offered by GRT/TASS Counselling 20 Counselling and medical/mental health referral 131 Counselling and family/community mediation 2 Counselling and medical/mental health referral and family/community mediation 6 Total 159

In regard to the psychosocial support process’ evolution:  6 survivors dropped out (change of settlement without leaving a new address),  36 are still involved in the psychosocial support process (4th of 5th follow-up session),  1 died on 21st of December 2011 trying to avoid being raped by a gang  116 recovered, according to the criteria established.

Information Details on the Survivors and Incidents:

1) Survivor’s data

 Marital Status 16 were divorced, 110 married, 20 single and 13 widow at the time of identification;

 Head of Household Status 115 were head of house hold (among them 3 minors), 28 were supported by their husband (among them 3 minors) and 16 by their parents (survivors all minors)

 Family Status 129 survivors have children (range from 1 to 9)

 Clan Status 88 survivors are Jareer, 28 Madhiban, 5 Tumal, 9 Ayle, 27 from majority clans. Two survivors were refugees from Ethiopia, referred by GRT Refugees and Asylum Seekers component.

 Employment Status 57 had a job before the incident and among them 18 have lost it due to the incident;

2) Incident data

 Location of Incident Time of the Incident 107 incidents happened in the house/shelter 21/07/2011 - 31/01/2012 (mainly during the night), 26 during firewood or garbage collection (mainly at dawn), 17 in the 100 workplace, 5 in the toilets (all at night), and 4 on the road; 81 80 56  Type of Incident 60 56 were survivors of rape, 61 of domestic 40 violence, 28 of an attempted rape, 8 of a 22 20 physical assault and 6 of harmful traditional practices; 0 morning 48 out of 56 cases afternoon (from dawn night (from of rape were to noon) dark to dawn) N° of referred within 72 survivors hours for PEP kit. identified

 Secondary Incident In relation to the secondary incident associated to Secondary Incident the primary incident type, only 13 survivors didn’t 21/07/2011 - 31/01/2012 experience it. It’s important to stress that among the 15 injured, 3 survivors were kidnapped and severely tortured and 1 died on 21.12.2011.

13  Ongoing Threat by Perpetrators 15 For 36 survivors, the perpetrator was still a 9 continuing threat, making daily threatening contacts Beaten with the survivor. Out of the 36 cases, 10 were Robbery survivors of rape or attempted rape. Injured 122  Number and Type of Perpetrators None Among the 84 survivors of rape or attempted rape, 27 cases were committed by 1 perpetrator, 50 cases by 2 or 3 perpetrators and even 7 cases committed by a gang composed by 4 to five perpetrators (one by a male/female gang). 79 cases out of 84 were committed by perpetrators from the host community, including pirates. Among the 8 survivors of physical assault, 50% were committed by a gang from host community, the others by individuals from the IDPs settlements. All the 61 cases of domestic violence were committed by 1 perpetrator (90% of the cases by the partner, the others by a member of the family, mainly by the brother).

 Clan Status vs Clan Status vs Incident Type Incident Type 21/07/2011 - 31/01/2012 Among the 84 survivors of rape or attempted rape and the 8 of physical 53 60 assault, 63% of the incidents are 50 committed against women and girls 40 from Jareer/Bantu minority group, 30 followed by the Madhiban one (15%) 13 14 and by other minority clans such as 20 10 N° of survivors 2 Tumaal, Ayle (12%). These clans are 10 identified 0 socially excluded minority groups, and are much more susceptible to protection risks, largely because they lack recourse through “clan insurance” and can, in some cases, be abused with impunity. They often have little or no access to systems of justice, including the Xeer as a mean of protection.

3) Consequences of the incident

 Primary Consequences identified by survivors 108 survivors expressed psychological as the primary consequence of the incident, 51 said physical.

 Pregnancies Among the 56 cases of rape, 48 were identified within 72 hours and referred for PEP kit. Even though they were timely identified, 4 survivors strongly refused to be referred. 53 resulted negative at the pregnancy test and 3 were pregnant because of the incident.

 Social and Familial Consequences 12 survivors suffered from social or familial exclusion because of the incident. In 3 cases it has been impossible to mediate because the partners have been really violent and threatened the staff. One survivor refused the mediation process and 8 survivors reintegrated the family after.

4) Survivor’ resources

 Social Resources The majority (133 survivors) declare not to have social resources (social network) to help them to face the incident, 14 are supported by the parents (mainly minors), 8 look at the family as the main resource, and 4 at their mother.

 Stress management mechanisms 131 survivors pray to cope with the incident, 9 attend to social or cultural events, and 6 share the event with a friend. It’s interesting to note that 13 survivors identified the action “to be patient” as a stress management mechanism.

Since GRT/TASS intervention, 152 survivors benefitted from medical treatment or psychosocial support whereas only 7 survivors had access to such support prior to this project.

Dignity kits The dignity kit was composed as shown in the table below.

Item Quantity Unit Price Total Price (June 2011) Rice 18,75 KG USD 0,76 $14,25 Sugar 18,75 KG USD 0,91 $17,06 Flour 18,75 KG USD 0,75 $14,06 Oil 15 LTR USD 1,90 $28,50 Tea leaves 3,5 KG USD 1,70 $5,95 Basto 15 KG USD 0,50 $7,50 Powder Milk 1 KG USD 6,68 $6,68 Soap 9 PCS USD 0,80 $7,20 Omo New 30 PCS USD 0,16 $4,80 Total USD 106,01

A total of 118 survivors received the dignity kit, 6 survivors didn’t receive it because they dropped out from the process.

The main issues GRT observed from the psychosocial support are:

The fear/pain of social All identified survivors experienced multiple losses including loss of isolation is felt intensely homeland and loss of loved ones. Other additional stressful events or by survivors because adjustments problems contributed to weaken their already fragile Somali culture is psychosocial well-being, even before going trough a gender-based traditionally communal violence. Past trauma and current adjustment challenges went and family oriented. untreated for too long and the violence only compounded an already Whether the ostracism difficult and fragile psychological condition. Available data of trauma is created by the reported by survivors suggest many suffered repeated violence. community or self- Survivors witnessed the murder or torture of family members and imposed due to friends. They have experienced violence directly, witnessed it with their anticipated negative own eyes and have close relatives or friends who have. How they cope responses, the social with traumatic events varies. Yet, despite individual strengths that isolation is very enable them to manage these stresses, the severity and extent of disorienting and can trauma is likely to have had a considerable psychological impact. At the make the process of end the process what they are going through is more than just re- healing difficult. adjusting to a new place or changing roles. It is an act of recreating

oneself, with inherent transformations that are complex.

Among the most frequent somatic symptoms described The Western model of psychology and by survivors are physical complaints including body psychotherapy is based on individual therapy pain, headaches, sleep problems, fatigue, decreased apart from society and physical health. Focusing appetite and weight loss or gain, low energy. In addition on the individual rather than the family or clan to somatic symptoms, other problems are also reported. unit is an unfamiliar concept to Somalis as is Flashbacks, nightmares and an increased startled talking about problems outside the family or clan. response are commonly reported as well as cognitive Mind, body and spirit are perceived as separate problems such as poor concentration, poor memory and in Western society (so, usually, physical rumination (“thinking too much”). Although not reported symptoms are reported as separated from in association with trauma experiences, many Somalis emotional symptoms). In Somali culture, these willingly report emotional experiences that are causing are traditionally seen as a whole and undivided. distress. These include sadness, worries and anxiety, Consequently, Somalis are more likely to report and feelings of guilt and worthlessness. physical pain when they are experiencing depression or sadness. Psychological problems According to Degnegaard, women have become the are often expressed somatically as headaches, main breadwinners in many households and the chest pain, forgetfulness, sleep problems, backbone of the economy and society as a whole. They nightmares and sweating. Depression, for are increasingly gaining a stronger position in the example, has no direct translation in Somali. When discussing psychosocial problems, social society which often makes them important contributors workers often have to describe the illness to paying the mag. Being a traditional male dominated through its recognized symptoms rather than by area there is no doubt that this eventually will become a referring to by category or labels, such as major challenge to the fundamental social structure of “depression”. the clan-system.

The cause of the domestic violence experienced, according to some survivors identified, is the breakdown of the family structure. Their husbands have lost their provider role, the women are more engaged to maintain the family and this shift in roles has increased the men’s sense of loss and weakness. Domestic abuse in the Somali culture between husband and wife is generally tolerated unless the harm becomes so physically damaging or persistent that it is socially disruptive10. The disrupted attachments undermine supportive relationships within families, affecting the formation of supportive relationships, as well.

Women are not allowed to be present in the traditional system and cannot become elders. The reason for this prohibition comes from the fact that the woman changes mag paying group when she gets married, thus her loyalty to their husband’s lineage is often not fully trusted. This is despite the fact that married women belong to their husband’s lineage and not their fathers. According to some survivors identified, there is a fundamental disparity between the responsibility in the society they actually have, because of the changing gender roles, and the influence they can play.

Studies have shown that a significant factor influencing psychological responses to trauma and recovery from its negative effects is the quality of the environment following the traumatic experiences. While a supportive, stable environment can alleviate mental health issues, further stresses can exacerbate mental health problems. Housing problems, financial hardship or isolation from family and community support are likely to increase the severity of mental health issues11.

10 Gundel, Joakim; Ahmed A. Omar "Dharbaxo" (November 2006), The predicament of the “Oday”: The role of traditional structures in security, rights, law and development in Somalia, Danish Refugee Council and Oxfam Novib - 2006 11 UNHCR - Planning for Optimal Mental Health: Responding to Refugee-related Trauma - 2002.

Medical Referral

137 survivors (55 of rape, 20 of attempted rape, 53 of domestic violence, 8 of physical assault and 1 of FGM) have been referred medical partners (MSF-H, GMC, MRH).

Number of Survivors Referred to Medical Partners 0 - 4 years old 5 - 17 years old 18 - 59 years old 60 years old and above F M F M F M F M 2 0 14 0 119 1 1 0

Sub - Total 2 14 120 1 Total 137

22 survivors have not been referred:  1 survivor of rape (case less than 72 hours) strongly refused even after individual sensitization;  7 survivors of domestic violence refused, in an another case the husband refused to refer his wife who had broken ribs because, as he stated, “she will get better at home”;  The parents of 5 minors survivors of FGM refused because they feared the reaction of the large family;  8 survivors of attempted rape refused because of fear of stigma.

Among all medical referrals for this period we registered the following:  48 survivors have been identified within 72 hours, 4 were minors;  3 cases of pregnancies and 1 survivor deceased because of the incident.

Socio-Educational Reintegration

Two training courses have been implemented in order to better respond to the survivors needs: henna training and literacy programme. These training opportunities aimed to provide beneficiaries with practical skills that can, in the long term, improve their psychosocial wellbeing by facilitating their self-reliance and independence.

We relied on the database to select the eligible beneficiaries to join henna training and literacy programme.

Below is the criteria used to select 68 survivors and the breakdown according to criteria: - Criteria “More than 8 children over crowded household”: 5 survivors - Criteria “Parents of less than 15 years”: 12 survivors - Criteria “Pregnant because of the incident”: 3 survivor - Criteria “Rejection because of the incident”: 8 survivor - Criteria “Not improving after 5th session of counselling”: 10 survivors - Criteria “Single woman head oh household”: 30 survivors

1. HENNA TRAINING

Number of Survivors Reintegrated in Henna Training 0 - 4 years old 5 - 17 years old 18 - 59 years old 60 years old and (parents) (parents) above F M F M F M F M 1 0 4 0 24 0 0 0

Sub - Total 1 4 24 0 Total 29

a) Market research GRT conducted a market survey aimed at: i) identifying profitable and fast-moving goods in the local market, ii) assessing the shortfalls in supply, iii) establishing the market situation of the income-generating activities identified by Focus Group Participants as profitable and viable, and iv) identifying any additional vocational skills that may respond to market needs.

GRT Socio-education supervisor and the two TASS Socio-Educational agents visited the central market of Galkayo. The team engaged in the observation of demand and supply patterns in the market and approached business owners (such as shops, stalls, hotel owners) in town, following the Market Research Tools developed (Market Assessment Tool and Business Labor Demand Tool).

The team interviewed 11 female and 10 male managers of both small and large scale shops, including food and vegetables shops, mechanical spare parts retailers, electronics shop, clothes stores, women selling “tied and dyed” clothes, cosmetic shops and milk sellers. The team asked specific questions which sought to establish the profitability and demand of the businesses and to address the marketability of business products (availability of raw materials, tools of trade and/or spare parts from within the local market and related costs, targeted consumers of their goods/products and supply and demand of the items sold/services provided).

The findings can be summarized as follows: a) Concerning the survey of general items, respondents noted that vegetable selling was a viable and remunerative activity. b) Concerning the survey of products of vocational opportunities raised in the FGD, the most marketable activities were henna (decoration for women), Uud/Unsi (local production of traditional air fresheners), tailoring, mechanics/vehicle repairing and maintenance and electronic devices repairing mechanics/vehicle repairing and maintenance and electronic devices repairing

b) Involvement of selected beneficiaries in Focus Group Discussion to point out their preferences On September 28th, the team organized a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the selected beneficiaries. Participants were introduced to the topic of the Focus Group Discussion and were divided into two groups and given questionnaires. Questionnaires required the respondents to indicate which among a list of vocational training opportunities provided they would give fair ranking in terms of profitability and market viability. Respondents were also asked to explain the motivation of their choice and provide any additional ideas. The majority of respondents (all women) prioritized henna training. The beneficiaries highlighted that this activity can be implemented at home but also elsewhere, the services are used by the community on a daily basis, there is a fast money return and, as explained by some participants, skills learned can be used in different contexts (“…it helps everywhere you go…”, “…it’s a life skill…”).

c) Identification of Training Providers GRT considered, from the beginning, both formal training centers as well as community-run training courses. After consulting with IDPs focal points and community committee members it emerged that community-run training courses are not operative in Galkayo. For this reason, GRT conducted a survey of local training centers and businesses to identify those that teach henna. Finally Muhure Vocational Training Center was identified as the best due to the trainers having a lot of experience and the training center was easily accessible to all the beneficiaries To assist the service provider, GRT designed a template that indicates the training content of each specific month.

The training lasted 3 months, from October to December, and involved 29 beneficiaries (at the beginning they were 30 but one dropped out during the first month). GBV Focal Points from each settlement helped GRT team to monitor daily attendance.

On 31st of December 2011 a henna starting up kit distribution was organized during the closing ceremony. All the trainees were present and received the kit.

At the end of the current project (January 2012), 18 out of the 29 trainees were able to start a small business in henna in the settlements they live in.

2. LITERACY PROGRAMME

Rather than seeing literacy as a set of technical skills to be handed over in classrooms, GRT decided to link these literacy classes to the daily activities the beneficiaries were already handling. The training lasted 3 months, from November to January, and involved 39 beneficiaries.

Number of Survivors Reintegrated in Literacy Programme 0 - 4 years old 5 - 17 years old 18 - 59 years old 60 years old and above F M F M F M F M 0 0 7 0 32 0 0 0

Sub - Total 0 7 32 0 Total 39 On 21st of January 2012 a distribution of “literacy kits” was organized to mark the closing ceremony. All the trainees were present and received the kit.

The fathers of 2 minors have A pilot project has been implemented, in a confidential been reintegrated in a business way, with 5 identified minors who are in a prostitution activity with an agreement to network, mainly with pirates. They started a small send their daughters to school business activity to reduce their dependency to the one has actually maintained network. Currently they are still being followed by a the promise. psychosocial assistant because they are still in a high risk

situation.

Opinion Leaders Workshops

Five Opinion Leaders trainings, with 150 participations, were held for key duty-bearers (3 in the North, in collaboration with MOWDAFA, and 2 in the South, in collaboration with Shacab Primary School). The topics covered were the definitions and the main concepts about gender based violence and its consequences, the forms and beliefs and prejudices about GBV, in order to promote effective community based prevention mechanisms.

A pre-test quiz was taken before the start of the workshops to check the participant’s level of knowledge. In general 80% of the participants had no previous knowledge on GBV. A final evaluation was taken to see whether the participants acquired the intended skills and knowledge from the workshop. An average of 80% was scored in the level of understanding and knowledge.

Protection issues are very hard to address when mobilizing whole communities at the same time. The different voices of women, children, minorities and other marginalized groups are very easily lost. This is the reason why the workshops targeted specific groups (traditional and religious leaders, teachers of primary and secondary schools, civil society and so on), in order to facilitate a sincere discussion. In particular, being main protectors of their clan members, the traditional leaders enjoy a high degree of trust from their clan. As such they are a crucial entry point in any intervention conducted in the community. They can also play a key role in supporting protection interventions, such as mediation processes and they are, as well, the key persons to advocate with for changes in the protection mechanisms implementing in their community.

One of the workshops’ strength the opinion leaders identified was the goal: to develop together methods that will strengthen and empower the people’s capacity to identify, analyze and solve their own problems.

The most interesting point the opinion leaders shared during the workshops was their feeling that the aid coming from outside had weakened their sense of responsibility and their ability to respond to their own people’s needs. Even though humanitarian organizations think about issues of ownership and sustainability, consulting the communities and establishing management committees, opinion leaders shared that all the projects are still short- term (six months to one year) because of the status of emergency and did not allow proper time for consultations and institutional capacity building.

During the workshops an important recommendation was highlighted. While promoting a community-based approach, a partnership to work with the traditional structures needs to be developed. The traditional and religious leaders were in general positive towards the idea of reviewing Xeer with international organisations. They suggested us to work with the two levels (community and leaders) simultaneously and develop ways of strengthen the linkages between them. Mobilizing only the duty bearers does not necessarily make them feel more responsible and mobilizing only the right holders (the community) does not necessarily mean any structural change. Once again, during the project period, this was not possible due to time constraints (short-term funds).

About the difficult coexistence among the communities, the leaders reminded that the obligation of host communities to protect their guests (IDPs) is already stipulated as one of the core principles in the Xeer. This obligation needs to be revived and applied to the relationship between previously unrelated clans (host and IDP clans have not necessarily established Xeers between them due to geographic distance). Such Xeers can be developed through supporting a dialogue between host and IDP clans.

At the end of each workshop, the participants decided together some steps they will be implemented to improve the conditions of women and girls, such as increasing awareness on women and children’s rights and access to recourse, raising awareness on the consequences of the use of alcohol and drugs, establishing neighbourhood watches in IDP settlements and advocating to transfer police officials to IDP settlements.

On 31st of January 2012 a final meeting with 106 participants was organized in GRT office to share project impacts and raise more recommendations.

Awareness Activities

There are various ways to inform a population; it doesn’t end with leaflets, radio programs, or posters. During this period we have been engaging individuals during household visits and groups during public gathering. The goal of the awareness activities was to address a topic clearly appealing for understanding the problem and then requesting for action. Sensitization didn’t require only knowledge of the causes and contributing factors but also a full understanding of rights and responsibilities of both IDPs and host community.

To develop effective sensitization strategies to GBV in camp settings GRT involved the camp residents to ensure that the different groups among the population were represented.

Here below the table of the sensitization results.

Number of community members sensitized Men Women Boys Girls 4.022 3.771 2.891 3.586 Totale 14.270

 FOCUS ON Harmful traditional practices are frequently legitimized by the values on which they are founded and persist because they are not questioned, they take on an aura of morality in the eyes of those practicing them. During the sensitization activities we asked the community to think about protective mechanism to end gender bias and gender discrimination and their severe consequences by increasing public awareness of the value of the girl child and concurrently strengthening the girl child's self-image, self-esteem and status. We underlined also that “traditional values” may not detract from the international human rights framework, having regards to the culture they originate within. Harmful traditions seem challenging to change in Galkayo context (we identified only 6 girls and the parents refused to refer them for medical care). When respectful of tradition, advocacy can unite communities, reinforcing practices which benefit all members, while at the same time confronting those which diminish the humanity of girls and women.

GRT/TASS team established an effective mechanism for reporting incidents, ensuring that the informations reached at least the more vulnerable groups.

Development and production of culturally appropriate sensitization materials

T-Shirts T-shirts with sensitization messages had been found to have a strong impact since messages were developed in Somali and the messages were easily read by every one that came across with those who wore them.

Radio Daljir We had contracted the local FM radio to disseminate messages against gender-based violence because they are widely known and reliable in the whole of Puntland region. Equally, they have much experience in developing short messages for awareness purpose with help of local journalists.

Bill board with messages The billboards were used as part of the awareness campaign. They were installed in all the IDPs settlements and in the main populated areas (2 at the entry point of the city, both South and North and 2 in the center).

Posters The posters created had pictures and messages written both in Somali and in English. The main message is “Protect women and girls” - “U tur dumarka iyo gabdhana”. They have been designed by GRT in collaboration with community leaders.

All social centers are provided with these posters and all posters and material have the three logos (Italian Cooperation, TASS and GRT).

Distribution of solar lamps and whistles On 21st August 2011, GRT sensitization team launched a solar lamp and whistles distribution activity in the 21 IDPs settlements. The intervention was believed to be a preventive measure for IDPs women and girls from GBV. Each IDPs committee received a kit composed of 10 solar lamps and 20 whistles.

The intervention has been coordinated with the IDP committees, MOWDAFA and IDPs Focal Points. They have enlightened the importance of the lamps, the purpose of the intervention and how to use and handle it. Prior to the distribution, access criteria to the lamps have been established together with all the IDPs committees.

The solar lamps are available from: Voluntary security guards. They must have access to solar lamp torches to ensure security (Warshadgaley, Bulo Kontrol, Bulo Bacley, Bulo Ajuuran, Tawakal, Halabokhad). IDPs entry point. Not all IDP settlements have voluntary security guards. Therefore solar lamps, in all the other camps, were given to the houses/shelter at the entry point of the settlement. Since most of the IDPs settlements don’t have fences, this measure helped to identify any stranger who was entering the IDPs compounds. Community Support Structures. Community support structures are religious groups, women’s groups, teachers and community leaders. The CSS were prioritized because they play an important role in the IDPs settlements in terms of security and welfare (some of the CSS are guards/watchmen in some of the settlements). GBV Focal Point.

A total of 46 kits have been distributed successfully with the community welcoming this intervention.

IDPs settlements assessment - November 2011 The goals of the assessment were: i) to collect data about the security conditions of the 21 IDPs settlements in Galkayo in order to identify potential risks of GBV among women and girls; and ii) to assess community leaders’ understanding about the GBV intervention GRT implemented in the same settlements.

The assessment methodology included safety audits (about general security for women and girls, the tool is based upon observation) and group interviews with key informants (to assess understanding about availability of and access to survivor support and services as well as general security issues)12.

12 The tools used were based on the global IRC GBV emergency toolkit and was adapted for the context in consultation with GRT GBV program staff in Galkcyo.

It emerged from main findings, that the overwhelming majority of IDP committees are made up of men. However, one positive note is that 59% of the trained GBV Community Workers are female and they are recognized by over 90% of respondents as facilitating the access of survivors to the GBV referral system. Women and girls consistently and repeatedly indicated that firewood collection is a key risk factor for sexual violence (25% of rape incidents reported in the period - all settlements). Single women and adolescents girls are at grave risk of sexual exploitation and abuse as well as survival sex, in particular because access to food and essential goods is limited (11% survivors reported to have sex in exchange for money to meet basic needs). Key informants mentioned that shelters do not have locks and leave women and girls exposed to theft, break-ins and harassment (43% of rapes reported in the period were perpetrated in the shelter), as well as showers and latrines that are not separated by sex in all the settlements. The majority of key informants declared that the most effective mean to protect women and girls from violence is to reduce their movements.

Based on the findings of this assessment, the following actions were recommended and partially implemented: Community driven income generating activities to mitigate the potential for exposure to risks (such as survival/transactional sex, forced sex in the workplace) Establishment of wood and water collection groups to contribute to a safer and more secure environment. Advocate to relevant fora for measures that can be established to significantly reduce risks within the settlements itself (construct single sex separate latrines, establishment of safe spaces, ensure that women and girls can receive assistance without fear of being robbed such as food distribution). Deliver age-appropriate emotional support to adolescent girls survivors of GBV. Address clan minority needs by ensuring their participation in all activities. Train GBV Community Workers on issues related to PSEA on prevention and reporting mechanisms that are safe and confidential.

Social Workers Trainings

Awareness and Community Mobilization Training Held from 8th to 11th of August 2011 for 21 Focal Points and 4 persons from other NGOs

Psychosocial Support Training Held from 13th to 18th of August 2011 for 11 Social Workers (1 Coordinator, 5 Psychosocial Assistants, 3 Sensitization Agents, 2 Socio-Educational Agents) from TASS and 9 from other NGOs

See Training Report sent on 21st of September 2011 to the Italian Cooperation Office.