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A female is now awaiting execution in the Horn of Africa nation after being found guilty of murdering a 14-year-old girl in her charge.

The murder of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in last autumn, and the horrific details that came to light about the circumstances surrounding her death, provoked protests near her home in Galkayo, along with reinvigorated calls for greater child protection.

The tragedy touched a deep nerve in a country where child abuse often goes unreported, particularly when it takes place inside kinship networks.

For numerous people, Saabirin's death symbolised a broader failure in child protection and the delayed enforcement of legal protections designed to prevent such tragedies.

An Uncommon Judgment

The conviction of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder marked one of the infrequent cases in Somalia where a court handed down the death sentence for child abuse.

Diiriye had denied the charges and her lawyer has filed an appeal against the ruling.

Her husband, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was cleared of murder but given one year in prison and fined $500 for negligence.

A Tragic Upbringing

Saabirin was orphaned when both her parents died within a short period when she was just one year old.

Both of her grandmothers had also died so she was cared for by her late mother's aunt, who made sure she got an schooling and attended a classical Quranic school.

But her life took a tragic turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who required a home help, could take her in.

Proof of Maltreatment

During their investigation, police disclosed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had suffered "regular physical abuse" - she was beaten and tortured.

Evidence recovered from Diiriye's phone, including recordings and audio recordings captured repeated violence. Some of these were leaked to the public before the trial.

In one especially disturbing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I take pleasure in your pain."

A autopsy of Saabirin's body revealed multiple injuries and deep stab wounds indicative of prolonged violence.

Public Outcry

As details of the police investigation emerged, public anger escalated.

Many of women and young people demonstrated in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "We Demand Justice" and urging the authorities to prosecute all those responsible.

They gathered outside the local hospital where her body was held in the morgue.

Things got so tense that during one protest demonstrators confronted police and a young man was shot dead.

Online, young women and girls launched a wave of solidarity campaigns, using social media tags citing Saabirin's name.

"No child should die like this," a emotional 18-year-old protester said in a clip shared on social media. "We also reject the attempts by traditional elders who want to settle this case through clan customs or behind closed doors."

This describes when elders from the clans of those involved in a dispute step in with the aim of preventing revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.

A Widespread Problem

Child abuse in Somalia is often hidden within households, and relatives are traditionally viewed as private spaces – where the state should not intervene.

Diiriye's trial and other related hearings were streamed live on social media to foster public trust in the justice system.

A regional police commander said the verdict represented an important moment in the pursuit of justice for the murdered teenager.

"The perpetrator is now only awaiting the implementation of the death sentence. If further evidence surfaces proving that other individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be exempted, the law will be fully enforced to them as well," he said.

A director of a child rights organisation said that "this tragedy underscores the deep gaps that still exist in safeguarding the most basic human rights of children in our society."

"Children continue to face violence inside family homes, and only the most extreme cases ever are reported to the police," he added.

Laws and Obstacles

In the summer this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, received a report that a three-year-old boy had been brutally mistreated inside the home of his father's wife. The accused perpetrator was quickly arrested.

According to a assessment, three appalling acts of violence against children occurred in the country during October and November.

The head of a local women's association in Galkayo said the community was inundated with cases of violence in the home, many of which never make it to the courts.

On 1 October this year, Somalia's parliament approved the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

The long-standing charter details legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against minors.

Its provisions include:

• Outlawing all forms of child abuse
• Strengthening legal punishment for guardians who harm or neglect children
• Guaranteeing state responsibility for vulnerable and orphaned children
• And establishing monitoring systems in schools, hospitals and communities.

But just three days later, a government department issued a clarification stating that the implementation of the charter would be guided by Islamic law, with provisions contrary to religious teaching not being applied.

It said that Somali family rights was fundamental and no external entity could supersede it.

Weak Enforcement

A women's and child's rights activist contended that implementation of similar measures in Somalia remained weak.

The police lack the resources to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get interfered with clan elders, which weakens the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.

She adds that children were often unaware that they could report abuse and many schools were not teaching them that they could disclose abuse.

"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a private agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been resolved," the activist said.

A official for the region's ministry of women's development denies that the authorities are failing in their responsibility to protect children.

She pointed out programmes to help youths and efforts to protect street children.

She did however admit that in cases like Saabirin's, it is sometimes challenging to act. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can speak out if they suspect that a child might not be safe.

"Every child has the right to be removed from any household in which they do not feel safe," the official said.

A Force for Conversation

Although Saabirin's life was ended too soon, her death is now forcing long-delayed conversations about child safety in Somalia.

But as the local community considers the verdict, some are unsure if justice will be achieved in the long run.

"There is nothing to rejoice yet, we still need certainty," one of the young protesters said. "We don't want justice in words, we want to see it with our own eyes. We don't want delays."