Somali Women Flogged for Selling Tea

Under the control of the uber-conservative Muslim terrorist group Al-Shabaab, in parts of Somali a woman can be beaten, flogged, or jailed for the "crime" of coming into contact with men while selling tea to support their families. Women are required to wear abayas, clothing that covers them from head to toe; however, some poor women cannot afford the style of the bulky garment required, forcing women to remain prisoners in their home or risk assault and arrest.

In a recent Human Rights Watch report, one woman tells her story of being beaten when she ran out of the house after her toddler, who had wandered into the street. Because she failed to don her abaya in the heat of the moment, she received 10 lashes — there is no mercy or thought to extenuating circumstances when al-Shabaab fighters implement their harsh punishments.

In a country lacking a stable government, al-Shabaab has brought a certain kind of order to the parts of Somalia under their country, but at the expense of human rights. While women bear the brunt of the restrictive laws, other extreme punishments levied without any due process against men and women for relatively minor crimes include public floggings or the amputation of body parts. Men and women have also been subjected to the deeply inhumane punishment of stoning for acts of adultery.

You can urge the Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights to take a stand against human rights violations in Somalia by signing the petition here.

Photo credit: Sand Paper