SOMALIA: The Struggle of the Somali Women after the Civil War

Being mothers, sisters, daughters or even wives Somali women have been violated in many ways, their sons, husbands, brothers, fathers and uncles has been killed, some of them has been rapped, others faced different violence.

Despite all that, Somali women never got tired neither demoralized but kept their struggle to survive, they replaced their men in the fight for survival, they started taking care of the family, and most of them started looking jobs to earn so that they help their families, but since most of them were illiterate earning a well paid job isn't easy.

Most of them started selling Qat by sitting on the streets/tarmac to sell it all day and night, it's the worst job to do since they always face disputes/violations from those men who buy it, some go knocking door to door asking if they need any help around the house i.e. house cleaning or washing clothes, others made cookies for sales, and so on so forth. Almost every mother leaves her house and kids including infants at 4:00 am everyday just earn little money to help their families.

Regardless of all that effort, most of the women receive less appreciation from their husbands, instead some of them face violations from their husbands arguing why they don't provide extra money for them to go to tea shops and chew Mirra (Qat) with other losers like them, and if they don't provide that money they seize the little money she earned to rise her kids.

After the civil war, Somali women became the warriors, they kept their legacy alive, as mothers they started fighting for their kid's wellbeing, they acted both mothers and fathers, they rise their family well, they bear with all that violations and abuse, they never got tired from carrying their duty, some of them became widows after their husbands been killed, while others don't count their husbands as part of the family to help them because they became useless but still feed them and provide money for them.