UN condemns rape of Afgooye girls, calls for legal action

The UN has condemned the abduction and rape of two young girls in Afgooye and called for speedy legal recourse to bring to book the perpetrators of the heinous act.

The UN Population Fund said in a statement it was appalled by the offense committed against the girls reportedly aged three and four in Afgooye located some 30 kilometres south west of the capital Mogadishu.

“UNPA Somalia stands with the girls and their families and calls for recourse for proper judicial process to take its course,” the UNPA country representative Anders Thomsen said.

Thomsen also called for the enactment of the Sexual Offenses Bill which is pending adoption by the Federal Parliament.

According to sources in Afgooye, the two girls were abducted Monday evening while their parents were away for a wedding and whisked to a location four kilometres from their home. They were later found the following day by farmers in the area.

The rape of the two girls adds to several other incidents in the past in the country. A 12-year-old girl, Aisha Aden was gang-raped and murdered in Galkaayo in February 2019 in an incident that sparked uproar locally and internationally.

Two people found guilty for the offence were executed in February this year while the third one was let free despite the court verdict affirming guilt. This was after the families on both sides agreed to blood money deal which saw the offender’s family pay 75 camels in compensation.

Goobjoog News