Report on Intimate Partner Violence in Somalia and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Framing Violence Against Women as a Development Issue

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), defined by the World Health Organization as any behavior within an intimate relationship causing physical, psychological, or sexual harm, represents a significant impediment to global development agendas. This report analyzes the prevalence, determinants, and systemic nature of IPV in Somali communities, contextualizing the issue within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing IPV is fundamental to the achievement of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and is deeply interconnected with progress on health, education, economic growth, and justice.

The Nature and Manifestations of Intimate Partner Violence

IPV encompasses a range of harmful behaviors that undermine the safety, dignity, and well-being of women. These forms of violence often occur concurrently, creating a compounded negative impact. Key manifestations include:

• Physical Abuse: Acts such as hitting, choking, and other forms of physical assault.
• Sexual Coercion: Forcing a partner to engage in unwanted sexual acts.
• Emotional and Psychological Abuse: The use of insults, threats, and intimidation to control or harm a partner.
• Controlling Behaviors: Isolation from family and friends, monitoring of movements, and restriction of personal freedom.
• Verbal, Social, and Cultural Abuse: The use of harmful language and the invocation of cultural traditions to justify mistreatment and subordinate women.

These actions directly contravene the principles of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by inflicting severe physical and mental trauma.

Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence in the Somali Context

Key Findings from Recent Studies

Research, including the “Magnitude and Determinants of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Somalia” (2025) and “The Silent War: Domestic Violence Against Women in Hargeisa, Somaliland” (2023), highlights a high prevalence of IPV. The studies reveal that a substantial number of Somali women experience physical and emotional violence from their partners. This violence is often endured in silence due to cultural pressures, fear of shame, and systemic failures that do not protect survivors.

Identified Risk Factors and Systemic Barriers

Several factors increase women’s vulnerability to IPV, revealing deep-seated inequalities that obstruct sustainable development.

• Educational Disparities: Lower levels of education for both women and their male partners correlate with a higher incidence of violence. This underscores the critical role of SDG 4 (Quality Education) in fostering gender equality and respectful relationships.
• Economic Dependence: Women’s lack of financial independence and reliance on their husbands is a primary barrier to leaving abusive relationships. This highlights the necessity of advancing SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) to ensure economic empowerment for women.
• Socio-Demographic Factors: Younger women and those in rural areas are identified as being at greater risk, pointing to the need for targeted interventions that address regional inequalities, a goal of SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
• Cultural Norms: Deeply ingrained beliefs that frame men as authority figures with a right to discipline their wives perpetuate violence. These norms are a direct challenge to the targets of SDG 5.
• Institutional Weakness: Legal systems that favor male authority or encourage private negotiations over formal justice fail to protect women’s rights and safety. This demonstrates a critical gap in achieving SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Core Challenge to SDG 5: Gender Equality

IPV is a direct violation of SDG Target 5.2, which calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against all women and girls. The cultural acceptance of male dominance, combined with women’s economic and legal disempowerment, creates an environment where gender inequality is systemic and violence is normalized. Achieving gender equality is impossible without dismantling these harmful structures.

Interconnected Impacts on Other SDGs

The challenge of IPV extends across the 2030 Agenda, demonstrating the indivisible nature of the SDGs.

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The physical, mental, and emotional harm caused by IPV constitutes a major public health crisis that prevents women from living healthy and productive lives.
• SDG 4 (Quality Education): Lack of education is both a cause and a consequence of gender-based violence. Educating communities on gender equality is a key preventative strategy.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Economic empowerment is a crucial pathway for women to escape violence and achieve independence.
• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Ending IPV requires robust legal frameworks and institutions that ensure all women have access to justice and are protected by the rule of law.

Recommendations for a Multi-Sectoral Response

Policy and Legal Reforms

To align with SDG 16, a comprehensive legal and institutional response is required.

1. Enact and enforce strong laws that explicitly criminalize all forms of domestic violence.
2. Reform family law to guarantee women’s equal rights in marriage, divorce, and custody.
3. Strengthen judicial and law enforcement capacity to ensure survivor-centered responses and hold perpetrators accountable.

Socio-Economic and Educational Interventions

A holistic approach must address the root causes of violence by promoting social and economic equality.

1. Expand educational and vocational training opportunities for women and girls to foster economic independence (SDG 4, SDG 8).
2. Implement widespread public awareness campaigns through schools, media, and religious institutions to challenge and change harmful cultural norms and promote gender equality (SDG 5).
3. Engage men and boys in community dialogues to redefine masculinity and promote non-violent, respectful relationships.
4. Develop targeted support programs for high-risk regions and vulnerable populations to ensure no one is left behind.

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• The article’s central theme is domestic violence against women in Somali communities, which is a direct violation of gender equality. It discusses how “harmful beliefs” and cultural norms position men as superior and justify the mistreatment of women, who are advised to “be patient” and “stay quiet” when facing abuse. The call to “rethink the way we see and treat women” and give them the “dignity, and equality they have always deserved” directly connects to the core mission of SDG 5.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article explicitly states that the various forms of abuse “deeply harming a woman’s body, mind, and emotional well-being.” This highlights the severe health consequences of domestic violence, connecting the issue to the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The article identifies a lack of education as a key risk factor, noting that “Less educated partners are more likely to be in violent relationships.” Furthermore, it proposes education as a solution, calling for “education on gender equality” and “open, honest conversations in homes, mosques, and schools” to challenge harmful norms.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Economic vulnerability is presented as a major reason women remain in abusive situations. The article points out that “Economic dependence is a major factor” and that “Women without jobs or who rely on their husbands financially have limited choices.” The recommendation to “creat[e] job opportunities for women” to give them “independence” links the issue directly to economic empowerment and decent work.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article critiques the institutional failures that perpetuate violence, stating that the “legal system usually favors men or encourages private family negotiations, which often ignore women’s safety and rights.” The call for “better laws,” “stronger protections for women,” and challenging “weak protective systems” aligns with the goal of building peaceful, just, and effective institutions that provide access to justice for all.

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 5: Gender Equality

1. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. This is the most relevant target, as the entire article focuses on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), a form of violence in the private sphere. It details physical, psychological, and sexual harm within intimate relationships.
2. Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The article describes deeply ingrained discrimination where men are seen as “owners” of their wives and cultural beliefs “justify mistreatment,” which are forms of discrimination this target aims to end.
3. Target 5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality. The article’s call for “better laws” and “stronger protections for women” directly reflects the need to implement this target, especially in light of the current legal system that “favors men.”

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being. The article’s description of abuse causing “psychological,” “emotional,” and “verbal” harm, leading to damage to a woman’s “mind, and emotional well-being,” connects directly to the need to promote mental health.

SDG 4: Quality Education

1. Target 4.7: Ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including…gender equality. The recommendation for “education on gender equality” and “open community conversations to challenge harmful beliefs” is a direct application of this target.
2. Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education…for the vulnerable. The finding that “Less educated partners are more likely to be in violent relationships” implies that ensuring equal access to education for women and girls is a key preventative measure.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

1. Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men. The article identifies women’s lack of financial independence as a critical vulnerability. The call for “Jobs and education opportunities for women, giving them independence” directly supports this target.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article’s focus on ending domestic violence, a pervasive form of violence, contributes directly to this target.
2. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law…and ensure equal access to justice for all. The critique that the “legal system usually favors men” and fails to protect women’s rights highlights a lack of equal access to justice, making this target highly relevant.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner. The article directly references a study titled “Magnitude and Determinants of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Somalia,” which revealed that “a large number of Somali women are suffering violence at the hands of their partners.” This study provides the exact data required for this indicator.
• Indicator 5.1.1: Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex. The article implies a negative status for this indicator by stating the legal system “favors men” and calling for “better laws” and “stronger protections,” suggesting the current legal framework is inadequate.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Implied Indicator (related to 8.5.2): Female unemployment rate or rate of economic dependency. The article identifies “Economic dependence” and “Women without jobs” as major risk factors. Therefore, measuring the employment rate and financial independence of women would be a key indicator of progress in reducing their vulnerability to abuse.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Implied Indicator (related to 4.5.1): Parity indices (female/male) for educational attainment. The article links lower education levels to a higher likelihood of violence (“Less educated partners are more likely to be in violent relationships”). Progress could be measured by tracking and improving the educational attainment levels of both women and men.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Implied Indicator (related to 16.3.3): Proportion of the population who accessed a formal dispute resolution mechanism. The article suggests women do not receive fair outcomes, as the system encourages “private family negotiations, which often ignore women’s safety and rights.” An indicator could measure the extent to which women survivors of violence access and receive justice through formal legal channels.

Source: meer.com