By outdoor-nature-child.com In a recent social media uproar, Somalia’s Family Minister, Gen Bashir Mohamed Jama, has come under fire for sharing photos from a UN conference focused on women’s issues. The backlash intensified after the photos revealed him alongside male delegates, leading critics to express their discontent over the absence of female representation.
Fathiya Absie, a prominent Somali author and human rights activist, criticized the Somali government’s choice to send men to represent women’s interests at such an event. “It is tone-deaf for the Somali government to have men on the frontline, representing women at the conference,” she remarked in an interview with the BBC.
While a senior civil servant clarified that the Somali delegation included two women—Iman Elman, a notable military officer, and Sadia Mohammed Nur, a civil servant—neither were featured in the photographs shared by Jama. Out of the 197 delegates registered from 57 countries for the event, only 21 were men, underscoring the disproportionate representation.
The incident has also amplified scrutiny of the Somali government’s recent decision to rename the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development to the Ministry of Family and Human Rights Development. This change prompted criticism from figures like Ms. Absie, who argued that losing the term “women” from the ministry’s title diminishes the recognition and addressing of women’s specific needs and challenges.
Despite acknowledging that women in Somalia have historically played crucial roles in peacebuilding and political participation, Ms. Absie pointed out that their representation remains dishearteningly low. “Women were always the minority in leadership, and now they have given the remaining ministries to men,” she said.
Supporters of the government, however, see nothing wrong with having an experienced male minister lead the family ministry, but the demand for increased female representation is gaining momentum. Senior civil servant Mohamed Bashir stated that the ministry aims to enhance women’s roles moving forward, as pressure mounts for more equitable representation in leadership roles.
The conversation surrounding women’s rights in Somalia remains a critical and contentious issue, as the nation continues to grapple with the legacies of its civil conflict and ongoing struggles for gender equity.