Outrage In Somalia Over The Marriage Of An Eight-Year-Old Girl
The case of an eight-year-old girl in Somalia, reported missing for six months and later found living with a man who claimed to be her husband, has sparked widespread outrage. The incident occurred in Puntland, where the girl’s father allegedly consented to her marriage to an adult named Sheikh Mahmoud. Security forces intervened on March 25, 2025, rescuing the girl after the man barricaded himself with her. She is now back with her family, and an investigation is underway.
The incident has fueled public protests in Mogadishu and heated debates on social media, with many condemning the lack of a minimum legal age for marriage in Somalia. Child marriage remains prevalent, driven by poverty, insecurity, and cultural norms, with 35% of women aged 20-24 married before 18, according to a 2020 UN report. A proposed child rights bill, submitted in 2023, was stalled in parliament, leaving legal reforms uncertain. Critics, including rights groups, are calling for urgent action to protect children.
Outrage in Somalia over the Marriage of an Eight-Year-Old Girl
• An eight-year-old girl, missing for six months, was found living with a man who claimed to be her husband, sparking widespread outrage in Somalia.
• The girl’s family reported her missing in Puntland last September, unaware that her father had consented to her marriage to Sheikh Mahmoud.
• Security forces intervened, rescuing the girl after Sheikh Mahmoud, who initially denied marriage but later claimed it was justified by Islamic traditions, refused to relinquish her.
• This incident has reignited debates about child protection laws in Somalia, where there is currently no minimum legal age for marriage, and highlighted the prevalence of child marriage, with 35% of women aged 20-24 having been married before 18.
• While a child rights bill has been submitted to parliament, its progress is uncertain, leaving the issue of child marriage and the need for stronger legal protections unresolved.
Outrage In Somalia Over The Marriage Of An Eight-Year-Old Girl
The incident has sparked anger on social media and public protests in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
It has also prompted fresh debates about child protection laws, as currently there is no minimum legal age for marriage.
“What’s more shocking than the tragedy itself are the allegations of abduction and the fact that her family had no knowledge of her whereabouts for months,” Fadumo Ahmed, chairperson of leading rights group the Somali Women Vision Organisation, told the BBC.
“We trust the responsible institutions to take the right and necessary legal action.”
According to the eight-year-old’s uncle, she was taken from her home in the city of Bosaso last September by a female relative. This relative said she was escorting the child on a trip to see another a uncle.
But months later, a video surfaced online, showing the girl reciting the Quran.
Her family subsequently launched a search for the child – it is unclear why they did not do this sooner.
They discovered she was in the Carmo area, living with Sheikh Mahmoud.
Sheikh Mahmoud initially said he was solely teaching the girl the Quran. But after legal complaints were filed, he changed his statement, saying he had married the girl with her father’s consent.
When asked by the BBC how he justified marrying an eight-year-old, Sheikh Mahmoud said that the traditions of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, along with that of the Shafi’i school of thought, allowed child marriage.
After the BBC questioned his reasoning – citing opposition from numerous Somali Islamic scholars – Sheikh Mahmoud maintained that he would not abandon the marriage.
Puntland’s police and human rights authorities intervened on 25 March, removing the girl from the man’s home after her family filed a complaint.
The girl was now back with her family, Puntland’s police force told the BBC.
Additionally, an investigation into the case has been launched, government officials have said.
Child Marriage Remains Prevalent In Somalia.
According to a report published in 2020 by the United Nations Population Fund and the Somali government, 35% of women aged between 20 and 24 in the country were married before the age of 18. In 2017 this figure stood at 45%.
The rate of child marriage is driven by various factors, including poverty, insecurity and traditional customs that often disregard a girl’s age in wedding arrangements.
In an attempt to tackle this issue, Somalia’s ministry of women and human rights submitted a draft child rights bill to parliament in 2023.
However, the proposal was sent back after MPs objected to certain provisions. The bill is expected to be reintroduced, but there is no clear timeline for this.
Outrage in Somalia over the Marriage of an Eight-Year-Old Girl
Outrage has spread in Somalia after an eight-year-old girl, who had been missing for six months, was found living with a man who said he was her husband.
The girl was reported missing by her family in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland last Sept. Months later, it emerged the girl’s father had consented for her to be married to an adult named Sheikh Mahmoud.
When asked by the BBC how he justified marrying an eight-year-old, Sheikh Mahmoud said that the traditions of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, along with that of the Shafi’i school of thought, allowed child marriage.
These are the sort of men we are allowing into our Country 🤬
