WHY WAS TOOSAN PODCAST FOUNDED?
Somalia ranks fourth-lowest for gender equality globally. Women and girls are now facing the highest and most alarming gender-based violence (GBV), such as rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence, child abuse, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), all of which are classified as significant human rights violations under international law and have devastating consequences for the health and lives of girls and women in Somalia. Factors including continued armed conflict, political instability, persistent climate shocks, repeated devastating droughts, and increasing displacement are increasing the burden and prevalence of GBV in Somalia.
Sexual and gender-based violence, including domestic violence, rape, and sexual abuse, remains widespread throughout Somalia as a result of continued insecurity, weak rule of law, gender inequality, and oppressive cultural practices and norms. Among the most predominant forms of violence are the increased and relentless attacks on their bodily autonomy in social, cultural, religious, or political spheres. This violence usually takes different forms, including gang rape, sexual exploitation, child marriage, forced pregnancies, intimate partner violence, and a host of other horrific misdeeds designed to humiliate women and girls and erode their power over their own bodies.
In response, Toosan Podcast was created as a platform to amplify the voices of survivors and activists, raise public awareness, and spark collective action to combat SGBV and its underlying causes.
