Somalia--the untold story : the war through the eyes of Somali women / edited by Judith Gardner and Judy El Bushra.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gardner, Judith.

El-Bushra, Judy.

Catholic Institute for International Relations.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women--Somalia.

Women.

Women refugees--Somalia.

Women refugees.

Women and war--Somalia.

Women and war.

Women--Crimes against--Somalia.

Women--Crimes against.

Somalia--History--1991-.

Somalia.

History.

Somalia--Social conditions--1960-.

Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xiv, 257 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm

Other Title:

War through the eyes of Somali women

Place of Publication:

London : CIIR ; London ; Sterling, Va. : Pluto Press, 2004.

Summary:

Somalia came to the world's attention in 1992 when television and newspapers began to report on the terrifyingly violent war and the famine that resulted. Half a million Somalis died that year, and over a million fled the country. Cameras followed US troops as they landed on the beaches at Mogadishu to lead what became an ill-fated UN intervention to end hunger and restore peace. In this book, women from Somalia write and talk about the war, their experiences and the unacceptable choices they often faced. They explain clearly, in their own words, the changes -- and sometimes the opportunities -- that war brought, and how they coped with them. Key themes include the slaughter and loss of men, who were the prime target for killings; rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war; changing roles in the family; women mobilising for peace; and women and leadership. Carefully-selected case studies show that experiences of war have been remarkably similar for different cultural groups in different regions of Somalia. This book is not only an important record of women's experience of conflict, but also highlights the impact of war on gender relations, and women's growing participation in the political arena.

Contents:

Pt. 1. Women's experiences of the war: Women's role in the pastoral economy / Rhoda M. Ibrahim

Testimony / Habiba Osman

Traditions of marriage and the household / Sadia Musse Ahmed

Testimony / Amina Sayid

War crimes against women and girls / Fowzia Musse

Pt. 2. Women's responses to the war: Section 1: Changing roles and responsibilities in the family. Domestic conflict in the diaspora / Ladan Affi

Crisis or opportunity? / Amina Mohamoud Warsame

Testimony / Halimo Elmi Section 2. Women mobilise for peace. Women and peace-making in Somaliland / Zeynab Mohamed Hassan and Shukri Hariir Ismail, et al

Women, clan identity and peace-building / Judith Gardner with Amina Mohamoud Warsame

Women's roles in peace-making in the Somali community in north eastern Kenya / Dekha Ibrahim. Section 3. Women's rights, leadership and political empowerment. Testimony / Dahabo Isse

Post-war recovery and participation / Testimony /Noreen Michael Mariano

Starlin Abdi Arush, a tribute.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-245) and index.

ISBN:

0745322093

0745322085

OCLC:

53038753