The programme is a collaboration between FOKUS, our member organisation Somaliland Women Solidarity Association and local partner General Assistance and Volunteer Organisation.

The programme’s aim is to improve the quality of public healthcare services and legislation, in addition to increasing knowledge in the population on sexual and reproductive health and rights, violence against women and girls and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. This is done through providing training to health personnel, local government officials and agencies and village leaders, and through community mobilisation to change gender discriminatory attitudes and social norms.

Somaliland’s legislative framework is still highly limited concerning rape, female genital mutilation and other forms of violence against women and girls. Traditional laws and social norms that discriminate against women and girls is a major challenge, for instance that there is a very high degree of impunity for rape.