Somali women protest in Mogadishu following national outrage over illegal child marriage of missing girl. (Photo by Mohamed Salh/BBC)
EPICSTORIAN — A child marriage case in Somalia has triggered national outrage after an eight-year-old was found with her ‘husband.
The girl, originally reported missing by her family in the semi-autonomous Puntland region last September, was recently located in the Carmo area under the care of a man identified as Sheikh Mahmoud. He claimed that her father had consented to their marriage.
Security forces stormed Mahmoud’s home after he locked himself in with the girl. Authorities successfully rescued her, prompting widespread protests in Mogadishu and a national outcry on social media.
Public outrage grows over Somalia child marriage case
Fadumo Ahmed, chairperson of the Somali Women Vision Organisation, condemned the incident, describing it as deeply disturbing. “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,” she told the BBC. “We trust the responsible institutions to take the right and necessary legal action.”
The girl’s uncle explained that she had been taken from Bosaso by a female relative, supposedly to visit another uncle. However, the family only resumed efforts to locate her after a video surfaced online showing her reciting the Quran.
They eventually tracked her down to Mahmoud’s residence, where he initially claimed he was simply teaching her. When legal pressure mounted, he revised his account, stating they were married with her father’s approval.
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Confronted by the BBC, Sheikh Mahmoud defended his actions by citing Islamic traditions and the Shafi’i school of thought, which he claimed permitted child marriage. He dismissed criticism from Somali scholars and insisted he would not annul the union.
Police in Puntland intervened on 25 March, removing the girl from Mahmoud’s home and returning her to her family. Authorities confirmed an investigation is underway.
Somalia does not currently enforce a legal minimum age for marriage. A 2020 report from the UN Population Fund revealed that 35% of Somali women aged 20–24 were married before age 18—a decrease from 45% in 2017.
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Efforts to combat the practice have stalled. In 2023, the Ministry of Women and Human Rights introduced a child rights bill to parliament, but lawmakers rejected it due to specific clauses. The bill is expected to be resubmitted, although no date has been set.
Protests continue in Mogadishu, with demonstrators demanding justice and enforcement of laws that prioritize children’s welfare.
