I have a right to | 成人快手 World Service

Mohamed Mohamed - Somali

Reporter's Story

I had never looked into Somali culture microscopically; people there struggle every day.

For this radio series, I wanted to know whether it's possible to speak about human rights in an interesting way.

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

A Poem and a Song on Human Rights

In Kenya, where there is a large Somali community, I met Ahmed Hussein, a poet. I asked him if he could write a poem based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It is seven minutes long because he wanted to cover every article. His words are very moving. This is an excerpt:

The thirty articles on human rights have been agreed to all over the world; I will explain each and every one to you; hold on to it tight and do not let it slip.

The freedom of a person and the right to live in peace has been described as an inherent right to every human being and you should consider it. I am talking to those who are armed in Somalia...

In the Medina area in Mogadishu, I commissioned some musicians to write a signature tune for my series. I printed out the UDHR in Somali and read it out to them. I told Sahal Moalin Isse, the songwriter, to convey the message and he wrote a very beautiful song. It says:

"Everyone has his/her own rights... Rights and wrongs do not go hand in hand, as sleep and noise do not go hand in hand... You ought to know that there are lawyers in this world..."

Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Dignity

The people I met in Somaliland, a 10-year-old breakaway republic, have left me with memories that will stay with me forever. I went to the city of Hargeisa, in the administration of Somaliland. It's very different to other parts of Somalia. It's peaceful and you can talk to people openly.

In the town of Buro, Amina Abdi Sirad, lost one of her legs. She was extremely unlucky. Two brothers were fighting and they had guns. One ran away and hid behind her and she was shot. She was taken to the hospital, where her leg had to be amputated.

Making a Difference

There are two NGOs, in Hargeisa, which help landmine survivors. They are the Somaliland Red Crescent Society and Handicap International France.

Amina Aw-Muhummad, another young lady, lost both her legs on a landmine. She was crippled and couldn't walk. The Red Crescent gave her artificial limbs. She was able to stand on her own legs and walk about and do things.

When I asked Amina how she felt with her new legs, tears welled up in her eyes. She said, "people here have been very kind to me. I got these legs. Before, I could only sit and I was relying on people to help me." I saw her standing up, after the interview, and she looked like everybody else. She looked comfortable and she was proud.

She compared her situation with her life today, she said, "Although my legs are artificial, when I stand, I have dignity. I am at the level of other people."

Article 17: Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Women Treated as Property

In the Baydhabo region, I met Abukar Shiikh Yusuf an activist who worked for Isha Human Rights. He said the violations are of such an extent that people do not know how to get help. Women are largely abused, he said, so much so that they are treated like a man's property.

Shiikh Yusuf documented a case which he shared with me. A woman was married to a man. He mistreated her. Eventually, she was only able to obtain a divorce when she gave him her house, her car and all her property. She was left with nothing.

Also, a young couple got married and the family of the girl wanted her to abort the child she was carrying. Her husband did not want her to lose the child. But against her will and that of her husband, she was forced to have an abortion.

Making a Difference

Isha Human Rights is a small group, which has its own office. It aims to safeguard the rights of people in Baydhabo, an area where there are many factions and where there was famine in 1992.

Shiikh Yusuf says it's very difficult to convince women that they have rights and the attitudes of men are entrenched. At the moment, he documents the violations and tries to be vocal about who is committing them. He hopes that one day this information will be used in court.

	Other Producers: Bengali Burmese French for Africa Indonesian Pashto Persian Portuguese for Africa Sinhala Somali Uzbek 成人快手 Sites: External Sites: The 成人快手 is not responsible for the content of external internet sites		Mohamed Mohamed - Somali Reporter's Story I had never looked into Somali culture microscopically; people there struggle every day. For this radio series, I wanted to know whether it's possible to speak about human rights in an interesting way. Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. A Poem and a Song on Human Rights In Kenya, where there is a large Somali community, I met Ahmed Hussein, a poet. I asked him if he could write a poem based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It is seven minutes long because he wanted to cover every article. His words are very moving. This is an excerpt: The thirty articles on human rights have been agreed to all over the world; I will explain each and every one to you; hold on to it tight and do not let it slip. The freedom of a person and the right to live in peace has been described as an inherent right to every human being and you should consider it. I am talking to those who are armed in Somalia... In the Medina area in Mogadishu, I commissioned some musicians to write a signature tune for my series. I printed out the UDHR in Somali and read it out to them. I told Sahal Moalin Isse, the songwriter, to convey the message and he wrote a very beautiful song. It says: "Everyone has his/her own rights... Rights and wrongs do not go hand in hand, as sleep and noise do not go hand in hand... You ought to know that there are lawyers in this world..." Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Dignity The people I met in Somaliland, a 10-year-old breakaway republic, have left me with memories that will stay with me forever. I went to the city of Hargeisa, in the administration of Somaliland. It's very different to other parts of Somalia. It's peaceful and you can talk to people openly. In the town of Buro, Amina Abdi Sirad, lost one of her legs. She was extremely unlucky. Two brothers were fighting and they had guns. One ran away and hid behind her and she was shot. She was taken to the hospital, where her leg had to be amputated. Making a Difference There are two NGOs, in Hargeisa, which help landmine survivors. They are the Somaliland Red Crescent Society and Handicap International France. Amina Aw-Muhummad, another young lady, lost both her legs on a landmine. She was crippled and couldn't walk. The Red Crescent gave her artificial limbs. She was able to stand on her own legs and walk about and do things. When I asked Amina how she felt with her new legs, tears welled up in her eyes. She said, "people here have been very kind to me. I got these legs. Before, I could only sit and I was relying on people to help me." I saw her standing up, after the interview, and she looked like everybody else. She looked comfortable and she was proud. She compared her situation with her life today, she said, "Although my legs are artificial, when I stand, I have dignity. I am at the level of other people." Article 17: Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. Women Treated as Property In the Baydhabo region, I met Abukar Shiikh Yusuf an activist who worked for Isha Human Rights. He said the violations are of such an extent that people do not know how to get help. Women are largely abused, he said, so much so that they are treated like a man's property. Shiikh Yusuf documented a case which he shared with me. A woman was married to a man. He mistreated her. Eventually, she was only able to obtain a divorce when she gave him her house, her car and all her property. She was left with nothing. Also, a young couple got married and the family of the girl wanted her to abort the child she was carrying. Her husband did not want her to lose the child. But against her will and that of her husband, she was forced to have an abortion. Making a Difference Isha Human Rights is a small group, which has its own office. It aims to safeguard the rights of people in Baydhabo, an area where there are many factions and where there was famine in 1992. Shiikh Yusuf says it's very difficult to convince women that they have rights and the attitudes of men are entrenched. At the moment, he documents the violations and tries to be vocal about who is committing them. He hopes that one day this information will be used in court.