Somaliland – not to be confused with Somalia – has taken an exemplary step in the right direction with its recent passing of the law surrounding rape. Before the new law (that precedents rape as illegal and sees its perpetrators facing up to 30 years in prison), it was common practice for a victim to be forced into marriage by their own family to avoid shame.
Though not internationally recognised as a separate country, the self-declared state Somaliland claimed its independence in 1991 in an attempt to escape the violence that surrounds Somalia. Somaliland has its own administered government, political system and even currency. It consistently works towards moving further away from its sistering country and towards being a nation that upholds fairer and more Western-inspired values.
You can read the rest of my latest article on Somaliland’s revolutionary rape bill over at Global Seven News.
