Please refer to the attached file.
Executive Summary
Women and girls in Somalia continued to face heightened risks of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) during the first quarter of 2026, driven by the combined effects of conflict, climate-induced displacement, food insecurity, and deteriorating protection environments. The most affected areas included Banadir, Lower Shabelle, Gedo, Bay, Hiraan, Middle Shabelle, and Mudug, particularly in high-density IDP settlements and conflict-affected districts where insecurity, overcrowding, and limited access to services have increased vulnerabilities.
Emerging evidence from protection monitoring and community feedback mechanisms indicates that women and girls are disproportionately affected by physical safety threats. Sixty-one percent of reported protection concerns from women and girls related to direct physical safety risks, including harassment while collecting water and firewood, exposure to violence along insecure routes, and risks within households. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) remains the most prevalent form of GBV nationally, accounting for approximately 58 percent of reported incidents, while sexual violence represents about 14 percent of cases. In some locations, such as Luuq district in Gedo, IPV levels were reported as high as 67 percent, reflecting increasing stressors linked to displacement and economic hardship.
The protection environment for women and girls has further deteriorated due to severe funding cuts affecting specialized GBV services. Of the 120 registered GBV facilities across Somalia, 66 facilities (55 percent) are currently closed or non-operational, including Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces (WGSS) and One-Stop Centers (OSCs). The reduction in service availability has significantly constrained survivors’ access to life-saving case management, psychosocial support, health services, and safe reporting mechanisms, particularly in remote and underserved locations.
Adolescent girls, female-headed households, minority clan women, persons with disabilities, and newly displaced women and girls remain the most vulnerable groups. IDP settlements continue to account for the majority of GBV incidents, with overcrowding, poor shelter conditions, lack of privacy, and inadequate lighting contributing to heightened protection risks. Night-time risks are particularly acute, with 71 percent of women reporting safety concerns linked to unlit pathways, non-lockable latrines, and unsafe routes to essential resources.
Despite increased use of cash assistance through GBV case management, available support remains insufficient to meet growing needs. Low reporting of sexual harassment and PSEA-related incidents continues due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and limited awareness of safe reporting channels. Immediate action is required to restore and sustain GBV services, reopen safe spaces, strengthen community-based protection mechanisms, expand cash assistance, improve lighting and safety infrastructure in displacement sites, and enhance dissemination of PSEA information across humanitarian sectors. Without urgent investment, the protection risks facing women and girls are likely to intensify amid worsening humanitarian conditions and continued service disruptions.
Without urgent action and sustained investment, the gains made in protecting women and girls are at risk of being reversed. Immediate support is needed to restore and expand specialized GBV services, strengthen survivor-centered assistance and cash support, improve safety infrastructure in displacement settings, and ensure that women and girls can safely access life-saving protection and response services. Protecting women and girls is not only a humanitarian imperative but also a prerequisite for resilience, recovery, and sustainable development in Somalia.
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