Project profile — Challenging Harmful Attitudes and Norms for Gender Equality and Empowerment in Somalia

• Somalia (100.00%)

• Population Policies/Programmes And Reproductive Health: Population policy and administrative management (13010) (30.00%)
• Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions:
Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (10.00%)
Ending violence against women and girls (15180) (60.00%)

• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (significant objective)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to challenge discriminatory social norms that perpetuate harmful practices, such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), by empowering adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 to claim their rights over their bodies. The project works to engage with adolescent boys and girls, communities, religious leaders, media, and government, to prevent and respond to SGBV. Project activities include: (1) engaging with women and men caregivers, including grandmothers, and schools to define action plans to reduce SGBV, child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) and FGM/C in their communities; (2) providing training to adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 to identify SGBV and understand their sexual and reproductive health and rights, linking them to information and services and safe spaces when facing SGBV; (4) supporting girls' and boys' (between the ages of 10 and 19) school-based clubs to discuss gender equality and positive social norms, including harmful impact of SGBV, CEFM and FGM/C; and (5) organizing awareness-raising with government officials, policy-makers, religious and community leaders and law enforcement officers on laws and policies that promote gender equality at federal and state level.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) decreased discriminatory social norms and practices that perpetuate and validate SGBV against women and girls, including FGM/C and CEFM; (2) increased voice and agency of adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 in Somalia to make and act on life decisions for themselves, including with regards to SRHR and SGBV; and (3) improved effectiveness of all civil society and media to advocate for women and girls' rights.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) trained 3,040 adolescent boys and girls, including 760 very young adolescent girls, 760 very young adolescent boys, 760 older adolescent girls, and 760 older adolescent boys. This is done to better their understanding of sexual and gender-based violence, gender equality, and their rights and capacity to make life-time decisions based on their choices and future desires; (2) established 66 adolescent clubs and trained 1,320 very young adolescent girls and older adolescent girls on community activities focused on sexual reproductive health and rights, decision-making, advocacy, and communication skills; and (3) built capacity for 52 women’s rights organizations and 12 media associations.

• Proactive disclosure