The Effects of Piracy upon Somali Women

The essence of global security relates back to a state or nation’s fundamental need to be respected and recognized by the international community.  Breaches of this need have the ability to offset the balance of power in a particular region or cause a Darwinian scenario where more powerful nations exploit the weaknesses of developing nations.  The situation in Somalia is the perfect example of this type of scenario.  Beginning in the early 1990s, the government of Somalia began to unravel into a virtually “lawless country” void of military power to protect its borders (Qasim).  This collapse spelled the decline and forfeiture of its lucrative fishing industry to foreign poachers “engaged in the illegal exploitation of [Somalia’s] marine resources” ( Dini 1).  On the surface the demise of Somalia's main industry seems more of an economic calamity than a social one; however, the decline of the country’s livelihood sparked the emergence of Somali piracy and devastated Somalia’s family structure transforming women’s roles from caregivers to chattel.  Somali piracy is a prime example of how global economic greed and the dismantling of core social systems manifest into female subjugation.  In a trickle-down effect, Somali piracy has broken the family unit, incited increased violence against women, altered the power structure, and militarized the nation--all byproducts of international greed that wreak havoc on “the overall well being of Somalia’s women” (Dini 1). The inception of Somali piracy would be nonexistent if larger nations and states respected the sovereignty of this developing country.

     The evident hijacking of Somalia’s fishing industry by foreign interests forced many Somali men to resort to piracy of cargo ships in waters off the country’s border.  The result was an influx of foreign money into Somalia and an offsetting of the power structure both within the country and within the home.  Men participating in these illicit activities garnered all the power to themselves often neglecting their families for external rewards outside the home.  These rewards include increased drug use, solicitation of additional wives, and sexual exploitation. 

     Yet, as men are gaining their own private wealth from piracy, women are left to provide for their families alone, especially when men are killed in piracy attempts or abscond with the ill-gotten funds.  Seemingly, Somali women are at a disadvantage because they ultimately become the target of misogyny and are “particularly vulnerable to abuse both inside internally displaced persons camps and as they walk to market, tend to the fields, or forage for firewood” (HRW.org).  Many women and children do not have a stable homelife with “around 1.4 million people, mostly women and children, are displaced after being forced to flee their homes” (Qasim).  Money for women and for villagers is stuck in a constant socio-economic downturn because these Somali men (the pirates and their protectors) are traditionally the breadwinners and are not only risking their lives, but the security of their families.

     Somalia piracy also manifests itself into serious crimes against women.  The addition of illegal currency in the country has altered the “social structure” where women do not have ample opportunities to earn a living or seek an education and thus “can be lured into becoming chattel or wives of pirates” (Dini 4).  These marriages, in many cases, are fraught with violence including multiple wives and no resources for women who are caught up in a violent cycle of abuse.  Because most of the country is indigent, fathers in many cases “marry off their young daughters” to pirates in exchange for money (Dini 4)..  The sudden impact of wealth for Somali pirates and the the creation of a lawless state create a perfect storm of sexual exploitation against women.  In 2013, the United Nations reported “nearly 800 cases of sexual and gender-based violence in Mogadishu alone for the first six months of 2013, although the actual number is likely much higher” (HRW.org).

     In geopolitical concerns, piracy prohibits “the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa,” which provides human security to all of Somalia, a country with a low GDP per capita (Dini 3). Consequently, women are living in a “predestined hell”, a direct byproduct of Somali pirates. Aid directed to Somalia from the UN and other foreign aid agencies is hindered in order to protect male private interests. Females are raised without proper education and untraditional societal dynamics where living in fear of being raped has become a norm. Women “lack access to education, employment, and state protection. Because of this they remain vulnerable, poor and are susceptible to exploitation and gender-based violence” (Dini 4).  This indication is clear that “piracy is profit driven: it targets the boats that seem to bring most profit…” and looks for a target of success (Hansen 27). Women remain impoverished, uneducated, and domesticated ultimately preventing them from becoming a full citizen. Thus, this could all be avoided if Somali piracy was not the last resort ultimately contributing to the mistreatment of women. The industrialized world can take some responsibility by the actions of these pirates through a breach in global security in order to ensure the ontological security of Somalia is protected.                           

Works Cited

Dini, Shukria. Burcad badeed - The Implications of Piracy for Somali Women. PhD dissertation. www.sidint.net/sites/www.sidint.net/files/docs/SDpaper2.pdf. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.

Hansen, Stig Jarle. "Debunking the Piracy Myth: How Illegal Fishing Really Interacts with Piracy in East Africa." The Rusi Journal, Jan. 2014. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.

Human Rights Watch. "Somalia: Women Shouldn’t Live in Fear of Rape." Human Rights Watch, 13 June 2014, www.hrw.org/news/2014/02/13/somalia-women-shouldnt-live-fear-rape. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.

Kurschinski, Kellen. "Piracy and the Experience of Somali Women by Andrea Hall." Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, Wilfred Laurier University, 8 Nov. 2013, canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/piracy-and-the-experience-of-somali-women-by-andrea-hall/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.

Quasim, Maryan. "The women of Somalia are living in hell." The Guardian, 17 June 2011, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/17/women-somalia-hell-worst-world. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.