Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called upon Somalia’s parliament to resist a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at lowering the age of majority, arguing that such a move would “diminish protections afforded to children.”
Scheduled for debate on Saturday, the amendment seeks to distinguish between attaining maturity at 15 and assuming full legal responsibilities at 18.
In a statement issued Friday, the NGO expressed concern that the proposed alteration would imply that “individuals under 18 would continue to be safeguarded by juvenile justice norms.”
However, HRW cautioned that in practice, this adjustment could exacerbate existing legal ambiguities surrounding the age of majority in Somalia, potentially heightening vulnerabilities among children.
Of particular concern to HRW is the suggestion to establish the age of maturity at 15, a move that the organization argues would disproportionately jeopardize girls by increasing the risk of child marriages. This, HRW emphasized, would negatively impact their health, especially reproductive health, hinder their access to education, and compromise protection from various forms of abuse.
Citing statistics from Girls Not Brides, HRW highlighted Somalia’s significant challenge in combating child marriage, with 26 percent of girls wed before turning 18 and 17 percent before reaching 15. Moreover, HRW stressed that adopting the proposed amendment would run counter to Somalia’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines a child as anyone under 18.
HRW underscored previous instances where children were arrested and detained as adults across Somalia, particularly during President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s initial term in office, amidst an ongoing insurgency. The organization documented cases where authorities allegedly mistreated, beat, and even tortured boys in custody whom they suspected of affiliation with insurgent groups.
