A female is currently facing the death penalty in Somalia after being found guilty of killing a 14-year-old girl in her care.
The killing of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in November, and the gruesome details that emerged about the conditions surrounding her death, provoked protests near her home in Galkayo, along with renewed calls for enhanced child protection.
The incident touched a deep nerve in a country where child abuse frequently goes unreported, especially when it occurs inside kinship networks.
For many, Saabirin's death epitomised a wider failure in child protection and the sluggish enforcement of legal safeguards meant to prevent such atrocities.
The conviction of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder marked one of the uncommon cases in Somalia where a court imposed the death sentence for child abuse.
Diiriye had rejected the charges and her lawyer has lodged an challenge against the ruling.
Her spouse, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was acquitted of murder but given one year in prison and fined $500 for negligence.
Saabirin was orphaned when both her parents died within a short period when she was just one year old.
Both of her grandmothers had also died so she was cared for by her late mother's aunt, who made sure she got an education and attended a classical Quranic school.
But her life took a tragic turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a home help, could assume her care.
During their inquiry, police revealed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had suffered "routine physical abuse" - she was assaulted and tortured.
Evidence recovered from Diiriye's phone, including videos and audio recordings documented repeated violence. Some of these were released to the public before the trial.
In one especially disturbing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I'm enjoying your pain."
A post-mortem examination of Saabirin's body revealed multiple injuries and deep knife wounds consistent with prolonged violence.
As details of the police investigation surfaced, public anger escalated.
Many of women and young people demonstrated in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "Justice for Saabirin" and calling on the authorities to prosecute all those responsible.
They gathered outside the local hospital where her body was lying in the morgue.
Things got so tense that during one protest demonstrators clashed with police and a young man was killed by gunfire.
Online, young women and girls initiated a wave of support movements, using social media tags invoking Saabirin's name.
"No child should die like this," a tearful 18-year-old protester said in a clip shared on social media. "We also oppose the attempts by traditional elders who want to settle this case through tribal agreements or behind closed doors."
This describes when elders from the families of those involved in a dispute intervene with the aim of preventing revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.
Child abuse in Somalia is often concealed within households, and relatives are customarily viewed as private spaces – where the state should not interfere.
Diiriye's trial and other related hearings were broadcast live on social media to ensure public trust in the justice system.
A regional police commander said the verdict marked an significant moment in the quest of justice for the murdered teenager.
"The perpetrator is now only awaiting the carrying out of the death sentence. If further evidence surfaces proving that additional individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be spared, the law will be fully enforced to them as well," he said.
A director of a child rights organisation said that "the case underscores the profound gaps that still exist in safeguarding the most basic human rights of children in our society."
"Children continue to face violence inside family homes, and only the most severe cases ever reach the police," he added.
In June this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, received a report that a three-year-old boy had been severely abused inside the home of his father's wife. The alleged perpetrator was swiftly arrested.
According to a assessment, three horrific acts of violence against children occurred in the country during October and November.
The head of a local women's association in Galkayo said the community was overwhelmed with cases of violence in the home, many of which never reach the courts.
On 1 October this year, Somalia's parliament approved the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The decades-old charter outlines legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against children.
Its provisions include:
But just three days later, a government department issued a statement stating that the implementation of the charter would be in accordance with Islamic law, with provisions conflicting with religious teaching not being enforced.
It said that Somali family rights was fundamental and no external entity could supersede it.
A women's and child's rights activist contended that implementation of existing measures in Somalia remained weak.
The police lack the capacity to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get mediated by clan elders, which weakens the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.
She adds that children were often did not know that they could report abuse and many schools were not teaching them that they could disclose abuse.
"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a behind-the-door agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been resolved," the activist said.
A official for the region's ministry of women's development rejects that the authorities are neglecting in their responsibility to protect children.
She highlighted programmes to help youths and efforts to protect street children.
She did however admit that in cases like Saabirin's, it is sometimes challenging to intervene. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can speak out if they suspect that a child might not be safe.
"Every child has the right to be taken from any household in which they do not feel safe," the official said.
Although Saabirin's life was cut tragically short, her death is now forcing long-delayed conversations about child safety in Somalia.
But as the local community considers the verdict, some are uncertain if justice will be served in the long run.
"There is nothing to rejoice yet, we still need clarity," one of the young protesters said. "We don't want justice in words, we want to see it with our own eyes. We don't want postponements."
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