Somalia has hosted its first in-country public consultations with the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), focusing on a landmark regional bill designed to combat and eliminate female genital mutilation (FGM). The two-day hybrid hearing, held on September 2 and 3, 2026, brought together federal government officials, regional lawmakers, religious leaders, and civil society advocates in Mogadishu to scrutinize the draft East African Community (EAC) Elimination of FGM Bill, 2025.
The consultations carry immense significance for Somalia, which officially integrated into the eight-member regional bloc at the end of 2025. According to the 2020 Somali Demographic and Health Survey, an estimated 99% of women and girls in the country have undergone FGM. Furthermore, Somalia currently lacks a federal law specifically prohibiting the practice, making the regional framework a critical stepping stone for local legislative reform.
Organized by the human rights organization Equality Now, the forum allowed stakeholders to review the draft legislation clause by clause. Discussions centered on establishing robust protection mechanisms, enhancing cross-border cooperation, and fostering coordinated regional action. Caroline Lagat, legal adviser for End Harmful Practices at Equality Now, noted that gathering opinions from the Somali government and citizens was vital to ensuring broad acceptance and tailoring the law to local realities.
EALA member Falhada Dekow Iman, a primary sponsor of the bill, emphasized that the legislation is designed to build a united front rather than penalize specific cultural communities. She stressed that cross-border enforcement gaps often allow perpetrators to evade local bans by transporting girls across national borders to undergo the procedure. Because differing national legal standards can weaken individual protections, Iman argued that a unified EAC framework is essential to safeguarding children regardless of whether they reside in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Somalia.
If enacted, the regional bill aims to harmonize anti-FGM laws across all partner states. Key provisions include the criminalization of cross-border FGM, strict prohibitions against medical practitioners and health facilities performing the procedure, and the empowerment of courts to issue pre-emptive protection orders for girls at risk. The draft also mandates the integration of anti-FGM awareness into school curricula and requires healthcare facilities to provide standardized medical care for survivors.
Somali lawmaker Luul Ibrahim Omar Hassan Dafedow highlighted that the consultations coincided with a pivotal moment for the nation’s legal landscape, noting that Somalia’s federal parliament is also anticipating independent discussions on domestic FGM legislation.
The Mogadishu hearings marked the final leg of EALA’s mandatory public participation process following the bill’s first reading. While similar consultations were conducted across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, and the DRC in late 2025, Somalia’s integration timeline meant its sessions concluded in early September 2026.
The EALA General Purposes Committee will now consolidate reports and recommendations gathered from all eight partner states. This synthesized report will be submitted to the assembly ahead of the bill’s second reading and subsequent legislative stages. Meanwhile, Somalia’s Department of Social Integration and East African Community Affairs reaffirmed the government’s steadfast commitment to regional cooperation and protecting the fundamental rights and dignity of women and girls across East Africa.
