Somali Women's Democratic Organization (SWDO) was a women's organization in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, founded in 1977. It belonged to the

Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party The Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP, , XHKS, , ) was the ruling party of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1976 to 1991. History SRSP was created by the military regime of Siad Barre under Soviet guidance. A founding congress ...

during the regime of President

Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...

History

The SWDO was established with the support of President

in 1977 in memory of

Hawo Tako Hawo Tako (1925–1948) was a prominent Somali activist. Biography Hawo Tako, also known as Xaawo Taako or Hawa Osman, belonged to the Jidwaq Abaskuul clan which settled the Jigjiga and Middle Juba region of Somalia, as well as the Fafan Zone ...

, a female member of the anti-colonialist

Somali Youth League The Somali Youth League (SYL, , Arabic: رابطة الشباب الصومالي, or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first political party in Somalia. It played a key role in the nati ...

, who was killed by the Italian forces in 1948. It was established to enforce the policy of women's rights of the Communist Barre regime, and the regime appointed its female leadership in order to maintain female compliance with the government. At the time of the foundation of the SWDO, women's rights and equality was only barely initiated in Somalia. After Somalia gained its independence from colonial powers in 1960, both men and women were given the right to vote. In practice however, it was not until after

Supreme Revolutionary Council (Somalia) The Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC; , , ) was the governmental body that ruled Somalia from 1969 to 1976. In 1980, a state of emergency was declared and the SRC was reinstated. History Assassination of President and coup d'état On 15 ...

came to power in 1969, that women's rights were prioritized by the government. The Family Law of 1975 gave equal rights to women and men regarding marriage, divorce and inheritance, and restricted polygamy. Two years later, the SWDO was established. The policy of gender equality enforced by the government through the SWDO had a marked effect on women's position. Women participated in society in a number of ways, such as female school enrollment, women in the workplace, women's participation in politics and the military, and all increased during the 1970s and the 1980s. After the fall of the Barre regime in 1991,

Islamic extremism Islamic extremism refers to extremist beliefs, behaviors and ideologies adhered to by some Muslims within Islam. The term 'Islamic extremism' is contentious, encompassing a spectrum of definitions, ranging from academic interpretations of Is ...

effectively eliminated the legal rights of women in Somalia.{{Cite web, url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a83b8.html, title=RefWorld: Human Rights Brief: Women in Somalia, date=1994, website=RefWorld, publisher=Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, access-date=2018-11-20

References

External links

Women’s Rights in Somalia: Women’s Role in Conflict Resolution

Somali Women and the Socialist State

1977 establishments in Somalia Feminism and history Feminist organisations in Somalia Organizations established in 1977 Social history of Somalia Women's rights in Somalia Women's organisations based in Somalia