Somalia Protection Cluster BACKGROUND OF MISSION AFGOYE JOINT PROTECTION ASSESSMENT REPORT 2 JULY 2012 Afgoye is thirty kilometers far from the capital city of Mogadishu and is a very strategic town that joins many regions to the city. Afgoye district consists of three sub-districts named 21 October, Dhagahtur and Hawa-Tako. The livelihoods of the Afgoye population depend on agriculture and livestock. The district is currently hosting thousands of IDP communities affected by the armed conflict in 2012. The complexity of displacement and drought and its impact on IDPs and host community in Afgoye has increased the vulnerability of these people and may lead to a humanitarian crisis in the near future. METHODOLOGY Given these conditions and increased reports of protection concerns in Afgoye, 6 Protection Cluster partners initiated a joint protection assessment mission. With the support of UNHCR, the partners INTERSOS, FENPS, WOCCA, MURDO, SSDO and KASHIF agreed on the objective of the assessment: to highlight key protection concerns, investigate accessibility and security issues and to recommend the best ways to help the needy people in Afgoye. The methodology used is based on the Somalia Protection Cluster Rapid Assessment Tool, which includes engagement with authorities, observations, focus group discussions and individual interviews. The organizations divided into four interagency groups, each group with three persons (2 male and 1 female in each group) to fulfill the assessment work in Afgoye. INTERSOS conducted observations in Afgoye before the assessment took place and prepared four volunteers in Afgoye to guide and help the assessment teams from the above mentioned organizations. INTERSOS also organized a pre-assessment meeting with the Afgoye commissioner to inform him that this team would conduct a protection assessment. The assessment teams visited four IDP settlements in Afgoye: ONOD, Alla-Suge, Al-Kheyrad and Lafoole, located both in town and in the outskirts of Afgoye district. The settlement focal points reported that 4,879 people (2,925 female and 1,954 male) live in the visited settlements in Afgoye. IDPs indicated that when security allows and assistance is available, newly displaced are willing to return home and secondary displaced to return to their former location. 1
ESTIMATED BREAKDOWN OF IDP POPULATION Settlement name 1 ONOD 2 Alla-Suge 3 Al-Kheyrad # of men # of boys # of women # of girls 219 341 327 389 196 200 295 380 Place of origin Month of arrival Moradinle, May- June Mareerey 2012 Celasha/Warmahan May-June 2012 Mareerey/Moradinle May-June 2012 181 239 351 395 4 Lafoole 250 328 398 390 Celasha/Lafoole May 2012 Total 846 1,108 1,371 1,554 OBSERVATIONS Based on the team s observations on the IDPs and collected data, the dwellers in the visited settlements comprise of secondary displaced from Afgoye corridor and newly displaced IDPs. IDPs from secondary displaced group were previously located in Celasha/Lafoole, etc. The newly displaced group fled from Mareerey, Moradinle, Warmahan and other villages near the front line in northern Afgoye district. All people in these settlements have different problems of protection violations and lack of livelihood requirements. Most IDPs reported to have limited access to food, water, health care, protection, security and education. During the assessment in Afgoye, the assessment teams found that the populations in the visited IDP settlements face different kinds of protection risks. Visible problems in the visited settlements in Afgoye include: 2 Children, women and old people show signs of malnutrition Most of the people in the settlements complain about pains and diseases There are limited WASH and sanitation facilities Most settlements do not have an adequate garbage disposal system Shortage of shelter materials Pre-teenage boys are working as mini-bus conductors for under-average wages and collecting khat remnants to earn money Some settlements are located in risky areas. For example, IDPs in ONOD, dwell in the old ADC buildings under large decayed pillars of former granaries that may collapse at any time The settlements on public land in Al-Kheyrad and Lafoole located in the far outskirts of Afgoye, are not safe for women and girls. Yet IDPs are forced to reside on this public land as they cannot afford to stay on private land which is more safe. The team observed extensive movement of armed military forces in the area
The settlements in Al-Kheyrad and Lafoole are located far from livelihood opportunities and service providers which exposes the IDPs to security risks whilst commuting home from work INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS Based on the interviews with men, women, boys and girls in the settlements, the team learned that they suffer from various problems that threaten and downgrade the dignity and life of human beings in the settlements. Girls - Girls meet physical abuse and sexual harassment in the settlements. They bring water on their backs from the river because the settlements have no water sources. They also sometimes collect fire wood outside of the town and some girls reported that they have been raped in the bush when they are collecting fire wood. Some mothers told the assessment team that they cannot stay in the settlements at night with their girls because they are afraid of them being raped by bandits entering the settlements, so they send girls to the town to sleep with families who helped them with safe rooms to stay at night. Other young girls reported that they go to other families houses with their mothers, so when the mothers are washing clothes for the families, the girls do babysitting to gain money. Key protection concerns: high risk of GBV at night time, during commuting and during water and firewood collection. Boys - It was reported that several boys from the families in the settlements joined armed forces in order to earn their living. Some boys told the team that they prefer to join armed forces because there is no other way that they could find food and other necessary elements of living. Key protection concern: lack of education and vocational activities causes boys to join armed forces and to engage in labour. Women - Women in the visited settlements are concerned about the lack of basic needs to support their family. Amongst the most vulnerable are widows and those who lost all their properties or animals in the conflicts and droughts. Some women told the assessment team that they go every day to collect fire wood outside of the town and sell in the markets or go out for begging to cover the daily needs of the families. Sometimes we return home with empty hands because we are robbed of what we receive from begging said one interviewed woman in the visited IDP settlements in Afgoye. Some women told the team that they wash clothes to the families in the town to earn livelihood. These women reported that they are sometimes denied of their earnings or money by the families they worked for. Key protection concern: lack of livelihood opportunities to sustain basic needs of the family, exploitation and lack of basic services. 3
Men - Most of the men sit in front of poor wooden huts in the settlements and do nothing. They say that there is no work in the town whatsoever. I feel ashamed of begging and I cannot do difficult odd jobs because I am an old man so I sit in this place and wait what Allah brings said an interviewed man in the visited settlements. Key protection concern: loss of dignity, inability to provide for the family and lack of livelihood opportunities. ACCESS AND SECURITY On Monday morning of 2 July 2012 the assessment team traveled in a low-key manner from Mogadishu to Afgoye with a mini bus. The road to Afgoye and the corridor were empty except armed men wandering around. TFG forces and AMISOM troops were scattered all along the road where they set up check points to check passengers and the buses plying between Mogadishu and Afgoye. The team reached Afgoye town safely and met with the District Commissioner to explain their objectives and introduce organizations they were representing. The Commissioner welcomed the team cordially and gave them green light to pursue their assignment. The district authorities recommended contacting them prior to any operations in the district. The team faced no considerable security risks whilst conducting the assessment. The team noted the presence of significant numbers of TFG soldiers in the town. After conducting the assessment, one of the teams was requested to debrief the Head of the Regional Humanitarian Relief Committee. Based on the assessment mission, the participating partners consider that if the current security situation remains stable, it is possible to resume protection activities in Afgoye district. RECOMMENDATIONS The assessment team recommends to all concerned parties (UN agencies, donors, national and international organizations, TFG authorities and business companies) to provide assistance of any kind, form or shape to these needy people in the IDP settlements in Afgoye. The assessment team from INTERSOS, FENPS, WOCCA, MURDO, SSDO, KASHIF also suggests to humanitarian agencies to take emergency responsive measures to protect the dignity and the prestige of these people in order to prevent the lives of these desperately needy people from deterioration further without delay. 4
Immediate recommendations include: Establish alternatives for collection of water and firewood which poses significant security risks to women and girls Engage with Afgoye district administration to establish close links with settlement leaders and the Afgoye police to increase security for IDPs residing on public land in the furthest outskirts of town in particular at night time Engage with TFG authorities to ensure strict adherence to protection principles and raise awareness on protection of civilian issues, such as GBV, child protection etc. Resume programmes supporting victims of GBV with psychosocial support, livelihood activities and strengthen post-rape treatment in existing MCH / OPD centers by providing CMR training, post-rape treatment kits and emergency contraceptives Establish child friendly spaces to mitigate protection risks girls and boys are facing Focus on livelihood programs and skills training to increase self-reliance of IDP men and women, to avoid recruitment of boys to armed militia and to avoid pre-teenage labour Appeal to WASH, shelter, nutrition and health partners to resume or scale up activities in Afgoye district 5
PHOTO ANNEX Decayed pillars and ruined walls are risk to fall on these IDPs 6
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8 One of the poor hygiene places in Afgoye
These IPDs live in a drafty treeless place so they need shelters to enter hot and cold climate 9
These women in Afgoye are complaining about poverty and lack of unemployment of their husbands. Some women told the assessment team that they are widows and look for daily needs for their children. These women are requesting income generating creation for them to earn daily living for their families 10
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ANNEX OF INTERVIEWEES Type of person interviewed Number of persons Subtotal 1 IDP camp focal points 4 (2 male and 2 female) 4 2 IDPs male 16 16 3 IDPs female 16 16 Total 36 Compiled by: FENPS 12