A woman is currently facing execution in Somalia after being convicted of killing a teenager in her care.
The killing of orphan Saabirin Saylaan in last autumn, and the shocking details that came to light about the conditions surrounding her death, triggered protests near her home in Galkayo, along with renewed calls for enhanced child protection.
The incident resonated deeply in a country where child abuse often remains hidden, especially when it occurs inside kinship networks.
For many, Saabirin's death epitomised a broader failure in child protection and the slow enforcement of legal protections meant to prevent such atrocities.
The guilty verdict of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder marked one of the rare cases in Somalia where a court imposed the ultimate penalty for child abuse.
Diiriye had denied the charges and her lawyer has lodged an challenge against the decision.
Her husband, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was cleared of murder but sentenced one year in prison and ordered to pay $500 for negligence.
Saabirin was orphaned when both her parents died within a brief time when she was just one year old.
Both of her elder female relatives had also died so she was cared for by her late mother's aunt, who ensured she got an schooling and attended a classical Quranic school.
But her life took a tragic turn in September after Saabirin's elder relative agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a domestic helper, could take her in.
During their investigation, police disclosed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had suffered "regular physical abuse" - she was assaulted and subjected to cruelty.
Evidence recovered from Diiriye's phone, including recordings and audio recordings documented ongoing violence. Some of these were released to the public before the trial.
In one especially harrowing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I take pleasure in your pain."
A post-mortem examination of Saabirin's body revealed multiple injuries and deep stab wounds indicative of sustained violence.
As details of the police investigation surfaced, community outrage escalated.
Many of women and young people marched in Galkayo, holding 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 held in the morgue.
Things got so heated that during one protest demonstrators confronted police and a young man was killed by gunfire.
Online, young women and girls launched a wave of solidarity campaigns, 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 resolve this case through tribal agreements or behind closed doors."
This describes when elders from the clans of those involved in a dispute step in with the aim of preventing revenge, rather than determine criminal guilt.
Child abuse in Somalia is often hidden within households, and relatives are customarily viewed as safe 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 represented an important moment in the pursuit of justice for the murdered teenager.
"The offender is now only awaiting the implementation of the death sentence. If further evidence surfaces proving that other individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be spared, the law will be fully applied to them as well," he said.
A director of a child rights organisation said that "the case underscores the deep gaps that still exist in protecting 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 are reported to the police," he added.
In the summer this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, acted on 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 inundated with cases of violence in the home, many of which never reach the courts.
On 1 October this year, Somalia's parliament ratified 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 minors.
Its stipulations 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 override it.
A women's and child's rights activist contended that enforcement 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 undermines the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.
She notes that children were often did not know that they could speak out and many schools were not teaching them that they could report 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 coordinator for the region's ministry of women's development denies that the authorities are failing in their responsibility to protect children.
She pointed out programmes to help youths and efforts to protect street children.
She did however admit that in cases like Saabirin's, it is sometimes difficult to act. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase understanding that people can raise concerns 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 ended too soon, her death is now forcing overdue conversations about child safety in Somalia.
But as the local community reflects on the verdict, some are uncertain if true accountability will be achieved in the long run.
"There is nothing to celebrate yet, we still need certainty," 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."
