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The harassment I endured and observed for the entire 18 months in Hargeisa has created a lens through which I orient myself in this analysis and attempt to understand the intimate relationships women cultivate with(in) themselves, in and amongst other women, with the divine, and with their (future) husbands.
From my first day to my last day, my psychological state in Hargeisa was subject to severe fluctuations comprising of extreme highs and lows all in one day. The highs came from interactions with my close friends and informants, the lows most often came about during my physical journey to visit these friends and are rooted in various forms of harassment. The harassment I experienced was verbal and physical, and was not only located in ‘hot spots’ (the market, outside football pitches, near schools).
I was frequently verbally harassed by young men who used lewd and sometimes sexual language towards me. They were often verbally aggressive in their tone and it was not uncommon for them to follow me in their cars or on foot, making me feel physically vulnerable. One teenage boy in my neighbourhood frequently threw stones at me, escalating his aggression on two distinct occasions hitting me in the back with stones large enough to give me bruises, and another time throwing a large stone that hit me on the side of my head.
Young boys often threw small stones and blocked my path making it unable to safely pass. On several occasions groups of young boys encircled me making me feel unsafe, and I was aided by neighbourhood boys who beat them away with sticks. Other times I would be hit with small stones after I walked past a group of boys walking home from school.
Men who chewed qaat in street stalls often shouted non-sensical comments. Sometimes men that chewed would turn aggressive and approach me. I had men (and to a lesser extent women) shout at me to go home because they believed I was a Christian. One man in the market grabbed my wrist and warned me that he was ‘coming to get me.’ I was groped on the bus by a young man who denied it when my friend confronted him. Twice in the market I was robbed. The first time a thief tried to unzip my bag but I caught and hit him. The second time someone stole my camera from my lap while I sat in a café in the market. The market was also the site for the most sexually lewd harassment, where on one occasion men debated whether or not they would “f*ck” me
Intimacy and morality in Hargeisa, Somaliland by Caroline Ackley 2018
From my first day to my last day, my psychological state in Hargeisa was subject to severe fluctuations comprising of extreme highs and lows all in one day. The highs came from interactions with my close friends and informants, the lows most often came about during my physical journey to visit these friends and are rooted in various forms of harassment. The harassment I experienced was verbal and physical, and was not only located in ‘hot spots’ (the market, outside football pitches, near schools).
I was frequently verbally harassed by young men who used lewd and sometimes sexual language towards me. They were often verbally aggressive in their tone and it was not uncommon for them to follow me in their cars or on foot, making me feel physically vulnerable. One teenage boy in my neighbourhood frequently threw stones at me, escalating his aggression on two distinct occasions hitting me in the back with stones large enough to give me bruises, and another time throwing a large stone that hit me on the side of my head.
Young boys often threw small stones and blocked my path making it unable to safely pass. On several occasions groups of young boys encircled me making me feel unsafe, and I was aided by neighbourhood boys who beat them away with sticks. Other times I would be hit with small stones after I walked past a group of boys walking home from school.
Men who chewed qaat in street stalls often shouted non-sensical comments. Sometimes men that chewed would turn aggressive and approach me. I had men (and to a lesser extent women) shout at me to go home because they believed I was a Christian. One man in the market grabbed my wrist and warned me that he was ‘coming to get me.’ I was groped on the bus by a young man who denied it when my friend confronted him. Twice in the market I was robbed. The first time a thief tried to unzip my bag but I caught and hit him. The second time someone stole my camera from my lap while I sat in a café in the market. The market was also the site for the most sexually lewd harassment, where on one occasion men debated whether or not they would “f*ck” me
Intimacy and morality in Hargeisa, Somaliland by Caroline Ackley 2018