Somalia: Treatment and availability of clan protection for persons who marry lower caste clan members, in particular, a member of the Midgan who married a member of the Darod (Majetein) clan in 1979
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM30919.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Treatment and availability of clan protection for persons who marry lower caste clan members, in particular, a member of the Midgan who married a member of the Darod (Majetein) clan in 1979, 1 January 1999, SOM30919.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aca660.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information specific to treatment of a Midgan person who married a member of the Darod (Majertein) clan twenty years ago could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
According to Matt Bryden, Project Coordinator, War-Torn Societies Project (WSP), in Nairobi, whether a woman from a minority clan married to a member of one of the major clans would be at risk for ill treatment, would depend on whether she is a "resident" or "non-resident" of the area in which she lives (Danish Fact-Finding Mission to Somalia and Kenya July 1998). Matt Bryden reportedly stated that
inter-marriage between clans did not generally carry a risk of persecution or ill-treatment anywhere in Somalia. Only in exceptional cases could inter-marriage carry a certain risk in the form of social isolation or direct harassment which could place the single remaining spouse whose clan was not represented in the area in a more vulnerable position. This only applied therefore in situations in which one of the spouses had died, disappeared or divorced...the surviving spouse would normally be dependent on the deceased spouse's clan which had previously lived in the area. When the surviving spouse belong to a clan which did not traditionally live in the area, he or she could risk social isolation, which could make them more vulnerable ...women belonging to the so-called "resident" clans did not risk persecution or ill-treatment if they were living in their "home area." However a single woman trying to travel alone through a foreign-clan area, i.e. an area in which she herself was "non-resident,"... naturally risked being attacked or physically ill-treated by ordinary bandits or hostile clan members (ibid).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please see the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Danish Immigration Service [Copenhagen]. July 1998. Fact-Finding Mission to Somalia and Kenya, 27 October - 7 November 1997 [Internet]
Additional Sources Consulted
Five oral sources consulted did not provide information on the requested subject.
