411: Somalia

Get The 411:

Basic Facts
Recent History
Children In Somalia
Somali's In Canada
Challenges Facing Somali Youth in Toronto

Basic Facts:
Source: CIA World Fact Book/UNICEF

A mother and child in an area
of Mogadishu where displaced
people are camping.

Capital: Mogadishu
Language: Somali and Arabic are the official languages. Somali had no alphabet until 1973, when it adopted the Latin alphabet. English, Italian and Swahili are also spoken.
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Population (2004): 10.3 Million (44% of the population are age 0-14)
Life expectancy: 48 years
Ethnic Groups: Most Somalis are of Hamitic origin, which includes Hawiye, Darod, Issaq, Dir and Digil-Mirifle. There are also Arabs, Bantu-speaking Africans and an Italian minority.
Religion: Islam (Sunni), with a small Christian minority in Mogadishu
Literacy: 37.8 of the population over age 15 can read and write
Percentage of undernourished population: 71 percent population
Child Mortality Rate(deaths before the age of five): 225 deaths per 1,000 live births (2002)

Recent History:
Source: Save the Children UK
Somalia was created in 1960 through the merger of the British Somaliland Protectorate and Italian Somaliland. In 1969 President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was assassinated and the army seized control. Mohammed Siad Barre became president, renaming the country the Somali Democratic Republic. He established close relations with the USSR but lost Soviet support during Somalia's attempt in 1977 to seize the Ogaden region of Ethiopia; thereafter, his increasingly autocratic rule spawned numerous opposition groups, which made an informal alliance in 1990 and forced Siad Barre to flee in January 1991.

The 14-year civil war in Somalia which started in 1988 has led to 300,000 people fleeing to neighbouring countries, and 200,000 internally displaced persons. The intense fighting and constant political instability has resulted in widespread poverty and the almost complete collapse of the country's infrastructure. Many children are malnourished, and Somalia ranks sixth in the world for its under-five infant mortality rate.

The country has not had a central government since 1991, when the north-western part declared itself the independent Republic of Somaliland. Much of the rest of the country remained fragmented, with continuing armed conflict between rival clans. In 2004, an agreement between various factions led to the formation of a transitional federal government. But Somaliland considers the rest of Somalia to be a failed state, and has therefore kept its distance from developments in the south. It is seeking to convince the rest of the world, and especially members of the African Union, that Somaliland should be recognized as an independent entity. Puntland, in the north-east, operates as a semi-autonomous region.

Insecurity is still a big problem in many parts of Somalia/Somaliland. The country also experienced severe floods in the south in the late 1990s, followed by successive years of drought, especially inland and in the north. Coastal areas were also badly hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck in December 2004, affecting over 16,000 families in traditional fishing communities. These emergencies, together with the years of civil war and political instability, mean that education and health services are extremely inadequate throughout Somalia and Somaliland, particularly in rural areas.

Displaced children living in a
building that was once a
municiple building.

Children In Somalia:
Source: UNICEF

There was widespread use of children as soldiers (in Somalia) by all parties involved in continuing armed conflict. Some 200,000 children were estimated to have carried a gun or been involved with militias over the last 14-years.

Children and youth are among the most vulnerable Somalis, and many have known nothing but conflict and hardship. Many have suffered displacement and have observed, experienced and sometimes participated in violence. A majority have never experienced normal, stable social relationships and systems of governance, had no opportunity for education, or have had their education interrupted. Many are exposed to weapons, khat (a plant stimulant) chewing, glue sniffing and other social ailments.

This isolation has resulted in the formation of informal youth groups that are struggling to express their need to be involved in community development activities. Among them are growing categories of children who are in need of special care and protection. These categories include the internally displaced, children from minority groups, the very poor, orphans, disabled children, working children, children living in the streets, militia children and children in conflict with the law. Girls are especially disadvantaged in most of these categories.

Somali's In Canada:
Source: Somali Youth Coalition

The majority of Somalis arrived and settled in Canada over the last 15 years. In the mid 1980s, only a few hundred Somalis resided in Toronto, current populations are estimated at approximately 60,000. The peak influx of Somali refugees was reached in 1994-95. Somalia was the source of the second largest number of refugee claimants in Canada in 1991 and 1993. Today, the size of the Somali community is estimated at between 120,000 to 150,000- With 70% of this population being women and children.

Many Somali-Canadians or their relatives have lived through horrible trauma, physical atrocity and have seen the loss of loved ones in the civil war. Overnight, a great number of Somalis lost whatever properties or wealth they held. Many spent prolonged periods of harsh life in refugee camps in eastern Africa before coming to Canada. It is estimated that approximately 70% of Somali youth living in Toronto have spent a period of time living in a refugee camp prior to migrating to Canada. It is further estimated that the average age in which the Somali adolescents of today migrated to Canada was 5-8 years of age; typically after living in an average of two to four other countries before arriving in Canada. Somali families have come to Canada primarily via other East African countries (Ethiopia and Kenya), the Middle East (Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Syria), or Europe (Germany and Italy). The remaining estimated 30% of Somali youth were born in Canada.

Challenges Facing Somali Youth in Toronto:
Many of the challenges facing Somali youth are similar to those challenges faced by all youth in Toronto, but challenges are unique to youth who have come to Canada as refugees as they often encounter discrimination and marginalization in Canadian society (i.e. school, workplace and community settings).

In a recent report, members of Somali communities shared what they believe to be the existence of negative stereotypes of Somalis in Canada. One respondent stated that in the Canadian context, "Somalis have three strikes against them - being black, a Muslim, and a newcomer." This same survey notes found that respondents felt that Somalis experience varying degrees of discrimination based on color, dress and mannerisms.

A frequent comment from respondents relates to negative reactions experienced by Somalis for following religious teachings, particularly choices of dress and head-coverings for Somali girls/ women. Experiencing discrimination based on dress was described as occurring in many contexts: employment interviews, housing and neighborhood experiences and school settings.

For youth, experiencing the demoralizing experiences of racism results in a "lowered self-esteem" as they, "feel they don't have a place in this culture."

One respondent shared that Somalis "have no previous experience of racial discrimination and so are unprepared to deal with it" coming from a relatively homogeneous culture. One respondent noted that "the way that the images war and famine in Somalia were portrayed in media in the early 1990's resulted in further negative stereotyping of Somalis in Canada."