In at the deep end
“The first case that I ever handled at court was actually a complaint made against me,” remembers Fathi. She was accused of falsifying documents on behalf of her client, a restaurant, and her opponent making the case for the prosecution against the restaurant was a senior member of the court of appeal.
Up against such a senior lawyer on her first day, Fathi began to panic. But as she made her argument and the case unfolded, she began to feel normal again.
“The fear I had at the start began to evaporate. I had a solid case and the restaurant had legally binding documents. After an investigation, the court confirmed this and the accused was released. I was excited to win against a senior opponent while I was still fresh out of class,” she adds.
It’s not cheap to get a degree – especially in a subject as challenging as law – so Fathi Hirsi Ali almost gave up on the idea until she heard about a UNDP scholarship programme supporting legal students at Puntland State University.
Fathi applied to join the programme, which means tests students and offers scholarships to the brightest. She got in and after four years became one of the first women law graduates in the whole of Puntland. Shortly after, she also established the Puntland Women Lawyers Association to support female victims of violence and abuse and provide legal aid to some of Somalia’s most vulnerable groups.
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Fighting for women
These days, most of the cases Fathi takes on involve women and they are almost always about domestic disputes. Divorce proceedings for Fadumo Ali Awad, a recent recipient of free legal assistance from the Puntland Women Lawyers Association, is one example.
“I had a husband who went away for work and didn’t look back for nine years,” Fadumo explains. “He had no contact with us for the whole time. I have two kids and we live in a rented house. I wash clothes for my neighbors and sell chapatti so I can pay my children’s school fees and other bills, but it is difficult to make ends meet.”
Eventually, Fadumo decided to seek legal aid from the Puntland’s Women Lawyers Association.
“I sat with lawyer Fathi and explained my issues. I was offered free legal assistance and she took me to the court. She argued for me, saying that I could not even afford court bills and lawyers' charges,” Fatuma says.
“After the court procedures, the evidence presented by Fathi and her Association about family neglect was found to be strong. The verdict was in my favor and the judge ruled that I should get a divorce from my abusive husband
SOURCE : UNDP SOMALIA
