nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
Persons with disabilities have no access to suitable accommodation in Somalia; this makes them extremely vulnerable when faced with the risk of a forced eviction. Persons with disabilities in Somalia lack options and yet private sector housing is often limited by cost and discriminatory practices of landlords and agents.
Housing, Land and Property: There are 2.5 million people in need .Similarly, 1.9M non IDPs, 0.6M IDPs, 14,000refugees/asylum seekers, 55,000 refugee returnees are in need. Cluster key vulnerable groups are  ( 200,000 )  IDPs.
The Gender Based Violence Information Management System  ( GBVIMS )  currently in operation is limited in scope and is inadequate to provide the breath of data needed to inform GBV prevention, response and mitigation.
According to the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit  ( FSNAU ) , over 2.65 million people across Somalia are expected to face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity by mid 2021
Service mobilization is low and worsened by the lack of primary sites to mobilize women and girls to access services. Limited avenues for service mobilization and dissemination all contribute as major obstacles to GBV service provision. Spaces where women meet are limited, and sometimes meetings take place in temporary spaces such as under trees and in community spaces in IDP camps. Limited spaces for service mobilization, recreation and learning of life skills impede on service provision and women and girls' ability to recover and develop new friendships and skills needed to accelerate recovery from traumatic experiences.
The continued lack of a strong legal framework for the protection of women and girls in the Federal Member States of Somalia – Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West State and Jubaland – and the lack of political will to implement the approved legislation in the Federal Member State of Puntland, has weakened the ability of Government to ensure protection of women and girls.It has also depleted the capacity of women and girls' survivors of GBV to implement action to protect themselves and eroded their confidence to seek justice.
The Joint Humanitarian Gap Analysis  ( July 2020 )  in Middle Shabelle found that GBV services implemented by one humanitarian partner are ongoing in the IDP settlements of Jowhar town, but there are no protection services in the entire Middle Shabelle region. Coordination is also hampered by inadequate availability of valid sex, age, gender and disability disaggregated data to inform targeting and focus.
Additionally, 182,000 pregnant and lactating women and 7,000 people living with HIV/TB are acutely malnourished adding to the overall burden of malnutrition.
HRP identifies 14.3M non internally displaced persons ( non IDPs )  in need. Among them,57% are women and 43% men, 66% are children, 30% are adults and 4% are elderly.
Findings from 2020 joint assessments indicate that with increasing multiple displacements, forced evictions and loss of livelihoods due to droughts, conflicts and COVID 19 restriction measures, an increasing population of women and girls continue to express the need for dignity protection and material support  ( such as dignity and hygiene kits, solar lanterns, torches, mats and mattresses )  to meet both basic and protection needs.
Somali children and adolescents are under pressure to become economically productive at an early age. It is estimated that half of all children between ages 5 and 14 from central and southern Somalia are employed. Even in the more stable regions of Puntland and Somaliland, a quarter of the child population is employed, which negatively affects their right to health and education.
Over 3.9 million people in Somalia need urgent action to maintain their right to health and wellbeing, and to assure their equitable and dignified access to healthcare.
Child protection cases are under reported due to the absence of a unified reporting mechanism, societal norms and lack of training personnel, especially the police, on how to gather evidence for such cases.
There is an urgent need to improve the quality of child protection services for girls and boys at risk and increase the case management capacity to provide one on one support for children based on their specific needs.
While significant progress has been made in delivering stabilizing and generalized psychosocial support to significant numbers of children in need, the need to scale up more structured psychosocial support for those most severely affected is urgently required.
Moreover, persons with disabilities face additional risks of exploitation, abuse and discrimination by other IDPs, such as having their assistance stolen.
In agropastoral and riverine livelihood zones, most poor households will have below normal food stocks and reduced agricultural labor income from the below average 2020 deyr harvest and the anticipated, belowaverage 2021 gu harvest.
Boys and girls of all ages in Somalia continue to endure multiple protection risks and violations of their rights including family separation, sexual and physical violence, killing and maiming, psychosocial distress, and worst forms of child labour. Other risks include forced and protracted displacements, limited access to humanitarian assistance due to insecurity and/ or discriminatory practices and exploitation, as well as recruitment by armed forces and groups.
The restrictions on movement and public gatherings have limited access to basic services as well as reduced access to information and participation in community level decision making.
In northern and central pastoral livelihood zones, most poor households are still struggling to recover their livestock holdings, which will continue to limit their food and income from livestock and milk production.
Another concerning trend from the SPMS highlights that equal access to formal justice for GBV survivors, victims of evictions or people facing disputes is extremely limited, while traditional justice mechanisms are discriminatory against marginalized groups and women.
Increasing targeting of boys for rape, forceful recruitment and kidnapping of men and boys are also major forms of GBV affecting men and boys.
Out of a total of 189 GBV incidents involving 214 survivors, 196 were girls with 16 women and 2 boys. Low reporting of GBV cases persist due to stigmatization, victim blaming, shame and interference by clan and religious leaders, slow access to justice and weak or lack of legal frameworks for the protection of women and girls from GBV.
Women and adolescent girls from 18 – 50 years old  ( including those living with disabilities )  are subjected to intimate partner violence, rape, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and abuse, which have been reported significantly in Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle, Jubaland, Hiraan, South West State, Puntland, Banadir and Somaliland.
A CCCM assessment in Dinsor, Bay region and a joint Humanitarian Gap Analysis  ( July 2020 ) 169 in Middle Shabelle region  ( Balcad and Jowhar )  of IDP camps, found that distant water points, markets, health facilities/schools, poor lighting, lack of doors on toilets and lack of disaggregation of sanitary facilities are some of major factors that increase GBV exposure.
[ PROTECTION LIVING STANDARDS GAP  ( LSG )  ]  Most commonly reported areas in the community where girls and/or women do not feel safe were On the way to markets  ( 42% ) , When leaving settlement/town  ( 54%  ) , At water points  ( 22% ) .Similarly, most commonly reported areas in the community where boys or men do not feel safe were On the way to markets  ( 57% ) , When leaving settlement/town  ( 60%  ) , In the market  ( 27% ) .
Without access to remittances as a coping strategy, the majority of IDPs are particularly vulnerable to acute food insecurity and malnutrition, which is particularly high among IDPs who have lost their means of livelihood.
[ CAPACITY GAP  ( CG )  ]  94% of households were found to have at least one Education Living Standard Gaps ( LSG )  and/or a Capacity Gap  ( CG ) . Among 94%, 88% of households were found to have an Living Standard Gaps ( LSG )  in education but no capacity gap in education. 6% of households were found to have both an Living Standard Gaps ( LSG )  in education and a capacity gap in education. 6% of households were found to have no education Living Standard Gaps ( LSG )  but a capacity gap in education.
However, the humanitarian situation is expected to deteriorate further in 2021, including due to the persistent threat of Desert Locusts on crops and pasture and the continued socioeconomic impact of COVID 19.
[ EDUCATION LIVING STANDARDS GAP  ( LSG )  ]  Education LSGs were found to be primarily driven by Households with school aged children who reported barriers to accessing education for boys  ( 78% )  , Households with school aged children who reported barriers to accessing education for girls  ( 79% ) .
Adolescents  ( 10 19 years )  account for 27 per cent of the total Somali population, and 81 per cent of the total population of Somalia are below 35 years old. Not only do adolescents face the worst forms of abuse such as rape and murder, but they are also often coerced into difficult circumstances which are detrimental to their own physical and mental wellbeing or forced to adopt maladaptive coping mechanisms to overcome structural deprivations.
Girls and boys of all ages still face violence in all areas of their lives: at home, at school and in the community. Children from displaced communities and those from conflict affected areas, refugees and returnees are particularly vulnerable as they are exposed to multiple protection risks enumerated above; children account for nearly 40 per cent of the total of refugees, asylum seekers and refugee returnee population. Many out of school children can be found in these groups as a result of multiple intersecting exclusionary factors, including early marriage, disabilities and forced recruitment by armed groups.
Up to 66 per cent of the population in need of protection services in Somalia are children who continue to be exposed to protection threats of recruitment, abuse, neglect, abduction, exploitation and violence. Hence, 1.88 million children, including 10 per cent of children with disabilities166, are in need of immediate child protection services. In comparison to the 2019 analysis, the estimated number of people in need increased by 12.5 per cent in 2020.
Conflict in Somalia has resulted in contamination from explosives remnants of war  ( ERW ) , landmines, and IEDs, which has a detrimental impact on the physical security of civilians, especially for mobile pastoral communities. In the period January August 2020, 23 individuals  ( 21 children )  were killed and maimed by mines and ERW, while IEDs, including pressure plate operated, caused 313 civilian casualties.
Protection: There are 3.2 million people in need of protection .Similarly, 1.8M non IDPs, 1.2M IDPs, 28,000 refugees/asylum seekers, 110,000 refugee returnees are in need. Protection Cluster key vulnerable groups are  ( 480,000 )  person living with disability, 1.6M women, 1.6M men, 800,000 school and 800,000 older persons . Severity of needs: 83%  ( Stress ) , 14%  ( Severe ) , 2%  ( Extreme ) .
Vulnerable population groups are further exposed to the risks of malnutrition due to the prevailing triple threat of COVID 19, floods and Desert Locusts. The triple threat aggravated existing shocks and further exposed vulnerable groups to causes of malnutrition such as food insecurity, decreasing purchasing power, and morbidity due to water borne diseases and low immunization services. For example, flooding triggered reported displacements that further exposed the population to poor livelihood conditions. These shocks exacerbated the existing high number of children infected by AWD, malaria and the low coverage of measles vaccination and vitamin A supplementation  ( FSNAU ) , and contributed to an increase in the vulnerability of children to acute malnutrition due to low immunity and morbidity.
The Somalia 2020 Micronutrient Survey launched in August 2020 reported that pregnant women and children are particularly susceptible to malnutrition. It indicates that around 47 per cent of pregnant women are anaemic, compared to 40.2 per cent of non pregnant women, and similarly around 43 per cent children below 5 years are anaemic, both of which are serious public health challenges.
Nutrition: There are 2.3 million people in need of nutrition services .Similarly, 1.8M non IDPs, 511,000 IDPs, 6,000 refugees/asylum seekers, 21,000 refugee returnees, children and PLWs are in need. Nutrition Cluster key vulnerable groups are 962,000 children under five, 182,000 pregnant and lactating women treatment, 162,000 SAM children, 800,000 MAM children, 771,000 under 5 prevention, 389,000 PLW prevention . Severity of needs: 12%  ( stress ) , 15%  ( Severe ) , 73%  ( Extreme )  .
For common services, the Logistics Cluster continues to assess the operational context for humanitarian partners and augment logistics capacity whenever it is required, together with increasing efforts for making best use of available resources and explore pooled/cost sharing alternatives whenever they are available.
The Logistics Cluster was activated in Somalia on 26 April 2020 due to the demand for coordination, information management and common logistics services for the escalating needs resulting fromCOVID 19, Desert Locust and floods. To cater to the increasing needs of the humanitarian community, a coordination cell was rapidly established, led by a Cluster Coordinator.
Due to the continued lack of commercial carriers, WFP's Humanitarian Air Service  ( UNHAS )  has been supporting the humanitarian community with flights from Mogadishu to Nairobi and to locations within Somalia – not only transporting passengers, but crucial COVID 19 related equipment and materials, as well as blood samples on behalf of key health partners and the Government of Somalia. To ensure timely security and medical evacuation services to the humanitarian community, UNHAS aircraft is kept on stand by to address possible security and medical evacuation requirements.
Additionally, the COVID 19 pandemic has further impeded the ability of humanitarian partners to access affected populations in Somalia. Commercial and humanitarian supply chains are under strain due to limited accessibility, a significant decrease in supply options and restrictions on the transportation of passengers and vital cargo.
With the high risk of disease outbreak, the public health system must take anticipatory action to strengthen prevention and case management, including pre positioning of medications and supplies. COVID 19 also highlights the need to significantly scale up infection prevention and control practices both in the community and in the healthcare setting. Effective infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities decreases nosocomial infection, keeping patients and healthcare providers safer, and contributes to better outcomes, for example in maternal and newborn health.
In 2020, concerning numbers of measles cases  ( 3,507 as of 13 September )  and of vaccine derived polio cases are indicative of conditions that necessitate restarting and expanding supplemental vaccination efforts for marginalized groups, in conjunction with sustainable improvements to routine vaccination. No child should miss their vaccination despite the challenges of insecurity, frequent population movements and difficult to access areas
Humanitarian partners need to ramp up and target critical gaps in healthcare services to serve the most vulnerable in Somalia in a setting of insecurity, system fragmentation and poor information and surveillance.
Less than half of healthcare facilities do not provide ‘Expanded Program on Immunization' services, driving coverage below 50 per cent  ( SARA, 2016 ) , leading to a rapid accumulation of children susceptible to vaccinepreventable illness and exposing communities to large outbreaks.
Women and children are particularly exposed to elevated health risks. Access to birth spacing services is limited, and up to 99 per cent of women experience FGM or female genital cutting  ( SHDS, 2020 ) .
In particular, IDPs displaced by conflict and members of minority groups have lower access to healthcare and social services. Similarly, refugees, asylum seekers  ( 28,000 )  and refugee returnees  ( 41,956 )  often struggle to access healthcare and assistance at the primary or secondary level.
Somalia reported its first case of COVID 19 in March 2020. Since then, 4,445 cases with 113 deaths had been confirmed as of 21 November 2020. Four per cent  ( 198 cases )  of the cases were reported among health workers, negatively impacting response efforts amid already limited healthcare services in the country.
By comparison, 151 access incidents were recorded for the whole of 2019.
The risk of childhood mortality is highest in the neonatal period, accounting for over 60 per cent of deaths among children under age 5  ( IGME, 2020 ) .
However, anticipated La Niña conditions are associated with an elevated likelihood of consecutive belowaverage rainfall seasons, and Somalia faces a high risk of drought conditions developing in early 2021. Desert Locusts could also further exacerbate crop and pasture losses.
In addition, all refugees and asylum seekers in Somalia  ( 28,002 )  are vulnerable and rely on food assistance, while 52,984 refugee returnees are estimated to be in need of food assistance in 2021.
Education : There are 1.4 million people in need of education .Similarly, 1.4M non IDPs, 300,000 IDPs, 11000 refugees/asylum seekers, 46000 refugee returnees are in need. Education Cluster key vulnerable groups are  ( 144,000 )  children living with disability, 1M IDP school aged children . Severity of needs: 76%  ( Stress ) , 22%  ( Severe ) , 2%  ( Extreme ) .
For the HNO planning, the Food Security Cluster is therefore using an average projection of 3.5 million Somalis to be in Crisis  ( IPC Phase 3 )  and Emergency  ( IPC Phase 4 )  throughout 2021.
Gaps & Constraints : Poor sanitation and hygiene are reported in most IDP sites. With over one third of the population not having access to clean water. IDPs require the construction of adequate water points to ensure access to clean water for consumption and proper hygiene practices.
Protection/GBV: 90% of assessed settlements where KIs reported children that went missing in the month preceding data collection.
Reports of harassment and extortion at checkpoints continue to delay or block aid delivery. The seizure of assets and supplies is common, as is interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities.
Food Security: There are 3.5 million people in need of food .Similarly, 2.4M non IDPs, 1M IDPs, 53,000refugees/asylum seekers, 39,000 refugee returnees are in need. Education Cluster key vulnerable groups are  ( 530,000 )  person living with disability, 1M rural population. . Severity of needs: 11%  ( Severe ) , 89%  ( Extreme ) .
Safe learning environments and access to education are critical to ensure that children displaced or affected by natural disasters and pandemics such as COVID 19 are better able to cope, survive and recover from the negative impacts of the crisis.
Among other impacts, the pandemic has reportedly caused a spike in Female Genital Mutilation  ( FGM ) . According to a report by Plan International, the pandemic has forced girls to spend more time at home, placing many at greater risk of gender based violence.
Education: Children from 99% of settlements reportedly had access to education in the month preceding data collection.
Despite political progress and ongoing efforts to strengthen government institutions, the Ministry of Education  ( MoE )  has limited outreach to deliver basic education services for IDPs, children living in areas with ongoing conflict, and other groups living under the most challenging circumstances.
Girls are particularly impacted by the COVID 19 outbreak, as they are tasked with additional household chores as well as potentially being exposed to domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and early marriage. These issues increase the likelihood of enrolled girls dropping out of, or not attending, school.
Finally, according to UNHCR Somalia, 11,118 refugees and asylum seekers and 46,034 school aged children that are refugee returnees need education support.
Children from poorer households and disadvantaged communities such as nomads and rural children are significantly affected. Only 15 per cent of nomads and 34 per cent of rural children are enrolled in school. The migration of the nomadic population also hampers the attendance rates of nomad children.
8.9million people affected by poor and deteriorating WASH conditions. 3million out of 5 million school aged children are out of school.
The Education Cluster Children's Voices survey showed that in schools where partners are responding, 46 per cent of the girls do not receive sanitary materials, 15 per cent of the children reported that their schools do not have gender segregated latrines, and 67 per cent of the children reported that their schools do not have a girl friendly space.
Children living in the IDP camps are vulnerable to significant protection risks due to limited provision of services and poor living conditions.
Given the potential for drought conditions in 2021 and growing pressures on livelihoods, an increased risk of negative coping mechanisms is anticipated. Vulnerable populations are likely to reduce water consumption and rely on seasonal or unsafe water sources as water becomes scarcer.
Enrolment rates are lowest for the most vulnerable children such as children with disabilities, girls, rural, refugees and internally displaced children. Of the people displaced this year, an estimated 357,200  ( 40 per cent )  are school aged children who either were in school or never attended any form of education before displacement.
Poor households with limited coping capacity and high vulnerability are expected to continue to struggle to meet their minimum food and non food needs in 2021.
Access to accountability measures such as Complaint Feedback Mechanisms  ( CFMs )  in IDP sites continues to be a challenge, with 61 per cent of all IDP sites in Somalia citing that CFMs are not available at the site level  ( DSA, 2020 ) . This trend leads to community information regarding service provision largely occurring through community meetings or word of mouth.
CCCM safety audit reports conducted in 2020 detailed the obligatory need for functioning solar lights located in areas that would benefit women and girls accessing sitelevel communal infrastructure.
In rural Somalia, most areas are classified as being in food Stress  ( IPC Phase 2 ) , while Guban Pastoral, Bay Bakool Low Potential Agropastoral, and parts of Hiraan, Galguduud and the Jubas are in Crisis  ( IPC Phase 3 ) .
Moreover, as the number of IDP sites continues to escalate throughout the country, the requirement for CCCM site management and corresponding equitable service delivery becomes of paramount importance. Only 36 per cent of the documented 2,400 IDP sites in Somalia are currently being managed by CCCM partners, presenting key gaps in humanitarian information and standard monitoring which has adverse effects on cross sector service provision.
Informal displacement sites are distinguished by site leaders who possess a relationship with IDP communities that is rooted in power imbalances and diverging interests. Settlement management structures within informal IDP sites tend to be tenuous, with many sites being managed by a landowner or gatekeeper who has a transactional relationship with the broader community. This presents an obstacle for humanitarian aid to be delivered in an equitable manner while creating difficulties for humanitarian partners in creating effective two way communication bereft of manipulation.
Due to the informal nature of how such sites have been established, site planning and standard assurance is absent, leading to pervasive overcrowding and perilously situated communal infrastructure. This results in dense living conditions that elevate risks of fire outbreak, acute flooding and the spread of communicable diseases such as COVID 19.
In 2020, flash and riverine flooding in Somalia affected 1.6 million people, of whom 919,000 were displaced and 35 killed. Hirshabelle, South West and Jubaland States, as well as Banadir region were the areas most affected by floods.
External remittances provide a crucial lifeline to many non displaced households. Those that do not receive remittances show an 18 per cent higher rate of poverty than households who do receive remittances.
Similar to refugees and asylum seekers, there are also limited coping mechanisms and livelihoods opportunities available to refugee returnees. According to UNHCR's PRM snapshot in 2020, 65 per cent of returnee households reported that their sources of income are insufficient to meet their household needs.
In Somalia, there are high rates of GBV incidence as well as abuse and neglect of children. An estimated 98 per cent of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years have undergone Female genital mutilation, with rates reported to have increased even further during COVID 19.
A substantial number of returnees have limited access to basic services, and are exposed to a myriad of protection risks, including but not limited to SGBV, lack of access to shelter, risk of evictions, insufficient access to WASH, as well as limited livelihoods opportunities.
Individuals lacking access to basic services and/or a social safety nets are vulnerable to negative coping mechanisms that in turn make them more susceptible to violence, including GBV, eviction and cyclical displacement.
The Education Cluster identified 300,000 school aged, displaced children in need of emergency education services. Displaced children are more likely to have dropped out of school than those that are not displaced.
The health system is ill equipped to manage an increasing burden of mental disorders and non communicable diseases. Mental health services and psychotropic drugs, essential for treatment in more severe cases, are insufficient for addressing the needs. Mental health and psychosocial support capacity of primary health care staff is limited, with specialized staff available in very few locations.
Among the population of non IDPs under the poverty line, particularly vulnerable groups in urban areas such as women headed households, girls, persons with disability, the elderly and minority communities are likely to experience a deterioration of their physical and mental wellbeing as they possess limited economic resources and means to fend for themselves.
Displaced children living with disabilities face even more challenges – like social stigma or the inability to access services – and adolescent girls are seldom able to complete secondary education.
The socio economic impact of COVID 19 containment measures have particularly impacted the non IDP urban poor.The poverty rate among the non IDP urban poor is 64 per cent, with an additional 10 per cent of the population at high risk of falling into poverty with any sort of climate, economic or health related shock.
Huge food and nutrition gaps remain, largely among poor non IDP agropastoral, marginalized and urban communities, where many vulnerable persons can be classified as, or are in danger of being pushed into, the most severe phases of food and nutrition insecurity.
High levels of acute malnutrition persist, driven by high morbidity, immunization and vitamin A supplementation below Sphere standards, poor childcare practices and acute food insecurity. Inadequate water and sanitation services exacerbate malnutrition rates and related health issues. They constitute the main cause of spread of acute diarrheal diseases, leading to malnutrition and contributing to increasing the existing stunting rate of 25.3 per cent in children below 5 years of age.
Malnutrition levels among non IDPs are above emergency thresholds in most parts of the country. The Nutrition Cluster estimates that 1,766,390 non IDPs will require nutrition assistance in 2021, with pregnant and lactating women and children under 5 particularly in need.
More than 80 per cent of newborn deaths are due to prematurity, asphyxia, complications during birth or infections such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles and neonatal disorders.
According to the Food Security Cluster, a broad range of non displaced Somalis engage in moderately severe food and livelihoods coping strategies when they do not have enough food or enough money to buy food. This includes borrowing or buying food on credit, restricting adult meals and reducing overall meals.
Due to an absence of formal insurance, most Somali households are forced to rely on self insurance to cope with shocks like floods, drought, Desert Locust infestations and COVID 19. These strategies include selling, pledging or mortgaging physical and productive assets, and borrowing from friends, relatives and money lender.
Of the 3.4 million non IDPs needing water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, roughly 22 per cent are in extreme need and 24 per cent in catastrophic need.
More broadly, protection concerns continue to affect the ability of households to access basic humanitarian assistance, with 57 per cent of non IDP households stating they faced a protection related barrier when trying to access basic services like markets, water, sanitation, hygiene, or nutrition.
Further, existing GBV services are under threat due to violent targeting of service providers and the limited capacity of security personnel to apply a survivor centred approach and guide the prosecution process to ensure access to justice. The COVID 19 pandemic further shrunk availability of service provision and access for survivors as a result of movement restrictions and closure of services
Women in particular face formidable hurdles in accessing healthcare during pregnancy and child delivery, with 73 percent reporting at least one major obstacle to accessing healthcare.
During the same period, food prices in Puntland started to decrease as a result of a correction in the exchange rate between the Somali Shilling and the United States Dollar.
An estimated 1.1 million non displaced school aged children and youth remain out of school.The low enrolment rates are disproportionate across the districts in the country. Districts with the lowest attendance rates are scattered in south and central Somalia, including Bakool, Mudug, Middle Shabelle and Middle Juba
Health providers struggle to have appropriate training and resources to care for GBV survivors or provide clinical management of rape, potentially putting survivors at even more risk. Facilities often lack confidential spaces in which to examine and counsel survivors, and referral services, including mental health and psychosocial support, are often difficult to access, especially from rural areas.
Overall, women and girls who are survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence  ( SGBV )  face significant challenges in accessing competent health services that may respond to their needs in a dignified manner.
Minority clan communities are also extremely vulnerable to discrimination and persecution by the myriad armed actors in Somalia and have reduced capacity to provide meaningful protection to members, while lacking redress for grave violations of human rights due to limited state protection.
The magnitude and severity of acute food insecurity in rural areas is expected to increase significantly in 2021, due to the likely impacts of a below average 2020 Deyr season and a possibly delayed or poor performing 2021 Gu season, as well as the ongoing challenges posed by Desert Locusts.
Gaps & Constraints: The low level of internet usage in Somalia makes it difficult to plan and execute online virtual activities with both community level facilitators/volunteers, parents and children.
Separated and orphaned girls are more vulnerable as they resort to this negative coping mechanism to secure some form of social protection. This increases their economic dependency and vulnerability to sexual exploitation and abuse. In addition, parents fearing harassment and abuse of their daughters restrict their movements as much as possible to ensure safety.
The families in this category were also found to suffer from inadequate water supply to satisfy their household needs and often resorted to the use of unsafe or contaminated water. All these factors together increased the vulnerability of households to water and hygiene related diseases, including the spread of acute diarrheal diseases, which increases the risk of malnutrition and disability, and contributes to the increased stunting rate of 25.3 per cent in children below 5 years.
Looking at imported food commodities, there has been a small to medium increase in vegetable oil prices across all major districts except Hargeisa, which has shown a small decrease. Wheat flour prices increased significantly in Baidoa, but increased slightly in Bossaso and Jowhar.
About 1.2 million displaced people in Somalia were found to be in critical WASH conditions, including the use of negative coping mechanisms like the practice of open defecation, living in settlements where solid waste and wastewater are visible, and living in communities with inadequate hand washing facilities.
All cholera cases reported in Somalia during this current outbreak had never received oral cholera vaccine.Many communities, including those in IDP settlements suffering from AWD, are on the outskirts of towns where no or few healthcare facilities are located. This often means that they must travel long distances to seek care.
Meanwhile, severe acute malnutrition  ( SAM )  prevalence has increased among IDP children to 39,000 children under 5, while an estimated 184,000 children and 39,000 pregnant and lactating women are facing moderate acute malnutrition  ( MAM ) .
Many IDPs are barely able to meet their minimum food needs and have resorted further to negative coping mechanisms such as depleting what little assets they have. Within this group, there are IDPs who experience emergency levels of food consumption gaps, manifested by very high acute malnutrition, since they have been unable to find alternate livelihood opportunities.
In January, 107,573 people were reached with key messages on health, nutrition and WASH through house to house visits. There were 1,115 mobilizers who were deployed to support the NIDs campaign awareness reaching 999,126 people through 166,5211 household visits.
Availability of water containers is also limited, with 92 per cent and 8 per cent of household respectively reporting their non availability for transporting and household storage, further impacting their regular access to water.
Somalia was affected by several shocks during 2019 and 2020 drought, floods, locust invasions, and the COVID–19 pandemic. As a result, real GDP, which grew 2.9% in 2019, shrank by 1.5% in 2020, mainly because of COVID–19 containment measures such as travel restrictions and supply and value chain disruptions.
According to the Joint Multii cluster Need Assssment ( JMCNA  ) , approximately 8.9 million people are affected by poor WASH conditions. For 2021, it is estimated that 4.6 million people are in catastrophic  ( 10 per cent ) , severe  ( 9 per cent )  or extreme  ( 18 per cent )  need of humanitarian WASH assistance. The 10 per cent of households in catastrophic need mainly face a lack of access to water both in terms of quality and quantity, accompanied by a lack of access to functional sanitation. It is also a cause of relapse for acute diarrheal diseases when treated patients and children return to their communities with limited safe water and sanitation coverage, resulting in limited sustainability of health programs.
According to the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative  ( JMMI )  , the impact of the triple threat is affecting the supply and quantity of WASH commodities sold in markets. In rural areas, replenishment of stocks is slow, compounded by the quality of the poor roads. In comparison, locations with immediate access to ports, such as Bossaso, Mogadishu and Kismaayo markets were found to experience only minimum supply issues of WASH items as they do not require goods to be moved across long distances. Critical WASH goods at risk of stock depletion in the areas surveyed were chlorine tablets, soap bars, drinking water and menstrual hygiene management.
Negative coping mechanisms for sanitation include sharing a latrine with more households than in normal conditions  ( 35 per cent ) , open defecation  ( 22 per cent )  and using unhygienic facilities  ( 52 per cent ) .
55% of assessed settlements where people were reportedly not receiving information about available humanitarian assistance while only 37% are receiving information about available humanitarian assistance.
Overall, issues related to access to WASH facilities for vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities, elderly persons, women, boys and girls are an ongoing challenge. It requires availability of reliable data, extensive consultations and community engagement on planning and design, while considering the unique needs of each group.
Among those groups, the cluster also recognises that 15 per cent are persons with disabilities and 4 per cent are elderly persons who will require specific attention. Persons with disabilities face both social and physical challenges to access WASH services like WASH facilities, for example physical barriers or discrimination within communities. Physical barriers are often due to the design and distance to water and sanitation facilities, which makes it difficult for persons with disabilities to have equal access.
Persons with disabilities face additional challenges due to narrow and irregular streets and difficulties in accessing services. About 46 per cent of IDP households live in shelters that host more people than their capacity, with 16 per cent of households living in shelters that host people more than double their capacity.
99% of assessed settlements where people were reportedly not receiving humanitarian assistance.
A recent Fill the Nutrient Gap  ( FNG )  Analysis by Scaling up Nutrition  ( SUN )  and WFP showed that only two out of ten households in Somalia has access to a nutritious diet. High numbers of these children and their mothers suffer from anaemia and vitamin A deficiency. They are also more susceptible to infectious diseases and at risk of developing acute malnutrition.
The Joint Market Monitoring Initiative  ( JMMI )  was conducted in twelve urban locations across the country and found that most of the required construction materials and non food items were available in these locations. The most reported barriers by vendors assessed in the JMMI included poor quality roads, low purchasing power, roads affected by flooding and the risk of conflict during transportation.
The rapid assessment conducted by the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Agency  ( HADMA )  and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs  ( OCHA )  in collaboration with the World Health Organization  ( WHO )  and other humanitarian agencies concluded that the storm affected around 183,000 people, killed 9 people and over 63 000 livestock, damaged or contaminated water sources, and damaged essential infrastructure and fishing equipment.
The shelter, infrastructure and NFI needs of the overall population mainly depend on the status, cause, duration and location of the displacement, as well as the nature of the tenure of the land where they reside. Host communities and IDPs that are displaced due to flooding or cyclones generally move to a higher location in the near vicinity, and once the water level recedes, return to their homes. In these cases, those that are displaced need emergency shelter and basic NFI assistance, while people that returned to their home require shelter and infrastructure repair or reconstruction assistance depending on the level of damage sustained.
Against the backdrop of the COVID 19 pandemic, it has become more difficult to maintain vaccine immunity levels due to challenges in effectively implementing vaccination campaigns – especially for the most vulnerable populations and particularly among IDPs. In fact, the majority of IDP households  ( 59 per cent )  cannot afford to pay for vaccination services or medicine, while the distance to health centres is another barrier to vaccination for 36 per cent of IDPs.
Education and health services remain suspended since health clinics and schools still need repairs.
Similar proportions of both households in IDP and non IDP sites reported restrictions on free movement and whether males and females feel unsafe in their community or settlement. There are a few noticeable differences between males and females, and between IDP and non IDPs, such as more males reporting feeling unsafe in their shelters, more non displaced households feeling unsafe at water points, and more males choosing not to answer.
In addition, flooding, insecurity and conflict related displacements have contributed to lower crop production in rural areas, particularly in Hiraan and Middle and Lower Shabelle regions, creating additional stress for displaced people and increasing their reliance on food assistance.
The protracted nature of displacement caused by floods, conflict and drought continues to affect the physical and mental wellbeing of 1.6 million IDPs – in particular those residing in informal IDP sites.
A significant proportion of IDPs continue to face moderate to large food consumption gaps. The 2020 post Gu food security assessment showed that most of the major IDP settlements were in Crisis  ( IPC Phase 3 )  or Stress  ( IPC Phase 2 ) , even in the presence of humanitarian assistance.
Poor hygiene and a lack of basic health and WASH facilities among IDPs compound negative health and nutrition outcomes. Many displaced households reported poor access to clean water and functioning sanitation and hygiene services as a top priority to be addressed.
A lack of access to primary healthcare and preventive nutrition services reduces the ability of IDPs to meet their basic needs.This situation is further exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic, which has stretched the healthcare system, interrupted food systems and led to loss of income, hindering access to nutritious diets and essential services for many vulnerable children and women, including those with disabilities.
Persons with Disabilities: Somalia ratified The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 6 August 2019, committing the Government to take action to improve the rights and situation of persons with disabilities.
Agricultural production: According to FSNAU  [ Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit ]  estimates, total maize and sorghum production is estimated at 78,600 metric tons  ( MT )  – including 4,100 MT of off season crops that are expected in March – which is 15 percent below the 2010 2019 average and 25 percent below 2019/20 deyr production .
[ The situation has worsened in the COVID 19 pandemic context, with declined remittances, increased food prices, and declined employment and income earning opportunities, particularly in urban areas.  ] This has increased already severe gaps in access to WASH, nutrition and health, while increasing the risk of localized conflicts and emerging forms of social exclusion.
COVID 19 presents specific risks for older people, with higher mortality and morbidity rates.
The situation has worsened in the COVID 19 pandemic context, with declined remittances, increased food prices, and declined employment and income earning opportunities, particularly in urban areas.
Displaced people also continue to be the primary victims of evictions from Government buildings and by private landlords, particularly in Banadir. Despite the official directive issued by the Federal Government of Somalia suspending evictions due to the COVID 19 pandemic, from January to October 2020, 148,786 people were evicted from their homes, with Banadir and Bay regions reporting the highest numbers  ( 99,622 and 21,120 respectively ) . The evictions represent a constant risk for vulnerable communities, including displaced populations living in collective settlements and other urban poor in densely populated areas.
The indirect impact of COVID 19 on remittances has particularly worsened the condition of displaced people compared to the non displaced. A majority of urban and IDP households who received remittances reported a 10 to 30 per cent decline compared to what they typically received due to COVID 19, hampering their ability to sustain their life and pay for critical services.
Overall, key barriers to service delivery include chronic commodity and human resource shortages, poor infrastructure, and limited access to highly vulnerable populations, all against the backdrop of ongoing insecurity. It is estimated that 150,000 IDPs live in areas that are hard to reach by humanitarian actors.
An immunization campaign launched in Mogadishu by the Ministry of Health, with technical support from WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund  ( UNICEF ) , vaccinated 408,000 children under 5 against measles and over 1.33 million against polio between August and October 2020. A second nation wide round of demonovalent oral polio vaccine type 2  ( mOPV2 )  immunization activities is scheduled to take place between 13 16 December 2020.
According to the Health Cluster, measles cases were reported in Kismayo, Jubaland from March to the end of December 2020, with Kismayo General Hospital admitting 1,033 children  ( of whom 845 were under 5 ) .
The presence of non state armed groups across parts of Jubaland, South West, Hirshabelle and Galmudug, high incidence of violence, military operations and conflict, including airstrikes in Lower Shabelle and Juba, abduction and arrest, harassment, forcible seizure of assets and restrictions on road movement by conflict parties, continue to affect humanitarians' ability to reach people in need, particularly in rural areas, as well as restricting the ability of civilians to safely seek assistance.
People who are continuously exposed to conflict, violence and climatic shocks are particularly prone to resort to negative coping mechanisms. This has led to early marriages of girls, family separation, child labour and the association of children with armed groups to limit the number of dependents among desperate families and generate additional household income.
The protracted conflict has led to high exposure to trauma and violence, an increasingly displaced population, high stigma and limited opportunities for education and employment.
The impact of floods exacerbated already difficult conditions in some areas, which have yet to recover from the impact of past flooding  ( 2018 Gu, 2018 Deyr and 2019 Deyr ) , including destroyed irrigation infrastructure, inundated farms and destroyed crops, and shortened growing seasons that undermined crop cultivation.
Across all population groups, the most vulnerable include households with a significant proportion of persons with disabilities or medical conditions, children, older persons, and pregnant and lactating women. As families lose their socio economic safety net and the capacity to cope with shocks, these vulnerabilities are further increased if those members are the sole household head.
The pandemic led to a temporary decline in staple food imports and livestock and frankincense exports, curtailed remittances to households and small and medium businesses, and increased unemployment in urban areas.
In pastoral livelihood zones, the favourable 2020 Gu rainfall season had positive impacts on the food security and livelihoods of most pastoral households. However, in northern and central Somalia the poorest and most vulnerable pastoral households continue to experience significant food consumption gaps as they have limited livestock holdings to withstand the current and anticipated shocks.
The Desert Locust impact assessment conducted by the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group in June and July 2020 indicated that among cropping, agropastoral and pastoral regions, the impact of locusts was quite severe. Of the cropping areas, 48 per cent had high or very high losses while 65 per cent estimated harvests of their most important crop would be below average. About 75 per cent of livestock rearing respondents reported high or very high rangeland losses
As such, apart from the added health pressures of COVID 19, Somalia continues to experience outbreaks of measles, AWD and cholera, and vaccine derived polio