In many parts of the world, town hall meetings provide a forum for people to voice their concerns and opinions to their government representatives. These kinds of meetings help to strengthen social cohesion and civic participation by building a shared sense of mutual accountability.

In Somalia, Asal and partner Saferworld worked with state and district-level leaders in the country’s South-West State to support town hall meetings. These meetings bring security and justice providers and the public together to discuss and address the most pressing security issues and concerns faced by communities. As part of a process to ensure the transparency, credibility and integrity of the meetings – which are jointly led by the Ministries of Justice and Security – Asal and Saferworld developed an implementation guide outlining how the meetings should be organised, designating responsibilities and providing guidelines to help ensure inclusive participation. The guide was approved by Southwest State’s Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Security and the District Commissioner.

So far, 732 people from a wide cross-section of community members – including internally displaced people, religious elders, women and minority groups – have attended at least one of the eight town hall meetings. Asal and Saferworld have worked closely with organisers to help ensure the meetings encourage maximum participation from everyone and maintain a constructive atmosphere through careful moderation.

As part of our commitment to inclusivity, we ensured that women had a meaningful platform during the townhall meetings. They used this opportunity to raise important concerns, particularly regarding their experiences with sexual and gender-based violence within the court system.

This led to an important outcome, as explained by community member Ali Isack: “There were issues I thought could never be solved, but now I see progress. For example, rape cases in our community. In the past, these were settled by elders using customary law. When a woman or girl was raped, elders from both families would meet and discuss the incident, and a small amount of money, called ‘sadax jir’, would be paid to the victim’s family. But now, we’ve agreed that this approach is wrong, and that rape cases should go directly to the courts."

Following a series of town hall meetings in the city of Baidoa, ward leaders in Wadajir, Isha and Towfiq neighbourhoods/wards brought together business and community leaders to find solutions to concerns that community members had raised about feeling unsafe, for example, due to a lack of street lighting at night. They also discussed the frequent, undirected firing of guns during traffic jams to clear a path, as well as gunfire at weddings as a sign of celebration.

Discussions between the public and security and justice officials in the town hall meetings have led to district police addressing these and other concerns. This has included state authorities issuing a directive to security force personnel so that they reduce unnecessary discharge of their weapons.

Alongside this directive, there has been improved communication with security personnel and increasing night patrols accompanied by members of Baidoa district leadership. Another improvement to community security from town hall meetings has been gaining the support of businesses and the public to contribute to the refurbishment and newly installed streetlights.

We gathered quotes during the townhall meetings, where participants were invited to share their thoughts and experiences. These insights reflect the broader discussions held throughout the townhalls.

Tabit, a community member and participant in the Baidoa town hall meetings, said:

“We raised several concerns from the community regarding security and justice, including the issue of armed robbers who steal mobile phones from citizens at night. In response, the police have increased their patrols to help reduce these robberies.

Another concern from the community was the practice of unnecessary gunfire. The government has instructed security personnel to stop firing their weapons without cause, which has led to a significant decrease in such incidents.”

A member of a community action forum in Wadajir ward, who attended some of the town hall meetings, commented:

“During the town hall meetings, we raised concerns about the lack of contact with the police and the difficulty in reaching out when issues arise. In response, the police commissioner took action by setting up a hotline, which has greatly improved communication between the police and the community.”

Another community member, Amina, attended some of the town hall meetings. When we asked her if she had noticed any significant changes since the meetings began and if she believed they have made a difference in community security, she said:

"As you can see, during the town hall meetings, the community members feel that this platform is truly addressing their concerns. I believe this programme is not only about security and justice but also contributes to the development of the community and the environment. It brings together different socio-economic groups and the government, allowing them to share ideas and discuss the specific problems that impact their daily lives. The government listens and incorporates these issues into their plans for town development. Each event includes various groups, and everyone – whether a group or an individual – feels that the programme is designed to address their needs.”

Abdullahi also shared his thoughts on the town hall meetings:

"These meetings have been really important. When we invite participants, we remind them that this is a safe space where they can freely share their concerns. We also let them know that the government officials are there to serve and help facilitate community services. The community participated actively and raised many important issues. These town hall meetings came at the perfect time when the judiciary was making reforms, and new judges were being appointed. In their first week of work, the new judges were invited to the meetings. This showed them that the community is aware and ready to stand up for its rights."

The town hall meetings have been successful in creating a space where communities and security and justice institutions can work together to improve community safety and build mutual accountability. The positive outcomes from this project will serve as a model for future community- government collaborations that focus on dialogue to find solutions in Somalia.