Officer Kis Shamis Kabdi Bile, 35, is the only female police officer in charge of all internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nugaal Region, Puntland. She is also the Deputy Director of Community Police for Puntland.

Somalia has been ranked as one of the worst countries to be a woman. Somalia's government, even at the state level, has yet to recover from decades of war. Many Somali women do not bother to report crimes because they lack faith that the system can, or wants to, help them get justice.

Officer Bile was a primary school dropout at class six. She left school to support her mother who was the only primary care giver of her family.

Later in August 1998, she joined police as first female police officer. She was only 15 years and went to work at such a tender age as a means of survival. She served in various assignments with different police departments; piracy, drug control, and community police and in the criminal investigation department.

Officer Bile inside her office at Garowe Police Station

In August 2015 she joined Armo Police Training Academy as deputy head of East Police Station where she led 32 other male police officers and went through a six-months police-training course. At that time she gained the respect of all her peers and went on to receive an award of great leader.

Ms. Bile also works at the UNFPA-supported women police desk supporting survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). She recently played a key role and supported a case involving a gang rape of a young girl by six male perpetrators.  Despite strong traditional customary law, Ms. Bile pushed the application of a recently approved sexual offenses law, which prohibits application of customary law. She succeeded in conducting thorough investigations and identification of the six perpetrators who are now in custody.  The case is in trial stage waiting for justice to be served.

Ms. Bile is married and has three children. She is a great advocate of women’s issues particularly fighting impunity related to sexual and gender based violence.

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For more information please contact UNFPA Somalia Communications Specialist Pilirani Semu-Banda on e-mail: semu-banda@unfpa.org