A female is now facing execution in the Horn of Africa nation after being found guilty of murdering a teenager in her care.
The killing of parentless child Saabirin Saylaan in last autumn, and the gruesome details that came to light about the circumstances surrounding her death, triggered protests near her home in Galkayo, along with fresh demands for stronger child protection.
The incident resonated deeply in a nation where child abuse frequently goes unreported, especially when it takes place inside extended families.
For numerous people, Saabirin's death symbolised a broader shortcoming in child protection and the sluggish enforcement of legal safeguards meant to prevent such tragedies.
The guilty verdict of 34-year-old Hodan Mohamud Diiriye for murder marked one of the uncommon instances in Somalia where a court handed down the ultimate penalty for child abuse.
Diiriye had denied the charges and her lawyer has filed an appeal against the decision.
Her spouse, Abdiaziz Nor, 65, was cleared of murder but given one year in prison and ordered to pay $500 for negligence.
Saabirin was left parentless when both her parents died within a brief time when she was just one year old.
Both of her elder female relatives had also died so she was looked after by her late mother's aunt, who made sure she got an schooling and attended a classical Quranic school.
But her life took a tragic turn in September after Saabirin's elder relative agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a domestic helper, could take her in.
During their investigation, police revealed that in the two months she was living there, the young girl had endured "routine physical abuse" - she was beaten and tortured.
Proof obtained from Diiriye's phone, including recordings and audio recordings captured ongoing violence. Some of these were released to the public before the trial.
In one especially harrowing recording, Diiriye can be heard saying: "I'm enjoying your pain."
A autopsy of Saabirin's body showed multiple injuries and deep stab wounds indicative of prolonged violence.
As details of the police investigation emerged, public anger escalated.
Hundreds of women and young people marched in Galkayo, carrying signs reading "We Demand Justice" and urging the authorities to prosecute all those responsible.
They assembled outside the local hospital where her body was held in the morgue.
Things got so tense that during one protest demonstrators confronted police and a young man was shot dead.
Online, young women and girls initiated a wave of support movements, using social media tags invoking Saabirin's name.
"No child should die like this," a emotional 18-year-old protester said in a clip shared on social media. "We also reject the attempts by traditional elders who want to resolve this case through clan customs or behind closed doors."
This refers to when elders from the clans of those involved in a dispute intervene with the aim of preventing revenge, rather than establish criminal guilt.
Child abuse in Somalia is often concealed within households, and extended families are customarily viewed as safe spaces – where the state should not interfere.
Diiriye's trial and other related hearings were streamed live on social media to foster public trust in the justice system.
A regional police commander said the verdict marked an important moment in the pursuit of justice for the murdered teenager.
"The offender is now only awaiting the implementation of the death sentence. If further evidence emerges proving that other individuals were involved in this crime, they will not be exempted, the law will be fully applied to them as well," he said.
A director of a child rights organisation said that "the case underscores the deep gaps that still exist in safeguarding the most basic human rights of children in our society."
"Children continue to face violence inside family homes, and only the most extreme cases ever reach the police," he added.
In the summer this year, police in the capital, Mogadishu, acted on a report that a three-year-old boy had been brutally mistreated inside the home of his father's wife. The accused perpetrator was quickly arrested.
According to a assessment, three appalling acts of violence against children occurred in the country during October and November.
The head of a local women's association in Galkayo said the community was inundated with cases of violence in the home, many of which never reach the courts.
On 1 October this year, Somalia's parliament ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The long-standing charter outlines legal frameworks to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against children.
Its stipulations include:
But just three days later, a government department issued a statement stating that the implementation of the charter would be in accordance with Islamic law, with provisions conflicting with religious teaching not being applied.
It said that Somali family rights was paramount and no external entity could override it.
A women's and child's rights activist contended that implementation of existing measures in Somalia remained ineffective.
The police lack the resources to deal with cases along with social services. Cases often get interfered with clan elders, which undermines the justice system and victims' voices are not heard, she said.
She notes that children were often unaware that they could speak out and many schools were not teaching them that they could disclose abuse.
"In many similar cases, both sides of the family reach a private agreement and then inform the government that the matter has been resolved," the activist said.
A official for the region's ministry of women's development rejects that the authorities are failing in their responsibility to protect children.
She pointed out programmes to help youths and efforts to protect street children.
She did however admit that in cases like Saabirin's, it is sometimes difficult to act. She acknowledged that more should be done to increase awareness that people can speak out if they suspect that a child might not be safe.
"Every child has the right to be taken from any household in which they do not feel safe," the official said.
Although Saabirin's life was ended too soon, her death is now forcing overdue conversations about child safety in Somalia.
But as the local community considers the verdict, some are uncertain if justice will be achieved in the long run.
"There is nothing to rejoice yet, we still need clarity," one of the young protesters said. "We don't want justice in words, we want to see it with our own eyes. We don't want delays."
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