Police have arrested three people in connection to the brutal murder of a 17-year-old refugee girl who was forcibly married to a 55-year-old man.
Police say they have arrested three main suspects, including the purported husband.
The 17-year-old refugee, identified as Gaal Adan Abdi, was forcibly married to a 55-year-old man, subjected to severe abuse, and ultimately killed.
Her body was burnt beyond recognition.
“The National Police Service wishes to confirm to the public that following the tragic death of a 17-year-old child bride, the police were able to move with speed and apprehend three main suspects, among them the purported husband to the child,” the NPS said.
In the days leading up to her tragic death, Adan reached out to her mother through a series of heartfelt voicemails. In these messages, she bravely detailed the relentless physical abuse she endured at the hands of her husband and his family.
Adan expressed her desperation and longing to escape her marriage, even voicing a painful wish to return to the refugee camp that had once been her home.
Just moments before her life was cut short, Adan conveyed to her mother that her abusers were taking the phone from her, effectively silencing her once again.
Not long after, a devastating call came to Adan's mother, delivering the heartbreaking news that there was no longer any need for her to visit, as her daughter had been murdered.
“NPS deeply regrets this death and condoles with the family of the victim while asking the wider Kenyan community to desist from harmful cultural practices while letting children be just that, children,” police asserted.
In response to Gaal's death, residents of Wajir, alongside human rights groups, have organized demonstrations demanding justice and stricter enforcement of laws to protect young girls from forced marriages and gender-based violence
On Thursday, the National Gender and Equity Commission (NGEC) and the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) urged the government to enforce stricter laws that will ensure forced marriages in the country come to an end.
