SHORT NEWS: LAC coordinator urges citizens to hold leaders accountable

Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) Gender Research and Advocacy Project (GRAP) coordinator Yolande Engelbrecht has urged citizens to actively uphold the law by holding leaders accountable, warning that silence and inaction often enable abuses to continue. Speaking in Rundu yesterday, Engelbrecht said the persistent rise in gender-based violence (GBV) cases is partly fuelled by failures of accountability at both community and institutional levels. She alleged that, in many instances, police officers tend to disregard or minimise GBV complaints, only responding when matters escalate into serious crimes such as murder or rape.