Time to eliminate GBV, Mbumba says

President Nangolo Mbumba on Monday launched the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign under the theme 'Towards Beijing +30: Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls'.“This is our moment to eliminate GBV in our country. Let us say yes to seeking help, say yes to ending the silence and hiding shame of being heard by those we trust and say yes to supporting those in need. Silence is complacency,” Mbumba said.The 16-day activism campaign against GBV is an annual international initiative that starts on 25 November each year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and ends on 10 December on International Human Rights Day and Namibian Women’s Day.Gender minister Doreen Sioka said since the campaign first began, it has been used as an organising strategy to call for the elimination of violence against women by raising awareness about GBV as a human rights issue at the community, national, regional and international levels.‘Distressing’ data Sioka said statistics from the 2013 Demographic Health Survey showed that Namibia has a GBV prevalence rate of 33%.During the 2023/24 financial year, the Namibian police recorded 4 814 GBV-related cases countrywide, of which Khomas Region recorded the highest (758), followed by Erongo (493), and Oshana (463), respectively.“These statistics are distressing. As a nation, we should be concerned, especially with the increased number of sexual abuse of children. In some cases, perpetrators are their biological fathers, family members, relatives, caregivers and neighbours,” she said.The national GBV baseline study of 2017 indicated that the main drivers of GBV in Namibia include unequal power relations, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse and negative cultural practices, such as child marriage. The study also revealed that the most common forms of GBV in Namibia are domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Time to eliminate GBV, Mbumba says

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Time to eliminate GBV, Mbumba says

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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