N$1m budget and limited beds strain GBV shelters

Namibia’s state-run shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and trafficking are under severe financial and capacity pressure, with limited space for victims and a N$1 million annual budget that covers only food and basic necessities.

Only a handful of survivors can be accommodated in safe houses at any given time, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare has acknowledged.

“When compared to annual GBV reporting figures, only a small proportion of survivors can be accommodated in safe houses at any given time,” Cecilia Iyambo, the ministry's senior public relations officer, told Namibian Sun in a written interview this week.

 “This highlights that safe houses are designed primarily as emergency, short-term protective spaces rather than a system-wide accommodation solution for all reported cases,” she added.

She acknowledged that “given the scale and complexity of gender-based violence in Namibia, the current sheltering system is not yet fully adequate to meet all demand across the country”.

At capacity

There are currently eight state-run shelters across the country and two privately owned facilities in Khomas, the ministry confirmed.

The state-run shelters are based in the Zambezi, Kavango East, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena, Khomas, Hardap, and ǁKharas regions, alongside privately run facilities in Khomas and Oshikoto.

Iyambo noted that “due to the different layouts and designs of the shelter houses, the [shelter] capacity is 20 babies and 80 clients of gender-based violence (GBV), violence against Children (VAC) and trafficking in persons (TIP).”

"Shelter capacity is generally measured in terms of available beds per shelter. Thus, the system operates under significant pressure, and in some instances, shelters reach full capacity, requiring prioritisation based on risk levels and urgency of need,” Iyambo added.

She said the ministry subsidises the two privately run shelters at a combined monthly cost of N$46 793.71, totalling around N$561 516 per year, leaving N$438 484 for the other eight shelters.

“This does not include the maintenance and the development budget for shelters,” Iyambo said.

Gender minister Emma Kantema told parliament during her budget motivation that the shelters had accommodated 254 survivors during the 2025/26 financial year.

System under pressure, gaps exposed

Access to shelters is tightly controlled, Iyambo told Namibian Sun.

Survivors must be assessed by social workers through GBV protection units before admission, while walk-ins are not permitted.

The ministry has no system to track how many victims are turned away.

“There is currently no consolidated national system that consistently captures the victims who were turned away within a given period," Iyambo said.

“In many cases, alternative placements are arranged informally, which are not always reflected in official statistics,” she added.

Staffing shortages and infrastructure constraints compound the funding pressures, at times forcing shelters to reduce intake capacity or redirect survivors to alternative facilities, Iyambo said.

“In certain instances, these constraints have resulted in temporary adjustments to service delivery levels, such as reduced intake capacity or reliance on referral arrangements to alternative facilities."

Each shelter has just one social worker and no permanently assigned psychologist.

Survivors requiring specialist mental health support are referred to the health ministry.

While the shelters are fully government-funded, partners such as the United Nations Population Fund provide additional support, including dignity kits and capacity-building initiatives.

Police statistics show that more than 4 400 GBV cases, including 1 345 rapes, were recorded in just 10 months between April 2024 and February 2025.

Gender ministry executive director Lydia Indombo said at the time that these numbers "represent people we know – our neighbours, our community members, and innocent human beings".