Election 2019: Gender-based violence

All People's Party (APP) • Ending gender-based violence (GBV) and ensuring children and women's security is a priority. • Tackling GBV is crucial for poverty reduction and economic development. • Given that GBV is linked to gender-based power inequalities, key in GBV prevention are efforts to increase gender equality and transformation of gender norms. • Prevention strategies entail a shift from 'victims' to 'survivors', with a focus on women and girl empowerment and agency. • Efforts to increase women's political and economic empowerment and sexual and reproductive rights, and to incorporate men and boys in the work. • The strengthening of legal and policy framework is also of outmost importance, as are efforts to bridge the gap between law and practice and to end impunity of GBV. • Response to survivors, which meets their rights to protection and access to services, including shelters and health sector services. Landless People's Movement (LPM) • Allocate N$1 billion towards the fight against GBV in the next five years. • GBV education programmes to target out-of-school youth through government, traditional authorities and other civil society organisations. • Programmes must aim to, amongst other things, address gendered thinking but also problematic behaviour in men and boys at an early stage. • Train police specialising in dealing with GBV crimes. • Build GBV safe houses in all regions. • Social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists to be specially trained to counsel and provide ongoing support to minimise or prevent the lasting effects of trauma. • Civil society organisations are deemed necessary partners in combating GBV and shall be accorded a leading role in a shared responsibility. Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) • Free sanitary pads for vulnerable girls. • Special courts to deal with sexual and gender-based violence cases • Train police to deal with GBV. • Education programmes to address issues of corrective rape, and the establishment of a task team on LGBTIQA as a new area of focus. • Creation and implementation of a service charter for victims of crime. Republic Party (RP) • Namibia is in desperate need of special courts that will only deal with cases of assault, rape and murder of our women and children. • But before that, laws need to be changed, because those who commit these atrocities should be handed sentences that will be so harsh that nobody will even consider committing these horrific crimes. • Those guilty of common assault should be sentenced to five years imprisonment and those guilty of serious assault should be sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, both without any possibility for parole. • Rapists should be jailed for life without possibility for parole. • Murderers jailed for life, without possibility of parole. SWANU • Anyone who commits rape or incest shall be imprisoned to the maximum number of years and shall not be eligible for parole or pardon under any circumstances. • Create a human rights culture, coupled with improvements in the standard of living that will restore the dignity of our people and render violence a thing of the past. • Undertake comprehensive reforms of the criminal justice system, with a view to making Namibia a more humane society of equals. SWAPO • Consolidate programmes to accelerate equitable economic empowerment of women and youth. • Provide teenage-friendly environments at public health centres. • Awareness campaigns and education programmes on reproductive health. • Reduce teenage pregnancies by 30% by the year 2025. • Strengthen law enforcement capacity to respond timely and effectively to GBV incidents. • Establish GBV protection units in remaining urban areas. • Establish more safe houses. • Accelerate the review of the Combatting of Domestic Violence Act. • Introduce anger management and counselling programmes at schools and communities to reduce incidents of GBV. • Identify and raise awareness of potentially harmful traditional and cultural practices. • Improve legal framework to enable mothers and their families to feel more protected. • Foster conducive environment for women empowerment.

Election 2019: Gender-based violence

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-18

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Election 2019: Gender-based violence

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-18

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