GBV causes a lifetime of pain

Namibian experts say gender-based violence (GBV) is a global phenomenon, cutting across cultures, race, ethnicity, class, education and religion. Speaking during a recently held seminar called Understanding Contributing Factors Towards Violence Against Women and Children, clinical psychologist Dr Elizabeth Shino said one in three women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex or experienced some form of abuse in their lifetime. She said intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common type of violence globally. According to Shino, causes of GBV are varied, complex and multi-dimensional. “ There are many reasons that have been named as contributing factors of this horrible thing, such as institutional , social and cultural norms, as well as gender inequality, but the question is what are we doing to get to the root of the problem and help heal our country from this?” asked Shino. She said the psychological and mental effects suffered by victims of GBV are so many and it can take years to heal, as many women even suffer in silence and don’t receive the required psychological healing. Effects Some of the long term effects include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, psychological distress, fear, anxiety, suicide, shame, low self-esteem and self doubt, substance abuse, unwanted pregnancies, self-injury and sexual disorders. The seminar agreed that GBV is not only a social problem, but a serious national crisis. Experts concurred that many cases go unreported due to shame and stigma. Shino said primary intervention, which looks at prevention before the violence starts, includes changing attitudes toward forms of violence, educational outreach, psycho-social intervention as well as psycho-education campaigns targeted at youth, teens, adults and society as a whole. “Secondary intervention, which is intervention after some violence has occurred or a person is at risk or violence occurring, include changing and decreasing repeat violent behaviour, enhancing help-seeking behaviour, education about laws and legislation, psycho-social intervention for victims and perpetrators, as well as individual and couple therapy, while tertiary intervention is aimed at rehabilitating perpetrators,” said Shino. She said awareness of the negative consequences and the impact of GBV, the collaboration between various sectors of society, the commitment of all stakeholders, as well as law enforcement and education are some of the requirements for positive outcomes