Namibia, Finland take hands against GBV

Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, Maria Lohela, said one way to assist Namibia in its fight against gender-based violence (GBV) is through expert volunteers with lots of experience in data management and analysis. Lohela led a Finnish delegation on a visit to Namibia last week during which the group, among others, brainstormed on a framework on a joint action to combat GBV, which is a growing concern in Namibia and an on-going social evil in Finland.Lohela made the suggestion of the use of interested expert volunteers after Kiki Gbeho, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative to Namibia observed that Namibia is in dire need of data collection and analysis on GBV cases.Gbeho stressed the point that data analysis is crucial to understand, manage and successfully and consistently prosecute cases of GBV.Speaker of the Namibian Parliament, Professor Peter Katjavivi, said there were discussions around the need for the Namibian legal system to reconsider granting police bond and court bail to aggravated GBV offenders, and to have an easily accessible database on repeat offenders. He said Namibia needs targeted intervention to deal with GBV as well as domestic violence in urban and rural areas equally.Katjavivi acknowledged that shelters for victims of GBV and domestic violence in the country “do not offer comfort” and that the police is often not able to “capture a simple case in black and white”. Katjavivi noted that the time has come to have people dealing with GBV to be properly sensitised and equipped, saying appropriate training of such actors cannot be underestimated.Katjavivi also noted that perpetrators of GBV should understand that their place in the country “is diminishing”. He said while the Namibian government is “strong on human rights issues” there is still need for all organs of the state to “strongly push” issues of GBV.Lohela said there is globally not enough people to tackle GBV, commenting that women on their own cannot solve the problem. “Women need the support of men and vice-versa,” she said, adding that it was important not only to castigate those who find themselves guilty of GBV but importantly to have women and other victims informed of their rights, which include the rights to protection and safety. She said Finland, which in 2016 had a population of about 5.5 million, has a variety of institutions running an extensive shelter system, and that there is wide and open discussion, but mentioned that there remains a greater need for more open and fluid communication between institutional systems. She said there is a multi-dimensional approach at police points where cases of GBV are being reported and that the police, which usually deal with the execution of the law, are supported by social workers and other support staff. Both countries said the root causes of GBV seem to be unemployment, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, and that more evidence-based methods are required to prevent and manage violence at family level. They also agreed that schools should form part of the battle in the fight against domestic violence, because children's behaviour at school usually is a good indicator of how healthy, or not, relationships are at home. Finnish ambassador to Namibia, Pirkko-Liisa Kyostila, said there already exists a number of cooperation and intervention projects with NGO's, including NGO-to-NGO cooperation on the issue of GBV, which she said is the “biggest human rights violation” in this country. Catherine Sasman

Namibia, Finland take hands against GBV

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-25

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Namibia, Finland take hands against GBV

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-25

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