Our child rape shame
Our child rape shame

Our child rape shame

The incessant rape of children in Namibia is becoming an epidemic of horror.
Jana-Mari Smith
Police investigated more than 3 800 rapes of children and adolescents between 2003 and 2012 and experts worry that although child rape has become the norm in Namibia, the lack of public and political outcry around the issue inevitably endorses the attitudes that lead to rape.

Police statistics show that 3 656 rapes of female children and teenagers were reported between 2003 and 2012, and 207 of boys.

Overall, the statistics show that close to 40% of rapes during those 10 years were of children, more than one-third of all rapes reported to police.

“Namibian society is silent about the issue of rape. We do not hold each other accountable and we do not speak out against such acts. Men also do not hold each other accountable and we have made it acceptable for men to sexually harass women,” Lifeline/Childline counsellors Charlemaine Husselmann and James Itana said.

The Legal Assistance Centre's (LAC) Dianne Hubbard said she worries “that the nation is no longer shocked about child sexual abuse” despite evidence it remains a “widespread problem that is not abating.”

Although the topic has not spurred a lot of vocal outcry, last week did show a minor shift when the police chief Lieutenant-General Sebastian Ndeitunga slammed the high rate of child rape and called for more vigilance from communities, and stricter sentences.





Deputy agriculture minister Anna Shiweda meanwhile decried the high rate of child rape and called it “barbaric”.

And despite Namibia's progressive legal and policy environment on the issue, girls remain “the most vulnerable members of our society,” Husselmann and Itana emphasised.

Even pregnant teenagers carry the brunt of society's scorn and blame “yet nothing is done to hold men or boys accountable”.

Moreover, the dominance of patriarchy in Namibia, as well as general acceptance of sexual harassment by men against women, adds to the problem.

“The mere fact that Namibia has such high incidences of rape is an indication that we still live in a society entrenched in harmful cultural beliefs, norms and practices, which are further fuelled by pervasive, harmful gender norms and inequalities between men and women.”

The social workers warned that “men can say and do almost anything towards women, without there being repercussions, and as long as this is the case rape will continue to soar in our country.”



Rape a symptom

Thirty-one new cases of rape of children and teenagers were opened by the police since May 2017, as per daily crime reports issued, a figure experts say does not accurately reflect the actual number of cases, since rape remains widely underreported due to numerous factors.

One of those factors is the relationship between rapist and victim.

“Several local studies indicated that children are at risk of sexual abuse from their own parents, care-givers or family members. This should be shocking to us all,” Hubbard, who is the coordinator of the Gender Research & Advocacy Project at the LAC, explained.

More than 10 suspects being investigated by police since May are related to their alleged victims, including a case where a close relative allegedly impregnated a 12-year-old girl.

In another case, a 16-year-old pregnant girl was beaten to death by her 34-year-old boyfriend, who then hanged himself.

A 73-year-old father was arrested after he allegedly sexually molested his 10-year-old daughter.

A four-year-old girl was reportedly raped and beaten by her 19-year-old uncle in June.



When is rape, rape?



“Despite the lack of statistics, we are aware that many more cases of rape go unreported. The issue of statutory rape in Namibia is for instance one issue that requires a lot of attention, given the high incidence of teen pregnancies,” Lifeline's Husselmann and Itana said.

They explained that many teenage girls engage in sexual activities with older men “without knowing that it is rape”. Often these relationships make them more vulnerable to abuse, especially if they refuse to continue such relationships.

“When these men are accused of rape, they blame the girls. This shows the strong patriarchal hold we have in our society and that these girls do not realise they are being groomed by these men.”

They warned that parents and guardians contribute to the problem, when they shield alleged rapists, “especially in instances where the victim is an adolescent and the rape resulted in pregnancy”.

Broader community awareness on rape and GBV could play a crucial role in addressing the problem, they said.

The health ministry could “assist in efforts to identify fathers of children born to adolescent girls. If we do not hold men accountable, the issue of statutory rape will continue unabated.”



The fix



There is no quick-fix for the long-term problem.

Hubbard said while the child welfare ministry is addressing the issue with some positive initiatives, “the problem is bigger than one ministry can handle on its own”.

Politicians are rarely heard “talking about the need to protect children from abuse and life skills continue to be a neglected subject in many schools,” she said.

Corporal punishment, which is illegal, is still applied at many schools, and “children are often beaten at home, sometimes severely”.

“There is no consistent message about the need to respect the dignity of children and in my view this contributes to children growing up to be adults who use violence against others. Abuse breeds more abuse. We will never be able to reduce gender-based violence or violence in Namibia in general if we don't start with the children,” Hubbard said.

Husselmann and Itana agreed that the Life Skills curriculum needs to be strengthened and implemented at all Namibian schools.

They added that tackling the issue of rape and gender-based violence requires all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, government and the private sector, to work together to curb the high incidences of rape.



JANA-MARI SMITH

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-29

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Katima Mulilo: 19° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 29° Eenhana: 19° | 29° Oshakati: 21° | 30° Ruacana: 20° | 33° Tsumeb: 19° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 29° Omaruru: 19° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 17° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 20° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 11:22, High tide: 05:24, Low Tide: 23:26, High tide: 17:46 Swakopmund: 16° | 17° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:22, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:44 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:21, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:43 Rehoboth: 19° | 30° Mariental: 23° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 35° Aranos: 22° | 33° Lüderitz: 15° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 24° | 35° Oranjemund: 14° | 25° Luanda: 27° | 28° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 16° | 21° Maseru: 11° | 29° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 27° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 28° Durban: 20° | 24° Johannesburg: 16° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 20° | 30° Harare: 16° | 29° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.77 | EUR to NAD 20.35 | CNY to NAD 2.61 | USD to NAD 18.88 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.77 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.15 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.88 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12986.94 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53% Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 19° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 29° Eenhana: 19° | 29° Oshakati: 21° | 30° Ruacana: 20° | 33° Tsumeb: 19° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 29° Omaruru: 19° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 17° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 20° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 11:22, High tide: 05:24, Low Tide: 23:26, High tide: 17:46 Swakopmund: 16° | 17° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:22, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:44 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:21, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:43 Rehoboth: 19° | 30° Mariental: 23° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 35° Aranos: 22° | 33° Lüderitz: 15° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 24° | 35° Oranjemund: 14° | 25° Luanda: 27° | 28° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 16° | 21° Maseru: 11° | 29° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 27° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 28° Durban: 20° | 24° Johannesburg: 16° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 20° | 30° Harare: 16° | 29° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.77 | EUR to NAD 20.35 | CNY to NAD 2.61 | USD to NAD 18.88 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.77 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.15 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.88 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12986.94 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53%