Robbers rape girl while mother watching
DENVER KISTING
WINDHOEK
The Namibian police are in pursuit of two unidentified men who raped a 12-year-old girl in front of her mother and eight-year-old sister on Monday morning.
The incident sent shockwaves through the country when it was announced on social media on Tuesday afternoon. Police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, said the men are wanted for rape, burglary with intent to rob, armed robbery and assault by threat. She said, the men, wearing balaclavas, broke into the family's corrugated-iron shack in the Havana informal settlement at around 03:00 on Monday morning. Shikwambi said the mother and her two daughters were asleep at the time. The men woke them and threatened to kill them before taking turns to rape the 12-year-old girl. “They reportedly took turns to rape the vulnerable girl in the presence of her mother and her sister. It is so terrible and traumatic,” she said.
Shikwambi added that women and girls repeatedly fall prey to this kind of crime, which robs them of their humanity and dignity.
She added that after the rape, the men fled with N$300 and a cellphone worth N$1 200.
The men are still at large.
Devastating
James Itana, a gender activist from the Regain Trust, said such incidents rip at his core.
“I am devastated. Angry does not even begin to describe how I feel about this,” he said.
He said it frustrates him that the country does not have enough resources to protect its citizens, “But we can spend millions on defence, while the police don't have enough vehicles or enough manpower to ensure the safety of our people.”
An indictment
Dr Veronica Theron, the technical advisor in the office of First Lady Monica Geingos, also condemned the incident.
“Pure disrespect, contempt of women and children, men who treat them inhumanely as sex objects for their own satisfaction,” she said.
Theron added that the incident is an indication of how men feel they are entitled to this behaviour without any consideration of the consequences on their victims.
The justice minister, Yvonne Dausab, said she was deeply aggrieved and worried.
“This is not only about the adequacy of the law and efficiency of law enforcement. This kind of behaviour is an indictment on the collective consciousness of us all and the kind of society we are becoming. This requires deep reflection of our societal values.”
Shikwambi called upon the public to assist in tracing the two suspects.
[email protected]
WINDHOEK
The Namibian police are in pursuit of two unidentified men who raped a 12-year-old girl in front of her mother and eight-year-old sister on Monday morning.
The incident sent shockwaves through the country when it was announced on social media on Tuesday afternoon. Police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, said the men are wanted for rape, burglary with intent to rob, armed robbery and assault by threat. She said, the men, wearing balaclavas, broke into the family's corrugated-iron shack in the Havana informal settlement at around 03:00 on Monday morning. Shikwambi said the mother and her two daughters were asleep at the time. The men woke them and threatened to kill them before taking turns to rape the 12-year-old girl. “They reportedly took turns to rape the vulnerable girl in the presence of her mother and her sister. It is so terrible and traumatic,” she said.
Shikwambi added that women and girls repeatedly fall prey to this kind of crime, which robs them of their humanity and dignity.
She added that after the rape, the men fled with N$300 and a cellphone worth N$1 200.
The men are still at large.
Devastating
James Itana, a gender activist from the Regain Trust, said such incidents rip at his core.
“I am devastated. Angry does not even begin to describe how I feel about this,” he said.
He said it frustrates him that the country does not have enough resources to protect its citizens, “But we can spend millions on defence, while the police don't have enough vehicles or enough manpower to ensure the safety of our people.”
An indictment
Dr Veronica Theron, the technical advisor in the office of First Lady Monica Geingos, also condemned the incident.
“Pure disrespect, contempt of women and children, men who treat them inhumanely as sex objects for their own satisfaction,” she said.
Theron added that the incident is an indication of how men feel they are entitled to this behaviour without any consideration of the consequences on their victims.
The justice minister, Yvonne Dausab, said she was deeply aggrieved and worried.
“This is not only about the adequacy of the law and efficiency of law enforcement. This kind of behaviour is an indictment on the collective consciousness of us all and the kind of society we are becoming. This requires deep reflection of our societal values.”
Shikwambi called upon the public to assist in tracing the two suspects.
[email protected]
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