Speaker seeks Finnish help in tackling GBV

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Peter Katjavivi, is concerned about increasing cases of gender-based violence in Namibia and appealed to the Finnish political leadership to help curb the calamity when he met the president of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, and his counterpart, the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, Maria Lohela, in Helsinki recently. Katjavivi was on a three-day visit of Finland to seek cooperation between the two legislatures. Given Finland's good track record in tackling the scourge of gender-based violence, Katjavivi believes a joint effort between the two countries' parliaments could address many of the gender-related challenges that Namibia has been grappling with. “We are dealing with a particular challenge of gender-based violence in Namibia. It has become a major problem. No day passes without hearing of men killing their own partners. Finland, which has done exceptionally well in tackling this challenge, can strengthen our ability to fight it,” said Katjavivi. Katjavivi implored Finnish lawmakers to help devise mechanisms to fight the curse in collaboration with their Namibian counterparts. He felt particular attention should be focused on targeted training for identified stakeholders to tackle this challenge. He also cited the resolutions of a global summit to end sexual violence that took place in London in 2014 as a yardstick that could be used as possible mitigating measures. “We would want to identify stakeholders such as justice, the police, the gender ministry and others properly trained to be able to deal with victims and shame the perpetrators. Our reception centres for GBV victims should be upgraded to avoid subjecting already traumatised victims to further suffering,” proposed the Speaker. Former Finnish ambassador to Namibia Anne Saloranta, whose term of office ended recently, reiterated in one of a series of meetings her government's commitment to gender issues, noting that Finland has and continues to fund projects on gender issues, particularly gender-based violence in Namibia. The Finnish government has also continued to collaborate with the ministry of poverty reduction in order to alleviate poverty, one of underlying causes of gender-related challenges. President Niinistö was particularly happy with Namibia's efforts in tackling reproductive health rights challenges. Of particular interest to him was the mooted “HEforShe” campaign to be launched soon in Namibia that will jointly compel men and women lawmakers to take a stand against gender-based violence and demand women's advancement. Finland and Namibia have a long relationship that dates back to the days of Finnish missionaries who arrived in Namibia more than 100 years ago, predating that country's role in Namibia's struggle for independence. Katjavivi, who also met leaders of various opposition parties, was accompanied on his visit by lawmakers Elma Dienda and Heather Sibungo. He is now attending the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) assembly in St Petersburg, Russia. *George Sanzila works as the chief information officer in the Division Research, Information, Publications and Editorial Services at the National Assembly.GEORGE SANZILA

Speaker seeks Finnish help in tackling GBV

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-04

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Speaker seeks Finnish help in tackling GBV

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-04

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