The most dangerous country for girls
For teenage girls, Namibia is the most violent country in the world, a new Unicef report shows.
Namibia is the country with the most emotional, physical or sexual violence against teenage girls, according to a new study.
In Namibia, 59% of girls aged 15 to 19 years have experienced emotional, physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends in the last 12 months.
That is the highest rate of all the countries included in a survey by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).
The second highest rating is in Equatorial Guinea, where 56% of girls experienced violence from their husbands or partners.
The Legal Assistance Centre's (LAC) Dianne Hubbard says there is Namibia-specific research which supports concern about the serious levels of violence affecting children in Namibia, including sexual abuse.
“It seems strange that this problem is not being treated as an emergency in Namibia. About a third of reported rapes in Namibia consistently involve child victims, including some very young children, and this is probably just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
“We should not be surprised that Namibia is a violent society – as manifested by domestic violence, interpersonal violence between men and even the recklessness on our roads that regularly leads to such carnage – if children are regularly exposed to violence and abuse.
“If we truly wanted to make Namibia more peaceful, we should be starting with protecting children from harm.”
She adds that although parliament passed the Child Care and Protection Act in early 2015, the law is not yet in force because the finalisation of the accompanying regulations does not seem to be enjoying high political priority.
Protecting the vulnerable
“We are aware of child rape victims who do not get the assistance they deserve from the police. We have seen recent press reports of alleged abuse and corruption in at least one child's home.
“It seems that Namibia could be showing much more commitment to protect the most vulnerable members of our society,” Hubbard says.
Many children are also indirectly affected by violence in the home.
According to Unicef, one in four children (176 million) under the age of five worldwide live with a mother who has been a recent victim of intimate partner violence.
In Namibia, 28% of children under four years old live with a mother who has experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence committed by a husband or partner during the past 12 months.
It was also found that 22% of males aged 15 to 49 in Namibia consider a husband justified in beating his wife for reasons that include burning food, arguing with the man, going out without telling him, and neglecting the children.
Furthermore, 28% of females aged 15 to 49 consider a husband to be justified in beating his wife for the same reasons. The report also says that children are at greatest risk of exposure to sexual violence within the context of close relationships.
In Namibia girls aged 15 to 19 are mostly raped by a current or former husband, partner or boyfriend. A total of 28% of former or current partners, husbands or boyfriends are responsible for these rapes in Namibia.Meanwhile, 26% of the time, 15 to 19-year-olds are raped by strangers in Namibia, while 12% of the time, relatives force girls to have sex and 9% of the time, it is a friend or an acquaintance that rapes the girls. According to the report, 1% of women aged between 18 and 29 experience sexual violence as a child in Namibia.
Compared to Cameroon this is very low where 16% of women experience sexual violence.
Rape epidemic
However, according to the statistics, 7% of girls between the ages of 15 to 19 are raped every year in Namibia.
Statistics compiled by Namibian Sun from crime reports indicate that at least 70 rape cases involving children were reported from the middle of April to the end of October. According to statistics from the Namibian police, a total of 11 boys were raped in 2013, 27 in 2014, 24 in 2015 and last year, 22 were raped. With regards to girls, 380 girls were raped in 2013, 407 were raped in 2014, 406 in 2015 and 384 in 2016.
In terms of violence, Unicef says five in 100 000 children between the ages of 10 to 19 are killed every year in Namibia. Boys are four times more likely to be killed than girls.
In Namibia, eight boys per 100 000 die in homicides while two girls per 100 000 are killed.
According to local police statistics, 74 minors were murdered in 2015, of which 44 were killed with some sort of weapon, 12 with firearms, one with poison, and 17 by other means.
“Although girls and boys are at risk of sexual violence at any age, girls become particularly vulnerable after puberty. Worldwide, the most recent surveys indicate that nine million girls aged 15 to 19 were forced into sexual intercourse or other sexual acts within the past year,” the report says.
It adds that a key reason why violence against children remains hidden is the reluctance of many victims to disclose their abuse, seek help to cope with the experience, or take action to protect them from further victimisation.
ELLANIE SMIT
In Namibia, 59% of girls aged 15 to 19 years have experienced emotional, physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends in the last 12 months.
That is the highest rate of all the countries included in a survey by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).
The second highest rating is in Equatorial Guinea, where 56% of girls experienced violence from their husbands or partners.
The Legal Assistance Centre's (LAC) Dianne Hubbard says there is Namibia-specific research which supports concern about the serious levels of violence affecting children in Namibia, including sexual abuse.
“It seems strange that this problem is not being treated as an emergency in Namibia. About a third of reported rapes in Namibia consistently involve child victims, including some very young children, and this is probably just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
“We should not be surprised that Namibia is a violent society – as manifested by domestic violence, interpersonal violence between men and even the recklessness on our roads that regularly leads to such carnage – if children are regularly exposed to violence and abuse.
“If we truly wanted to make Namibia more peaceful, we should be starting with protecting children from harm.”
She adds that although parliament passed the Child Care and Protection Act in early 2015, the law is not yet in force because the finalisation of the accompanying regulations does not seem to be enjoying high political priority.
Protecting the vulnerable
“We are aware of child rape victims who do not get the assistance they deserve from the police. We have seen recent press reports of alleged abuse and corruption in at least one child's home.
“It seems that Namibia could be showing much more commitment to protect the most vulnerable members of our society,” Hubbard says.
Many children are also indirectly affected by violence in the home.
According to Unicef, one in four children (176 million) under the age of five worldwide live with a mother who has been a recent victim of intimate partner violence.
In Namibia, 28% of children under four years old live with a mother who has experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence committed by a husband or partner during the past 12 months.
It was also found that 22% of males aged 15 to 49 in Namibia consider a husband justified in beating his wife for reasons that include burning food, arguing with the man, going out without telling him, and neglecting the children.
Furthermore, 28% of females aged 15 to 49 consider a husband to be justified in beating his wife for the same reasons. The report also says that children are at greatest risk of exposure to sexual violence within the context of close relationships.
In Namibia girls aged 15 to 19 are mostly raped by a current or former husband, partner or boyfriend. A total of 28% of former or current partners, husbands or boyfriends are responsible for these rapes in Namibia.Meanwhile, 26% of the time, 15 to 19-year-olds are raped by strangers in Namibia, while 12% of the time, relatives force girls to have sex and 9% of the time, it is a friend or an acquaintance that rapes the girls. According to the report, 1% of women aged between 18 and 29 experience sexual violence as a child in Namibia.
Compared to Cameroon this is very low where 16% of women experience sexual violence.
Rape epidemic
However, according to the statistics, 7% of girls between the ages of 15 to 19 are raped every year in Namibia.
Statistics compiled by Namibian Sun from crime reports indicate that at least 70 rape cases involving children were reported from the middle of April to the end of October. According to statistics from the Namibian police, a total of 11 boys were raped in 2013, 27 in 2014, 24 in 2015 and last year, 22 were raped. With regards to girls, 380 girls were raped in 2013, 407 were raped in 2014, 406 in 2015 and 384 in 2016.
In terms of violence, Unicef says five in 100 000 children between the ages of 10 to 19 are killed every year in Namibia. Boys are four times more likely to be killed than girls.
In Namibia, eight boys per 100 000 die in homicides while two girls per 100 000 are killed.
According to local police statistics, 74 minors were murdered in 2015, of which 44 were killed with some sort of weapon, 12 with firearms, one with poison, and 17 by other means.
“Although girls and boys are at risk of sexual violence at any age, girls become particularly vulnerable after puberty. Worldwide, the most recent surveys indicate that nine million girls aged 15 to 19 were forced into sexual intercourse or other sexual acts within the past year,” the report says.
It adds that a key reason why violence against children remains hidden is the reluctance of many victims to disclose their abuse, seek help to cope with the experience, or take action to protect them from further victimisation.
ELLANIE SMIT
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