Voice for the voiceless
More than 7 200 cases related to gender based violence (GBV) against Namibia's wives, girlfriends, mothers, sisters, daughters - were registered with the Namibian police over the past two years.
The police on Friday said despite a lot of work on the ground to tackle the rash of violence against women, and children, there was a 23% increase of GBV cases, from 3 229 to 3 976 registered with the police in those years. But as sky high as these figures are, experts say only about 40% of the one in three women worldwide who experience violence seek any form of help.
Translated, that could mean that although 7 205 cases were reported, at least 10 000 were not. “These physical, sexual and psychological acts, such as early marriage, beatings, and rape are acts most commonly perpetrated against a woman simply because she is a woman,” a speaker at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism said in Windhoek on Friday. And, as has become hopelessly clear, “in its absolute and worst form, GBV ends with death.” Often, their murders, at the hands of loved ones, long-time partners, fathers of their children, resemble bizarre horror movie tropes, including pangas, axes, knives and other deviant methods. A terror of a similar fate keeps many women trapped in relationships they are too petrified to leave, and keeps them from speaking up, reaching out. Instead of telling parents, brothers and sisters, friends – many of whom in any case prefer not to interfere - or even the law, they remain silent, terrified, paralyzed. A women's right activist on Friday said the silence that chokes these victims, should be seen as a new form of slavery, or bondage. The question is how do we reach out to these women, and to the men who abuse and kill them? The answers are complex. Many factors play a role, including early childhood education, poverty, substance abuse, patriarchal norms, harmful cultural practices, and more. The experts say the first step is to dig in and get the data. The clearer the issue is, the more effectively we can tackle it. Second: let the victims know they can speak up safely, support campaigns and groups that offer safe harbor and make all gender based help services effective, emphatic and available.
The police on Friday said despite a lot of work on the ground to tackle the rash of violence against women, and children, there was a 23% increase of GBV cases, from 3 229 to 3 976 registered with the police in those years. But as sky high as these figures are, experts say only about 40% of the one in three women worldwide who experience violence seek any form of help.
Translated, that could mean that although 7 205 cases were reported, at least 10 000 were not. “These physical, sexual and psychological acts, such as early marriage, beatings, and rape are acts most commonly perpetrated against a woman simply because she is a woman,” a speaker at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism said in Windhoek on Friday. And, as has become hopelessly clear, “in its absolute and worst form, GBV ends with death.” Often, their murders, at the hands of loved ones, long-time partners, fathers of their children, resemble bizarre horror movie tropes, including pangas, axes, knives and other deviant methods. A terror of a similar fate keeps many women trapped in relationships they are too petrified to leave, and keeps them from speaking up, reaching out. Instead of telling parents, brothers and sisters, friends – many of whom in any case prefer not to interfere - or even the law, they remain silent, terrified, paralyzed. A women's right activist on Friday said the silence that chokes these victims, should be seen as a new form of slavery, or bondage. The question is how do we reach out to these women, and to the men who abuse and kill them? The answers are complex. Many factors play a role, including early childhood education, poverty, substance abuse, patriarchal norms, harmful cultural practices, and more. The experts say the first step is to dig in and get the data. The clearer the issue is, the more effectively we can tackle it. Second: let the victims know they can speak up safely, support campaigns and groups that offer safe harbor and make all gender based help services effective, emphatic and available.
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Namibian Sun
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