EDITORIAL: Sex without consent is rape
Namibian lawmakers this week laughed and scoffed at the idea of rape in marriage. “Sex without consent, regardless of your marital status, is rape”, Namibian parliamentarian Patience Masua rightly stressed.
In a deeply disturbing display of patriarchal values, she was met with laughter and disbelief from men and women parliamentarians.
No legislator can credibly claim ignorance of the relevance and meaning of consent in the post-#MeToo world.
Their wilful ignorance is not only appalling, but it also has no place in a nation beset with one of the worst rates of rape and gender-based violence globally.
It's profoundly troubling that these taxpayer-funded MPs publicly scoffed and mocked the idea of marital rape, dangerously oblivious to the message they're sending to Namibia's vulnerable women.
Our government – led by a feeble and inept gender ministry – does not appear to be equipped to combat the epidemic of gender-based sexual assault in Namibia, as evidenced not only by a never-ending spate of rape and violence against children and women, but also now by the horrific laughter of lawmakers and their disconcerting disbelief of marital rape.
They are certainly not best placed to ensure the best interests of Namibian women.
Namibia is often recognised for having an equal number of women and men in Parliament, a sign of gender equality. However, MPs dismissing the reality of marital rape seemingly makes this equality as meaningless as the word ‘no’.
In a deeply disturbing display of patriarchal values, she was met with laughter and disbelief from men and women parliamentarians.
No legislator can credibly claim ignorance of the relevance and meaning of consent in the post-#MeToo world.
Their wilful ignorance is not only appalling, but it also has no place in a nation beset with one of the worst rates of rape and gender-based violence globally.
It's profoundly troubling that these taxpayer-funded MPs publicly scoffed and mocked the idea of marital rape, dangerously oblivious to the message they're sending to Namibia's vulnerable women.
Our government – led by a feeble and inept gender ministry – does not appear to be equipped to combat the epidemic of gender-based sexual assault in Namibia, as evidenced not only by a never-ending spate of rape and violence against children and women, but also now by the horrific laughter of lawmakers and their disconcerting disbelief of marital rape.
They are certainly not best placed to ensure the best interests of Namibian women.
Namibia is often recognised for having an equal number of women and men in Parliament, a sign of gender equality. However, MPs dismissing the reality of marital rape seemingly makes this equality as meaningless as the word ‘no’.
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Namibian Sun
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