GBV fight must continue – Indombo
Close to 1 400 rapes reported over 10 months
A workshop for media professionals highlighted the alarming number of gender-based violence cases reported each year in Namibia.
Gender ministry executive director Lydia Indombo has urged Namibians not to lose hope and to persevere in efforts to end gender-based violence despite the severity of the crisis.
“The fight must continue,” she declared last week.
Speaking at the closing of a four-day training workshop for media practitioners and ministry staff in Swakopmund on Thursday, Indombo said the extent of violence inflicted on women and children has shaken Namibia.
Namibian police chief Joseph Shikongo confirmed last week that more than 4 400 gender-based cases (GBV) were reported to the police in 10 months, from April 2024 to February.
Shikongo said 1 345 were rape cases.
Indombo described these figures as “alarming” and underscored the urgent need to shift from reactive to preventative approaches in addressing GBV.
Intimate partner violence
Indombo also cited figures from the latest Namibia Demographic and Health Survey, noting that 33% of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced intimate partner violence, while 32% of girls aged 15 to 19 have suffered physical violence at the hands of their partners.
“These numbers are not just statistics, they represent people we know: our neighbours, our community members, and innocent human beings,” she said.
She added that the ministry is also reviewing and developing a revised national gender-based violence plan of action.
"This will serve as a practical guide in our ongoing efforts to combat GBV.”
Powerful tools
The workshop, which took place from 12 to 15 May, focused on enhancing the capacity of media professionals and government officials to utilise the national resource kit on GBV.
The kit, officially launched in 2019, provides guidelines for a coordinated, survivor-centred approach to prevention, reporting and response.
Indombo praised the training as a reflection of the ministry’s ongoing commitment to ending gender-based violence and called on media practitioners to uphold ethical standards in reporting.
“You are powerful tools in our effort to spread the right message. You are the voice of the voiceless,” she said. “There is a high need for you to verify information before publishing, to preserve the dignity and respect of survivors and their families.”
Calling for national unity in tackling the issue, Indombo urged all Namibians to be part of the solution.
“Let us challenge harmful cultural norms, support survivors with empathy and dignity, and hold perpetrators accountable. Everyone has a role to play, whether as media professionals, civil servants or members of the community.”
The ministry also acknowledged ongoing struggles with access to information, revealing that its website and telephone lines have been down for most of the year – further complicating efforts to obtain information on urgent matters.
Abuse within trusted relationships
Further insight into the nature of rape in Namibia was provided during the workshop by representatives from the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), who shared findings from their long-standing research and advocacy efforts.
Crucially, most rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, whether a current or former partner, relative, or acquaintance, highlighting the prevalence of abuse within trusted relationships.
The LAC also provided legal clarity on what constitutes rape under Namibian law.
Marital rape is recognised, and both men and women can be perpetrators or victims under the law.
Examples discussed included instances where a victim is too intoxicated to give meaningful consent, where rape occurs within a marriage and where someone is manipulated or forced into sexual acts by intimidation or fear.
The LAC stressed that coercion, rather than lack of consent alone, is central to the current legal definition.
The LAC also addressed the severe emotional and psychological consequences of rape, such as trauma, guilt, shame, fear and disempowerment, as well as the legal rights of survivors during investigation and trial.
Importantly, media professionals were reminded that publishing the identity of rape survivors is a criminal offence, and court proceedings involving rape cases are held in private to protect survivors’ dignity.
“The fight must continue,” she declared last week.
Speaking at the closing of a four-day training workshop for media practitioners and ministry staff in Swakopmund on Thursday, Indombo said the extent of violence inflicted on women and children has shaken Namibia.
Namibian police chief Joseph Shikongo confirmed last week that more than 4 400 gender-based cases (GBV) were reported to the police in 10 months, from April 2024 to February.
Shikongo said 1 345 were rape cases.
Indombo described these figures as “alarming” and underscored the urgent need to shift from reactive to preventative approaches in addressing GBV.
Intimate partner violence
Indombo also cited figures from the latest Namibia Demographic and Health Survey, noting that 33% of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced intimate partner violence, while 32% of girls aged 15 to 19 have suffered physical violence at the hands of their partners.
“These numbers are not just statistics, they represent people we know: our neighbours, our community members, and innocent human beings,” she said.
She added that the ministry is also reviewing and developing a revised national gender-based violence plan of action.
"This will serve as a practical guide in our ongoing efforts to combat GBV.”
Powerful tools
The workshop, which took place from 12 to 15 May, focused on enhancing the capacity of media professionals and government officials to utilise the national resource kit on GBV.
The kit, officially launched in 2019, provides guidelines for a coordinated, survivor-centred approach to prevention, reporting and response.
Indombo praised the training as a reflection of the ministry’s ongoing commitment to ending gender-based violence and called on media practitioners to uphold ethical standards in reporting.
“You are powerful tools in our effort to spread the right message. You are the voice of the voiceless,” she said. “There is a high need for you to verify information before publishing, to preserve the dignity and respect of survivors and their families.”
Calling for national unity in tackling the issue, Indombo urged all Namibians to be part of the solution.
“Let us challenge harmful cultural norms, support survivors with empathy and dignity, and hold perpetrators accountable. Everyone has a role to play, whether as media professionals, civil servants or members of the community.”
The ministry also acknowledged ongoing struggles with access to information, revealing that its website and telephone lines have been down for most of the year – further complicating efforts to obtain information on urgent matters.
Abuse within trusted relationships
Further insight into the nature of rape in Namibia was provided during the workshop by representatives from the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), who shared findings from their long-standing research and advocacy efforts.
Crucially, most rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, whether a current or former partner, relative, or acquaintance, highlighting the prevalence of abuse within trusted relationships.
The LAC also provided legal clarity on what constitutes rape under Namibian law.
Marital rape is recognised, and both men and women can be perpetrators or victims under the law.
Examples discussed included instances where a victim is too intoxicated to give meaningful consent, where rape occurs within a marriage and where someone is manipulated or forced into sexual acts by intimidation or fear.
The LAC stressed that coercion, rather than lack of consent alone, is central to the current legal definition.
The LAC also addressed the severe emotional and psychological consequences of rape, such as trauma, guilt, shame, fear and disempowerment, as well as the legal rights of survivors during investigation and trial.
Importantly, media professionals were reminded that publishing the identity of rape survivors is a criminal offence, and court proceedings involving rape cases are held in private to protect survivors’ dignity.
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