RUNDU- Gender-Based Violence was the talking point during Tuesday’s United Nations International Human Rights Day commemoration that was held in Rundu.
The Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Rosalia Nghidinwa was the keynote speaker at the occasion. “The dignity of people is not valued by some of our countrymen and women,” Nghidinwa said. The event also marked the commemoration of Namibian Women’s Day. “As women we must be peacemakers in our homes, we must do away with this tendency of women provoking men… women must not be cheeky,” she said. “Gender equality is misunderstood to imply men going into the kitchen and women folding their legs reading newspapers at home, but [it implies] that there should be an equal sharing of responsibilities,” noted the minister.
Nghidinwa said although there are laws are in place, women and children and even the elderly continue to be raped, beaten, maimed, mutilated and killed in the streets, homes and in public and private workplaces. “In 2011 alone, 7822 cases of GBV were reported and in 2012, this figure doubled to 13 279 cases. Although this is too much for a population of 2.2 million people, it just represents the tip of the iceberg as more cases go unreported. In all cases that are reported most of the victims are women and children,” she said. The human rights of girls and women are inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights, she said. “The full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life at the national and international levels [is imperative],” said the gender equality minister. She also expressed serious concern over the fact that women still lag behind in some areas such as employment, decision-making positions, education and training, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and vocational skills.
Women are not property
As gender-based violence continues to haunt Namibian women, men in Namibia should remember that women are not property, said the Governor of the two Kavango regions, Ambassador Samuel Mbambo said speaking at the same event. The event also marked the end of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. “One thing abusers find difficult to understand is that women are not property, they are human beings like them, with rights, will and desires who can also make choices like men. Something is wrong in the minds of our male folks,” the governor said. He reiterated Namibia has too many GBV cases. “The suffering of women by men is uncalled for. In Kavango a women was killed recently by her husband in front of her son, while she had a protection order,” he said.
It is time said Mbambo, that Namibians learn how to communicate with their loved ones and partners instead of opting to beat and kill them. “Women’s rights were not supposed to be fought for, it was supposed to be automatic, because our history tells us that women have always been at the forefront of the liberation struggle for the independence of Namibia and it is their right to fully take part in decision-making processes of their country,” asserted Mbambo. According to him progressive programmes, particularly for women should be initiated to improve their livelihoods.
Protect rights of women
At the same occasion, United Nations Resident Coordinator Musinga Bandora appealed for continued vigilance in the protection of the human rights of women and the girl child. “In Namibia, women continue to suffer discrimination, violence and unequal access to resources,” said Bandora. “Today we are marking the end of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and commemorating the International Human Rights Day and lastly we also celebrate Namibian Women’s Day. It is thus an opportune moment for us to underline the human rights of women and their right to fully enjoy their lives and the right to life,” said Bandora. He said the fundamentals for protecting and promoting women’s rights are largely in place and include a strong and growing body of international human rights law and standards, as well as institutions to interpret the laws, monitor compliance and apply them to new and emerging human rights issues.
By Mathias Haufiku