WINDHOEK – There is need for intensified awareness in workplaces across the nation to deal with the rise in gender-based violence, according to the director of the White Ribbon campaign Namibia Charles Simakumba.
“Even those who do not have time to attend workshops (on GBV) can get the information in the workplace,” Simakumba said on the need to reach more people. He was speaking at a conference to mark the international 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign that starts next week Monday. “Women are the most affected by GBV even though men who are affected do not come out,” he said, adding that when addressing GBV power imbalances in relationships should be addressed. In Namibia, the 16 Days of Activism will be officially launched on Sunday in Walvis Bay. This year, the 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign will be celebrated under the theme – “Peace in the home to Peace in Namibia; Let’s unite to end violence against Women and Children.” The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute and coordinated by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership.
The 16 Days commence on November 25, the International Day against Violence against Women, and ends 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day, according to a statement from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. In the Namibian context, 10 December is also commemorated as Women’s Day in recognition of the contribution made by Namibian women during the liberation struggle. This date also marks the day Namibian Heroine Kakurukaze Mungunda lost her life in the 1959 Old Location uprising in Katutura.
By Alvine Kapitako