Gender based Violence (GBV) has long been identified as a key factor that is obstructing Namibia’s progress towards achieving gender equality. Both the State and Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) recognise the need for holistic, coordinated and multi-faceted approaches which would lead to the successful implementation of effective and efficient laws, policies, plans and programs to prevent, mitigate and address GBV.
Namibia experiences alarmingly high rates of GBV. According to the latest National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 32% of all women aged 15-49 surveyed had experienced physical violence since the age of 15 and according to the Ministry of Safety and Security (MSS) GBV Investigation Unit (GBVIU) between 2013-2015, Namibia had experienced over 2000 cases of Domestic Violence, over 3000 cases of rape and 157 murders.
Learner Pregnancy much like GBV can be regarded as a contributing factor which hinders efforts to empower women and girls to achieve gender equality. According to the Ministry of Education (MoE) Sector Policy for the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy, in 2007, 1465 children had dropped out of school because of pregnancy. The Education Management Information System shows that learner pregnancies had increased from 1843 pregnancies in 2015 to 2233 in 2016. Furthermore, the NDHS shows that younger women (15-24) are more likely than older women to report having experienced violence during pregnancy.