There have been some unbelievable stories in the headlines this year, especially when it comes to rape. Some of these acts are things you would think could never happen, not even in one’s wildest dream. At times, it was about what happened, but now, is the frequency at which it is happening. It is numbing to read.
You would think a grown man forcing himself on a toddler would anger and disgust the nation, but there was a time I was starting to think that it seemed to encourage other men especially the youth to get in on the action and fight the evil acts. It still boggles my mind at how a person can bring himself to that point. Some people are sick and need to be removed from society and helped.
It has gotten to a point that now most events being hosted countrywide are to raise awareness of women safety and Gender-Based Violence causes. It’s that bad. Even though people are pleading, churches are praying and primary schools marching, it just won’t stop, the perpetrators are still at large. Getting even more gruesome than the last attack.
Now and then, I ask myself what is the cause and reason behind all these despicable actions, but I can never come up with a reasonable answer, maybe they were not raised right, maybe they were on hard drugs, low self-esteem maybe, I just don’t know. Once in awhile the victims are blamed, she wore a short dress or provocative clothing, she asked for it, she drank up my money or she owes me, that’s a lot of bull and we all know it.
What about the eight-month-old baby that can’t speak, or the nine-year-old girl in her school uniform or even the seventy-eight-year-old woman who struggles to make it to her medical checkups, where did we as a nation go wrong to treat the people that give us life like this?
I thank the police and the organisations that are there for the victims, despite all the challenges before them, they are showing up in times of need, especially the #metoo movement and Sisterhood Namibia they are doing a great job there.
It’s a sad reality that we live in, despite everything that is going well, there will always be someone or a bunch of people that are willing to go out of their way to make life uncomfortable for someone else.
Please stop GBV against women and children, stop it for everyone, it’s not welcome!
* Olavi Popyeinawa has a diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution and is currently studying law, LLB at the University of Namibia. He writes on youth matters. Twitter: @ OlaviPopyeinawa and olavipopyeinawa@gmail.com