When the headlines fade and justice is buried under bureaucracy, the wounds of gender-based violence remain open not only in the hearts of the victims but in the lives of the children they leave behind. These are the silent survivors. Children who go to sleep with unanswered questions. Who attends funerals instead of birthday parties? Those who carry grief like a second skin. Their mothers were taken by fists, by knives and by silence, by men who claimed to love them. And when the violence ends, society looks away. But I ask:

Who holds them now?

In Namibia and beyond, gender-based violence continues to destroy families. But while the names of the women are remembered in courtrooms and campaigns, their children are often left out of the conversation. Orphaned, displaced, or taken in by struggling relatives, these young survivors face a future shaped by trauma, instability, and neglect. 

Many of these children face poverty, stigma, and emotional isolation. Their education is disrupted, and their mental health is overlooked. Some are placed in overcrowded shelters or communities unequipped to support their healing. As time passes, their pain is buried, unspoken, untreated, and unresolved.

We must do better

Support system for these children must go beyond a temporary shelter. They need consistent emotional support, access to education, and a safe and loving environment. A society that sees them as more than just victims. Community leaders, government agencies, and ordinary citizens must step in to build a safety net that catches these young lives before they fall through the cracks.

This is not just a call to action; it is a call to conscience.

It is not enough to condemn the violence; we must care for those left behind. We must create systems of healing, mentorship, and empowerment. We must show these children through our actions, not just our words, that their lives matter, their dreams are valid, and their stories are not over. 

This is not charity, it is justice, it is dignity, it is humanity.

Let us rise as a nation that not only mourns its women but also raises its children, all of them, especially those left behind by the cruelty of GBV.