– First-Ever National Conference on the Cards By Petronella Sibeene WINDHOEK The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare is to hold the first-ever national conference on gender violence. This follows numerous calls for action against gender-based violence. Permanent Secretary in the ministry Sirkka Ausiku yesterday said that violence that is gender based has been a persistent problem in the country with little change, despite efforts to tackle it. On average, 2 000 cases of domestic violence are reported to the Namibian police each year. Research conducted by the ministry two years ago also found that there are about 600 rape cases and an additional 150 attempted rape cases reported annually. Experts believe that on average only one of 20 rapes that occur is reported to the police. This implies that only 5 percent of all incidents are reported, while the remaining 95 percent go unnoticed or are resolved out of court. The PS says 86 percent of the victims are female, while 14 percent are male. “Data clearly indicate that domestic violence is a gender-based crime in which men are the perpetrators (98%) and females are the survivors,” Ausiku said. The conference, that will bring together close to 350 participants from different institutions, will attempt to formulate a common strategy that could be used in fighting these malevolent practices. Participants will be from the line ministries, churches, traditional authorities, the SADC region and some research institutions. “Violence against women has been a concern. We have realized we need to come together and create a platform where experts can advise accordingly,” said Ausiku. The causes of violence against women and children in the country include social, cultural and economic factors that place women at risk of violence within the home. According to Ausiku, alcohol is a contributing factor to violence. But research will still have to be conducted to determine how the level of stress in people and unemployment contribute to violence, she said. The permanent secretary strongly condemned individuals who discourage survivors from reporting cases of violence, adding that perpetrators are likely to repeat the very acts of violence hence creating an “unstable” society. To be held under the theme “Unifying Action to Eliminating Gender-Based Violence in Our Society”, the conference will cover issues related to understanding the underlying issues of gender-based violence, masculinity, femininity and gender-based violence, policy-based approaches and interventions to fight gender-based violence, promoting and implementing gender-based programmes, roles of policymakers and communication constraints and opportunities, among others. Although the ministry faces a few challenges in addressing this problem, Ausiku expressed satisfaction at the progress made in fighting violence countrywide. Through the Women and Child Protection Unit under the Ministry of Safety and Security, the ministry has created 15 units across the country providing shelter and legal advice for abused women and children. While there were close to 8 000 cases of this nature in 1995, at least 70 percent of them have been finalised, she revealed. A national database on gender-based violence was created. This aims to strengthen efforts made by the ministry with its stakeholders, especially when it comes to planning and the designing of interventions in the form of laws, policies, financial and human resources. The conference is scheduled for July 2 to 6, 2007.