ONGWEDIVA – Several traditional leaders, church leaders and psychologists have spoken out on the prevalence of rape incidents in Namibia.
In most cases, minors, pensioners and men have all become victims of rape at the hands of their guardians, or those who ought to be protecting them.
Another strange phenomenon has taken centre-stage. It involves men of the cloth who, while expected to be spreading the Biblical word of God, have also been in the midst of perpetrating rape.
This year, three pastors from various churches
were arrested for allegedly raping school learners, in which one girl was impregnated. Last month, a 104-year-old pensioner was reportedly raped by her grandson (32) in the Omusati region.
In the Oshikoto region, a three-year-old girl died after she was allegedly raped by her 88-year-old grandfather. Meanwhile, two boys were allegedly also raped by their grandfather last month in the Omusati region. Furthermore, a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped on various occasions by her father, who is a school principal in northern Namibia.
As if this was not enough, a 46-year-old police officer was denied bail for allegedly raping his daughter, while a two-year-old boy was reportedly raped by his father while he was still in bed with his mother.
This year already, in the Omusati region, a pastor of another Pentecostal church was arrested after
allegedly raping three learners at his home in the Onkandi village of the Etayi constituency. Still in the Omusati region, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (Elcin) pastor was arrested for allegedly raping an 18-year-old girl on different occasions.
These alleged perpetrators are pastors, people from whom society least expects these crimes.
This paper reported that a 15-year-old boy was hospitalised after allegedly being gang-raped by two men while on his way to Eenhana in the Ohangwena region earlier this year.
A woman was then denied bail for allegedly raping her six-year-old son in the Oshikoto region. Meanwhile, a recent report revealed that about 928 children were sexually abused. The figure could be much higher, because most of these cases go largely unreported.
Traditional leaders
Recently, New Era sought input from leaders to gauge their views on how this scourge can be addressed.
One of them was Ohamba of Ondonga Traditional Authority, Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo. “There are so many reasons why men rape,” he said. He stated that some perpetrators are practising rituals to become rich, or for their businesses to progress.
Nangolo added that men know what they are doing before committing rape because they want to benefit from it.
He was referring to the incident wherein a 104-year-old pensioner was allegedly raped by her grandson. “How can a 32-year-old man have sexual attraction for his grandmother? These are rituals,” he charged.
Nangolo stressed that some people normally go to traditional healers, seeking to be assisted with rituals. “They will be instructed by the traditional healer to sleep with their relatives or other men in order to succeed,” he stated.
He then took on the clergy.
“Churches are also misleading people,” he noted. He urged mothers to be more vigilant whenever they leave their daughters with their fathers because it is likewise not safe.
Man of cloth
Evangelical Baptist Church in Namibia (EBCN) pastor Laban Mwashekele said alcohol abuse, lack of self-respect, insatiable love for money and wealth as well as rituals are the main contributing factors to rape in Namibia.
“People want to be rich, drive nice cars and have a successful business,” he added. He stated that it is very disturbing and shameful when fathers rape their children.
“How can the school principal and
policeman have sex with their daughters?” he asked. The pastor said these are rituals.
“We are practising Illuminati. We should pray again,” he reasoned. He stressed that men then sleep with others in exchange for money or cars. “This world is wicked,” the man of cloth asserted. He said there are people who worked hard to be wealthy. “Not all successful people practised rituals,” he observed. The pastor, however, said some rape cases are not true because people often report them when they have not been paid money. “Let’s unite as a nation to fight against rape. Let’s report rape cases on time,” he urged. He also advised men to be God-fearing, and not violent.
Psychologist
Adding her voice to the discourse was psychologist Mirjam Madhimba, who emphasised that the prevalence of rape in Namibia is alarming, notwithstanding the many unreported cases.
“This indicates a bigger societal problem. It is important to state that there are men who are victims of rape too. But in most of the cases reported, men are perpetrators of rape against female victims and children. Hence, my focus here is on why men rape,” she said.
She stated that there are several single-factor theories of why men rape.
“This implies that rape, being a complex societal problem, results from an interaction of dynamic factors such as socio-cultural and psychological matters. Socio-cultural factors include toxic masculinity; women perceived as sex objects; men discouraged to show emotions… and women seen as inferior to men; as well as substance abuse, which disrupts effective problem-solving and alters the state of consciousness, thereby leading to poor self-control,” she elucidated.
Madhimba stressed that psychological factors include a poor emotional state and lack of self-control, unresolved childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences, sexual deviation, and anti-social tendencies.
To further understand why men rape, it is also important to know some of the common types of rapists found.
Opportunistic rapists seize any chance for sexual gratification and target intoxicated people, children and the elderly.
They are mentally challenged.
“Vindictive rapists have anger and aggression towards women. [They] rape to hurt and [for] vengeance. Sadistic rapists get sexual gratification from humiliating and degrading their victims. Accessibility of pornographic material is driving people’s sadistic inclination,” she continued.
To reduce cases of this nature, a holistic approach is required.
This entails demystifying harmful cultural beliefs and practices, e.g., men who do not show emotions or speak about their challenges; increasing rape awareness; reducing the stigma associated with reporting cases of rape; increasing mental health awareness and accessibility so that those who may be suffering from childhood trauma and other social problems can seek help, and providing effective parenting skills (antenatal care to include basic parenting skills; marriage counselling to include such skills’ training as well).
“Empower male children, just as much as we do for girls, as far as sex education is concerned, and what being a man truly entails. The importance of healthy human connection is vital, and one of the best ways to begin healing from social ills,” she noted.