WALVIS BAY - Every Namibian is obligated to report any form of violations, especially gender-based violence, if they want a safer nation.

This is according to the Mayor of Walvis Bay, Immanuel Wilfred, who says Namibia continues to experience more acts of gender-based violence.

Wilfred who was speaking at the monthly council meeting said it is heart-breaking to see that gender-based violence continues to destroy families and relationships.  “This social ill has resulted in broken families and children being exposed to domestic violence as normal behaviour.  Ironically, children who grow up in homes where violence is present may suffer from emotional and behavioural issues from witnessing one of their parents being abused,” he said. 

He added growing up in an abusive and violent environment where violence is normalised can also create future perpetrators and victims as the children believe that this is how adult relationships function.  “Awareness raising is one facet of tackling the problem but we need to get to the root cause and why this behaviour continues to plague our society. The state of a society is determined by the composition of its micro families. We need to get back to the drawing board to instil how we value ourselves and to start loving our neighbours as we love ourselves. It is important to note the economic factors of gender based violence,” he explained. 

According to Wilfred, gender based violence, besides physical and mental harm, can also result in loss of income and increased healthcare cost.

“Gender based violence affects the economy at large through lower productivity and reduced economic output and growth, leading to heightened pressure on social and health services. This matter should not be taken lightly,” he said.