ONGWEDIVA – Gender Based Violence (GBV) tops the number of crimes reported in Ohangwena Region.
Statistics from the Women and Child Protection Unit in Eenhana show that 10 cases are reported every week, totalling over 40 cases in a month in Eenhana alone. The Eenhana figures are equivalent to reported GBV cases in all four big stations in the region.
The figures by the Women and Child Protection Unit are only on GBV cases reported to the police.
Although women, men and children all can be abused, reports show women and children fall prey to GBV more frequently than men.
According to the Ohangwena police spokesperson Sergeant Kuume Itumba, although men are also abused, the majority will not report such cases to the police because it is culturally considered a sign of weakness.
“The men are also abused, but they will not speak about it and when they are fed up they retaliate violently,” said Itumba.
To curb GBV police in Ohangwena have undertaken routine visits in all the constituencies in the region to educate the public of the causes of such violence and how it can be prevented. The campaign kicked off in October this year and is expected to end in early November.
“We teach the community what gender based violence is, the causes of gender based violence and how to report such cases to the police,” said Itumba.
He said while there were people who were reluctant to report such cases to the police, their job as law enforcers is to educate the public of what to do to ensure they fight this dreadful dilemma.
Itumba explained that very often people were afraid to report such cases because they feared that the other person would be arrested.
He said arrest was not the only solution in curbing GBV.
He said reporting the violence will ensure the victims and the perpetrators both receive professional counselling from trained social workers in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare.
“The police does not force anyone to lay a charge, it is a voluntary thing. But reporting the cases will also ensure that those who are involved will receive help,” said Itumba.
According to Itumba, the police are optimistic that after the on-going campaign, the numbers of GBV cases will subside.