WALVIS BAY – In an effort to create more awareness on the subject the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare on Sunday launched the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV).
The international campaign, which originated from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute, Coordinated by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership, was launched in 1991 as a women movement in order to symbolically link violence against women.
The campaign was launched to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights.
This year’s campaign is being held under the theme “From peace in the home to peace in Namibia: Let’s unite to end violence against women and children.”
She said the 16 Days campaign is a united call from both local and international women for the elimination of all forms of violence against women.
“This can be done by raising awareness about gender based violence as a human rights issue at local and international level, as well as by strengthening local work around violence against women and to establish a clear link between local and international work to end such violence,” she further explained.
Nghidinwa also raised her concern over the increase of passion killings as well as the rape of innocent children and women.
“The cases of gender-based violence reported in Namibia are still frightening, therefore I would like to appeal to all to join networks and organisations that aim to educate communities about the danger of gender based violence,” she said at the launch.
Last month, she also indicated the ministry of gender equality expects over 10 000 cases of gender-based violence could possibly be reported by the end of this year.
She said that 2011 amounted to 7824 gender based violence cases while 8 408 were reported during 2012.
She noted gender-based violence incidences dramatically increased every year and said that gender-based violence is one of the biggest challenges faced by people in the community, villages and at the household level.
By Eveline de Klerk