Rafael Hangula

TSANDI - Social workers in Tsandi constituency in Omusati region are appealing to the government to allocate a budget to the non-operational Outapi shelter for abused victims.

This is because on many occasions, they struggle to locate safe places for the victims and they cannot afford to send them back to stay in the same households with their perpetrators.

The Outapi shelter has not been operating since January this year, making it difficult for social workers to provide safe care to the victims.

They revealed this concern during the recent public hearing with the sub-committee of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development and Family Affairs which was in the regions to conduct hearings on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Femicide. The sub-committee comprises Ephraim Nekongo and Paula Kooper.

The hearings follow a petition on SGBV and Femicide which was submitted to the National Assembly by the #ShutItAllDown Movement in 2020 and subsequently referred to the gender committee.

This is a continuation of a series of hearings on the matter.  Earlier this year, the committee visited Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions on the same matter. The committee also visited Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions on the matter.  

Parliamentarians were informed in the hearings in Tsandi that the lack of shelters for GBV victims is a big challenge, as social workers are forced to approach hospitals for the victims to be admitted for temporary care.

However, should the hospitals run out of space for their patients, victims are then required to vacate, a situation which forces social workers to arrange with police stations to accommodate the victims.

Benisa Hei, one of the social workers in the gender ministry for Tsandi constituency, told the committee that the Outapi shelter which is about 32 kilometres away from Tsandi is not operating due to a lack of a caretaker and budget.  

“Our place of safety according to the Child Care and Protection Act is the hospitals. Sometimes we go to the doctors to try to admit the victims while trying to find alternative care, maybe through family members who can take them in, however, in most cases, families are also not interested,” she said.

 “Sometimes hospitals can assist you, but they can only assist for a week and inform you that they need their beds so come take your child.  The victims have now become our children. You are then forced to seek help from police stations,” she stressed. 

“The child is referred to your office and it is not possible to send the child back home, since the perpetrator is there and is a family thing, so the only solution is to remove the child from there. However, you have nowhere to take the child,” she added.

Hei said most GBV perpetrators in Tsandi constituency are family members, domestic workers and cattle herders.

At the moment, a 12-year girl and victim of child abuse is being accommodated at the Tsandi police station in the Omusati region. According to Hei, she’s in the process of assisting the victim to get a birth certificate so that she can be taken to a children’s home. A case of child negligence has been opened against the father.

The victim has been sleeping at the police station for a month now. It is alleged that her parents disowned her and chased her from the house. 

Station commander Iipinge Negumbo also confirmed this development during the public hearing.  

The senior social worker in the health ministry for Tsandi District Taimi Ailonga said some of the factors leading to GBV, especially in young children is lack of sexual education.

“We don’t have sexual education in schools now. When kids are growing, they are becoming adults and sexual hormones are developing, and they have no information about the developmental stage.  In the end, they want to try out things using small kids,” she stated. 

She added that alcohol and drug abuse is another pandemic. She further accused parents of neglecting their duties and instead focusing on drinking alcohol. 

Meanwhile, the acting senior medical officer of Tsandi District hospital Dr Reinhold Kafidi said that Tsandi District hospital has recorded 19 GBV cases from January-July 2023. He said nine cases involved rape of minors between 6-12 years, one rape case involving an adult.  A total of nine assault cases against women between the ages of 29 to 60 were also recorded at the hospital.  

Tsandi District is one of the four districts in the Omusati region.  The district covers four constituencies such as the Tsandi, Onesi, Outapi and Ruacana constituencies. It has a population of about 38 695.

* Rafael Hangula works for the National Assembly in the Division: Research, Information, Publications and Editorial Services.