Medscheme, a health risk management services provider and medical aid administrator has injected over N$200 000 into the One Economy Foundation (OEF) under the office of the First Lady geared towards combating SGBV while sharing the perspectives of both survivors and perpetrators of gender-based violence.
CEO of the OEF Sem Mandela Uutoni commended the partnership between the two entities. He emphasised the socio-economic and financial impact of GBV and called on the private sector to support organisations, which are at the forefront of addressing the root causes and impact of GBV such as One Economy Foundation.
The strategic partnership between the OEF and Medscheme Namibia commenced in 2016 and has created avenues for meaningful engagement through numerous initiatives ever since.
Rudiger Saunderson, Managing Director of Medscheme Namibia said more needs to be done to respond to the cries of justice of Namibian women and children.
“The time for complacency is long gone, and we cannot be silent.
GBV is the most pervasive violation of human rights, affecting Namibia, Africa, and the rest of the world,” he shared.
Saunderson added that violence against women and children is a threat to lasting peace, before reaffirming Medscheme Namibia’s commitment to supporting OEF’s GBV interventions.
One of the victims of GBV, Madelaine Laubscher said the perpetrator was her biological father.
“The predator was my biological father,” said Laubscher as she narrated her story in the ‘Father Abuse’ street talk video, further re-counting that her father sexually molested her for 11 years while her mother was incarcerated.
She said: “What was supposed to be bedtime stories turned into groping and other forms of violence which eventually stole my childhood.”
Rachimo Haradoeb, an inmate at the Windhoek Correctional Facility, highlighted the pervasiveness of violence in Namibia and the key role that the Namibian Correctional Services has played in helping inmates deal with underlying challenges. He urged men to be active agents in ending violence, look past male privilege, and recognize that men are the problem.
He told Youth Corner that anger is what prompted him to commit the heinous crime. “What made me commit the crime of murder was not necessary because the person I was with decided to end the relationship. I could have just accepted but at that time, I was angry. We have been together for a long time, we had future plans and all of a sudden the person just stopped, so I got angry,” admitted Haradoeb who has served 15 years of his 35-year prison term.
He urged young and old Namibians to accept decisions made by their partners when deciding to dissolve unions. “Accept it and learn from us who are going through this, if you don’t accept the situation as it is, you will end up where we are today which is the prison. It is not an easy road,” concluded Haradoeb.
First Lady Monica Geingos said the number of cases being reported is a small fraction of the cases being committed.
“Of the cases which are reported, the conviction rate is about 16% which is small and what we know for sure is the majority of who perpetrate crimes are not arrested, they are not caught. What we know for sure is those who are arrested and caught are not convicted,” she vigorously stated.
She added: “The main culprits are amongst us, one or two could even be here right now, never been arrested or prosecuted or held accountable yet we call the 16% in jail- monsters.”
She said violence is learned, it is woven into fabric, further saying equally, it can be unlearnt and the cycle is broken through early and target interventions, and that gives tremendous hope.
- psiririka@nepc.com.na