Paheja Siririka
The Popular Democratic Movement Youth League in Khomas has called for the introduction of the death penalty for perpetrators of gender-based violence, rape and human trafficking.
“Namibia has become a rapist’s haven, and the statistics do not lie. Between 2016 and 2019, the Namibian police recorded 3 164 rape cases. This translates into 1 054 rape cases per year or about three rape incidents per day. These are unacceptable and shocking statistics for a country of just over two million people,” read a statement by Alpha Uzera, who is the regional executive committee chairperson.
Uzera opined Namibian women and children live in constant fear, as streets are filled with psychopaths who are hungry for blood and sex.
“They are ready to prey on our loved ones. Abusers, rapists and human traffickers have declared war on our women, our children, our grandmothers and even our babies. There is no other way to describe it – other than to say it is a war,” he fumed.
“We are of the strong opinion that rapists, perpetrators of gender-based violence and human traffickers should receive the death penalty as punishment for their barbaric acts. While we do respect that these people also have fundamental rights, protected under the Namibian constitution, we are also of the view that their rights, as accused persons, should not exceed the rights of those they have violated.”
The youth league further said deeds such as rape and human trafficking are the evilest and barbaric of crimes; they are a taboo and do not fit the decorum of what constitutes normal human nature and behaviour.
“These are, indeed, people who have lost all forms of morality or human decency and should be put to death. These evil people end up receiving light sentences and continue to consume tax-payers money in their prison cells. The victims of these crimes live with psychological pain forever. They continue to experience the trauma of unimaginable proportion that lives with them forever.”
The league urged the police to deploy several targeted measures that will be aimed at reducing the rise in heinous crimes.
The group said the same energy the police employed during lockdown period should be used to ensure criminals are dealt with accordingly.