The perpetual rise of criminal activities – particularly gender-based violence, robbery and murder – is giving lawmakers sleepless nights as they attempt to find lasting solutions.
The general worry is deduced from various submissions by members of Parliament (MPs) to a motion seeking to arrest crime in the country.
The motion was tabled by Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) parliamentarian Mike Venaani.
Adding her voice to the debate last week, Swapo MP Bernadette Jagger underscored the necessity for a comprehensive approach to tackle the root causes of gender-based violence (GBV).
She advocated for collaborative efforts amongst political parties, and emphasised the urgency of strengthening existing initiatives within the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare (MGEPESW), while also exploring innovative strategies.
“In response to curbing GBV, the MGEPESW has various programmes in place which are continuously implemented. These programmes aim to create awareness, widening people’s knowledge of GBV, encouraging them to report this crime, and avoiding becoming perpetrators. Additionally, there are initiatives that help address the root causes of GBV by empowering those who are victims,” Jagger, a trained teacher, submitted.
She reminded the august house of the 2nd National Conference on GBV held in 2014 under the theme “Unifying Action against Gender-Based Violence in Namibia”.
The aim of the conference was to dialogue on the crisis the country was facing regarding the continuous killing of women and children, and to strengthen and develop strategies to effectively fight GBV.
Joining Jagger on the day was Elma Dienda, an MP on the PDM ticket, who said Namibians continue to experience various types of crimes, with violent crimes such as robberies, GBV, rape, murder and assault being the most frequent.
“These crimes affect every Namibian, and it is important to mention that children, girls and women are the biggest victims of these crimes in Namibia.
High crime is a national issue, and therefore needs to be addressed with a national mindset. No Namibian can walk freely in our society these days,” the veteran politician said.
Dienda further stressed that the nation should understand that violence among women is the most common human rights’ violation.
“It poses a serious threat to the lives of women, putting their physical and psychological health at risk,” she stressed, before adding that it is further a great danger to the “well-being of their children and is further threatening the well-being of a peaceful and safe Namibian community”.
When tabling the motion which has now attracted input across the political divide, Venaani’s submission seeks to discuss the root causes of the high crime rate in the country with a view to uproot the same with urgent interventions from members of the National Assembly.
“This motion is of great importance as it seeks to ensure the safety of the Namibian people,” he said.
Venaani emphasised that crime is a deliberate act which causes physical or psychological harm, damage to or loss of property, and is against the law.
The MP said nearly everyone will experience crime at some point in their lives.
Like his fellow MPs, he indicated that Namibia is experiencing a high number of crimes, particularly violent crimes such as robbery, GBV together with rape, murder and assault, as well as economic crimes such as cybercrimes, and cross-border and trans-national organised crimes such as human and drug trafficking.
Putting statistics to the face of crime in the country, Venaani said between the years 2021 and 2022, a total of 98 640 criminal cases were reported countrywide, showing an increase of 7%, compared to the previous year.
Out of those cases, the Khomas, Oshana and Otjozondjupa regions have the highest crime rates, whereas Kavango West, Kunene and Omaheke recorded the least number of cases.
He added that stock theft not only has severe financial impacts for the farmers and their employees, but also for the Namibian livestock industry and the general Namibian economy.
Women and children furthermore continue to suffer sexual abuse by male offenders.
Statistics have revealed that from 2019 to July 2022, around 4 000 Namibian women fell victim to rape.
The months of January and August 2021 alone recorded nearly 700 rape cases, affecting women and girls.
“Despite efforts to impose harder sentences for rape offenders, the number of women and children falling victim to these crimes continues to rise. We, therefore, need to find urgent solutions,” Venaani stated.