Although women and children are mostly affected by domestic violence, Swapo parliamentarian Tobie Aupindi believes some women are accomplices to the scourge.
Contributing to the Combating of Domestic Violence Amendment Bill in the National Assembly last week, Aupindi stressed such violence where women are collaborators is especially committed against children, elders, and other women.
“Women have either been co-conspirators, or look the other way when a crime is being committed, or try to protect the men, even at the expense of a child who has been abused,” he said.
“In some traditions, people are even told to keep quiet in order to protect the family name. The Honourable Bernadus Clinton Swartbooi, narrated, two important cases, one of a shooting case withdrawn, and another of the alleged child rape by her own father. These cases expose our serious societal weaknesses.”
The new amended Bill seeks to extend the scope of domestic relationship, strengthening safeguards against intimidation of complainants, providing for the issuing of emergency protection orders and clarifying that criminal proceedings for a domestic violence offence may be initiated simultaneously with proceedings for a protection order inter alia.
Therefore, Aupindi feels these pieces of legislation are necessary, submitting they should be implemented.
According to him, society despises any form of domestic violence, saying it is not in the interest of society when offenders trample on the values and rights of victims.
He suggested the prevalence of domestic violence and the compelling interest of society to combat it require that domestic violence should be regarded as an aggravating factor.
Equally, he recommended the enabling legislation should therefore constantly reflect the determination of parliament in Namibia to give effect to and protect the constitutional values of the inviolability of human dignity and equality between men and women.
“The clear and unequivocal message which should resonate from the Legislature in Namibia is that offences involving domestic violence will not be tolerated and that combatting measures will be appropriately severe as violence in domestic setups, especially against the most vulnerable members of our society, continue unabated,” he emphasised.
He also touched on the “male dominance” concept which is seen at the core of the problem of domestic violence.
He noted a correlative of this system of thought has been the relative exclusion of women from the public sphere of economic, occupational, and political opportunities compared with their male peers and a tendency to value traits associated with masculinity over those defined as feminine.
“The end result is that it was decided that biologically, women are stronger, and therefore, transfer the male dominance to the women of the world in perpetuity until the end of time. The practical end result is that social anthropology dictates that the baby girl child should wear the colour pink, which is associated with love, kindness, and femininity, while the baby boy child is dressed up in for example the colour red, which is associated with excitement, passion, danger, energy, and action,” Aupindi said.
anakale@nepc.com.na