By Petronella Sibeene WINDHOEK Namibians will for the first time hear the views of those accused of perpetrating gender violence while victims will recount their ordeals at the first ever-national conference on gender-based violence to be held in Windhoek next month. Despite gender-based violence being widespread in Namibia, it is rare that survivors report cases of violence or speak out. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Sirkka Ausiku, told New Era yesterday that the highlight of the conference would be the launch of the “eye story”, a documentation of testimonies by survivors of violence. Prime Minister Nahas Angula will do the launch. Under the theme “Unifying Action to Eliminating Gender-Based Violence in Our Society”, the conference, to be officially opened by President Hifikepunye Pohamba, will seek to answer questions such as why Namibians commit violence with such brutality, among others. About 300 delegates from various stakeholders, line ministries, civil society and traditional leaders are expected to attend the conference. Scheduled for June 19th to 22nd, the conference will apart from hearing testimonies from those directly involved cover a wide spectrum of issues, such as the causes and effects of gender -based violence and understanding how it affects children, the youth, elderly and people living with disabilities. In addition, the conference will explore issues of masculinity, femininity and gender-based violence, policy-based approaches and interventions to fight gender-based violence, promoting and implementing gender-based programmes, roles of policymakers, communication constraints and opportunities, among others. The relation between HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence, culture, religion and the media will also receive attention during the gathering. A study analysis on the implementation of the Rape Act will equally be presented by the Legal Assistance Centre. Other experts to speak will include a representative from the Commonwealth who will look into gender-based violence. A regional perspective will also be given by a representative from the Southern African Development Community. According to the permanent secretary, resolutions from this meeting will be implemented by different role players in their respective communities. “Gender-based violence remains problematic in the country and for a solution to be found and be implemented, every Namibian should carry that responsibility and get involved,” Ausiku added. Based on the outcome, a legal framework might be drafted and thus all recommendations will be forwarded to the office of the Prime Minister for further consideration. The conference comes in view of numerous calls for action against gender-based violence in the country. On average, 2 000 cases of domestic violence are reported to the Namibian police each year. Research conducted by the ministry two years ago found that there are about 600 rape cases and an additional 150 attempted rape cases reported annually. Experts believe that on average, only one out of 20 rapes that occur is reported to the police. This implies that only 5 percent of all incidents are reported, while the remaining 95 percent go unnoticed or are resolved out of court. Of the reported cases, 86 percent of the victims are female, while 14 percent are male. The conference will attempt to formulate a common strategy that could be used in fighting gender-based violence. The causes of violence against women and children in the country include social, cultural and economic factors that place women at risk of violence within the home. Ausiku said that preparations for the conference are in full swing.