Aletta Shikololo
WINDHOEK – Namibian young women around Windhoek protested on Saturday against sl*t shaming, a form of blaming the victim of sexual assault instead of the abuser.
The practice is said to promote rape culture.
Hundreds of young Namibian women took part in the march, from Ausspanplatz circle to Franco Namibia Cultural Centre (FNCC), to demand respect for their rights.
According to the Slut Shame Walk (SSM) organizer Nsozi Mwazi, Namibian women often experience slut shaming and therefore it was important for them to get together and embrace womanhood through sisterhood while reclaiming their power.
“Namibian women came together and unpacked experiences and to be there for each other. One in three women have been sexually assaulted before and women need to learn that it[sexual assault] is not their fault and they are not alone,” said Mwazi, after asserting that the way they[women] dress did not mean they are owned by men.
Apart from the protesters chanting for their freedom, they were also dressed half-naked.
Mwazi explained that dancing has been sexualised to such an extent that women cannot even freely move their bodies without being accused of trying to seduce men.
She said even though Namibian women are not where they are supposed to be in terms of their deserved status in society, they are slowly heading in the right direction.
Mwazi further remarked: “A lot of women are suffering in silence and they deserve a safe place to be heard and not feel any form of shame because women can’t do anything without someone mentioning ‘what will men think’. We need to stop teaching women to seek validation from men.” “They are queens, with or without a man’s approval,” she added.
Organisers of the walk plan on making this an annual event.