LÜDERITZ – More than eighty women recently gathered at the Benguela Community Hall to discuss gender-based violence (GBV) related matters.
The gathering was in advocacy against the escalating gender-based violence cases, noted Brigitte Fredericks, who was the event organiser.
Women converged under the theme: “Wise Woman take wise decisions in love, sex and dating.”
The platform was also meant to sensitize women and girls about the dangers of GBV.
“I am confident that this platform will empower many people to guard against GBV, which is defined as all acts of GBV that result in, or are likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”, said councillor of !Nami#Nus Constituency, Jan Scholtz. He further emphasized that more than one in every three women have been beaten, coerced into sex or abused in some other way, most often by someone she knows, either by their husband or another male family member.
Such violence leaves survivors with long-term psychological and physical trauma; tears away at the social fabric of communities, and is used with terrifying effect in conflict situations, with women as the main target, noted Scholtz.
Physical and sexual abuse against women and children is described as the greatest form of abuse reported in the country; whereby most incidents of such nature happen mainly in homes, where positions of power are being abused to perform such acts, he added.
“It is very important that women and girls regularly get together at platforms like this, to share experiences and inform one another of good and bad behavior or conduct of men and learn some signs, that could lead to gender base violence as well as to advice one another on risky behavior that could make women and girls vulnerable. We should all remember that achievements of women’s right is not the responsibility of women alone, but it is the responsibility of all,” further explained Scholtz.
He said such platforms should include men and not just women, as men do not usually show their emotions or talk about issues affecting them, thus they are so violent. It was also proposed that young girls must be approached to join such platforms as they are vulnerable and have become victims of sugar daddies and various social evils.