Abstinence Will Not Work

WOMEN can only use sex as a bargaining tool if men respect a woman’s right over her body.

Therefore, the [Swapo Party Women’s Council] SPWC’s suggestion is fatally flawed: Namibian men do not respect women’s bodily rights at all, hence the high rate of rape and passion killings. Also, just a few years ago, MPs were actually debating whether or not spousal rape was even a crime.
Thus, what is the point of telling women to abstain from sex when all the evidence suggests that that decision will not be respected?
Lastly, abstaining from sex worked in Kenya because those women had a very specific and tangible demand: a peace treaty. On the other hand, the objectives of the SPWC call for abstinence are vague and intangible.

Taleni Shafashike
Windhoek

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