All eight GBV shelters operational – ministry

The Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare has refuted claims that none of their eight government shelters for gender-based violence (GBV) are operational.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Lukas Haufiku, yesterday said all shelters are operational despite staff shortages in 2023 which hindered the opening of the facilities.

Haufiku’s refutation was in response to public policy researcher Frederico Links yesterday saying Namibia has insufficient operational government shelters.

Five of these shelters are located at Keetmanshoop in the //Kharas region, Khorixas and Opuwo in the Kunene region, Eenhana in the Ohangwena region and Outapi in the Omusati region.

These shelters are meant to serve survivors of the 4 814 GBV cases reported during the 2023/24 financial year.

Links said the Namibian government’s submission last year to the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) revealed that GBV shelters were not operational. He was speaking at the launch of a GBV guidebook by Step Up Ark, a Rehoboth-based civil society organisation addressing GBV in the community.

On the other hand, Haufiku said the cessation of foreign aid by the United States government to Project Hope Namibia led to the termination of community care workers contracts in March.

“However, recognising the critical role that these shelters play in providing protection and care for vulnerable individuals, the ministry has committed to covering the payment of the community care workers contracts,” he said.

CONCERNED COMMITTEE

Links said the UNHRC expressed concern about the prevalence of GBV faced by women, including violence perpetrated online. In response to Namibia’s submission, the committee also expressed concern about low levels of reporting due to factors such as fear of reprisal, the low number of prosecutions and convictions handed down to perpetrators, and reports of significant under-resourcing of GBV protection units and shelters.

The latter, the committee says, has reportedly resulted in limited opening hours and a lack of appropriately trained staff.
In this context, Step Up Ark has plans to construct a GBV shelter on five hectares of land donated by the Rehoboth Town Council.

At the launch of the guidebok, co-founder Martha McNab said she walked 2 000 kilometres throughout the Hardap region last year to raise funds for programmes assisting GBV survivors, but did not see any results.

“I decided to go, after my walk, I could do a presentation at the Rehoboth [Town] Council, and they donated five hectares of land to Step Up Ark to build a safe space for women and children,” she said.

Thus far, the organisation has fenced the land while they gather more resources to continue building.

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