VIOLENCE against women and children is a crime against humanity and a form of terrorism against the human race, Deputy Minister of Women Affairs and Child Welfare, Angelika Muharukua, said yesterday.
In her first public appearance at the coast as the newly appointed Deputy Minister, she officially opened the first-ever stakeholders conference for the Namibian Police Women and Child Protection Unit (WACPU) at Swakopmund. The two-day conference brought together about 55 medical doctors, social workers, Police officers, High Court judges (including Judge President PS Shivute), lawyers, community activists and survivors of violence from all over the country to establish closer working relationships among officials who deal with the victims and perpetrators of violence.Unicef, as the sponsor and organiser of the event, held a workshop for medical doctors in 2002 where the need was expressed for a conference involving all stakeholders.”The doctors told us at that workshop they feared lawyers in court and therefore withheld information sometimes,” Doris Roos of Unicef told The Namibian.Addressing the issue of escalating problem of violence in the country, the Deputy Minister said women and children were the only guarantee for the continued existence of humankind and therefore needed to be given care and protection at all times.”I strongly believe this conference will come up with workable, responsive mechanisms to address the situation,” she said.Speaking off the cuff, Muharukua urged participants to take the solutions discussed at the conference back to traditional leaders to ensure widespread understanding of the issue.”As a Himba lady I speak from my heart and promise you I will report on this conference even when I campaign for the November election.”Regional Governor Samuel Nuuyoma said: “We cannot really talk of human dignity, harmony, peace, social justice, freedom and true democracy, while violence against women and children is stigmatised and not eliminated.”He said in building socio-economic development in the country there was a need for women and children to be on an equal footing with citizens who were not victims of abuse.For Chris Davids, acting Unicef Representative in Namibia, it was a question of getting a better understanding of issues and what was really happening.”We need to understand the causes of violence and not just the symptoms.”He said despite a number of initiatives already in place, there was a need for better outreach to communities, a need for better facilities and a need for more manpower.”We are still at the beginning of a long road.”With support from Unicef, 15 Women and Child Protections Units have been established throughout the country since 1993.The conference yesterday focused on the role of stakeholders with presentations by the Namibian Police, Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Prosecutor-General, Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Directorate of Social Services.Survivors of violence and abuse gave their personal testimonies.The two-day conference brought together about 55 medical doctors, social workers, Police officers, High Court judges (including Judge President PS Shivute), lawyers, community activists and survivors of violence from all over the country to establish closer working relationships among officials who deal with the victims and perpetrators of violence.Unicef, as the sponsor and organiser of the event, held a workshop for medical doctors in 2002 where the need was expressed for a conference involving all stakeholders.”The doctors told us at that workshop they feared lawyers in court and therefore withheld information sometimes,” Doris Roos of Unicef told The Namibian.Addressing the issue of escalating problem of violence in the country, the Deputy Minister said women and children were the only guarantee for the continued existence of humankind and therefore needed to be given care and protection at all times.”I strongly believe this conference will come up with workable, responsive mechanisms to address the situation,” she said.Speaking off the cuff, Muharukua urged participants to take the solutions discussed at the conference back to traditional leaders to ensure widespread understanding of the issue.”As a Himba lady I speak from my heart and promise you I will report on this conference even when I campaign for the November election.”Regional Governor Samuel Nuuyoma said: “We cannot really talk of human dignity, harmony, peace, social justice, freedom and true democracy, while violence against women and children is stigmatised and not eliminated.”He said in building socio-economic development in the country there was a need for women and children to be on an equal footing with citizens who were not victims of abuse.For Chris Davids, acting Unicef Representative in Namibia, it was a question of getting a better understanding of issues and what was really happening.”We need to understand the causes of violence and not just the symptoms.”He said despite a number of initiatives already in place, there was a need for better outreach to communities, a need for better facilities and a need for more manpower.”We are still at the beginning of a long road.”With support from Unicef, 15 Women and Child Protections Units have been established throughout the country since 1993.The conference yesterday focused on the role of stakeholders with presentations by the Namibian Police, Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Prosecutor-General, Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Directorate of Social Services.Survivors of violence and abuse gave their personal testimonies.
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