Finland supports grassroots initiative

THE Embassy of Finland, through its Fund for Local Co-operation, has donated about N$393 000 to Women’s Solidarity Namibia for its campaign against gender-based violence.

Women’s Solidarity Namibia started in 1989 under the name Rape Crisis and at the time was the only non-governmental organisation dealing with the issue of gender-based violence. In 2003, a lack of funding forced the organisation to close its doors, but it was re-launched in 2005 and is currently training rural women to help crime victims.”There are not enough Police officers, magistrates, social workers and so on to be able to deal with all the gender-based violence across the country, thus women need to be trained at grassroots level to be able to help and assist each other,” says Natasha Tibinyane, Chairperson of Woman’s Solidarity Namibia.In August alone.10 women were murdered in Namibia and Women’s Solidarity Namibia had to deal with 35 cases of domestic violence, emotional abuse, marital rape and economic abuse.Up to Friday, six women had been murdered and 17 crime victims had approached Woman’s Solidarity for help in September.In 2003, a lack of funding forced the organisation to close its doors, but it was re-launched in 2005 and is currently training rural women to help crime victims.”There are not enough Police officers, magistrates, social workers and so on to be able to deal with all the gender-based violence across the country, thus women need to be trained at grassroots level to be able to help and assist each other,” says Natasha Tibinyane, Chairperson of Woman’s Solidarity Namibia.In August alone.10 women were murdered in Namibia and Women’s Solidarity Namibia had to deal with 35 cases of domestic violence, emotional abuse, marital rape and economic abuse.Up to Friday, six women had been murdered and 17 crime victims had approached Woman’s Solidarity for help in September.