KHOMAS regional commander commissioner Ismael Basson has urged men to speak out against gender-based violence.
Basson said there seems to be a perception that it is only women who experience gender-based violence (GBV) while men too can be victims, who might feel ashamed to report or go and open cases with the police due to mockery from officers.
He made these remarks at the end of last month in Windhoek at an event held to commemorate and appreciate the efforts of the men and women in uniform for the work they do by serving the nation.
Basson urged police officers to change their attitudes towards civilians who look for help at police stations and discouraged them from making a mockery out of situations.
“All people should be treated with dignity regardless of their class and who they are,” said Basson.
Head of the traffic law enforcement at the Namibian Police deputy commissioner Amalia Gawanas said the police should speed up investigations on GBV cases and speak out should they be experiencing any violence anywhere.
Zackary Itodo, a community activist from the Response Action-based Organisation (Rabo) that deals with GBV cases, said the event was to highlight the plight of members of the public, members of the Namibian Police, ministry of health and ministry of gender, who have been active in the fight against violence and and those who made a difference in the communities in fights against GBV, child abuse and neglect.
“We are here to appreciate them for their hard work over the years,” he said.
Deputy commissioner in the psycho-social department of the Namibian Police Ilona Ndjendja Itodo said the police work hand in hand with Rabo to make their work more effective and help in solving GBV cases.
About 60 police officers and seven cooperates, who assist the community police, were awarded were certificates. Itodo said the certificates are an appreciation of the importance of the recipients’ commitment to the nation.
