Ministry bemoans continued violence against vulnerable

THE Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare heralded the New Year with an official ministerial staff meeting yesterday morning.

At the occasion senior officials within the ministry spoke of challenges to their mission statement and the need for renewed motivation among staff members.’Namibia has made great strides in the fight against inequality,’ said minister Doreen Sioka, ‘but gender-based violence is still a serious concern. The struggle for gender equality is far from over.’ Sioka credited ministry officials with the ministry’s success to date, including 135 152 children having received grants in the Child Welfare programme last year, a milestone for the ministry. She urged productivity to be the watchword for 2012 and encouraged unity and collaboration among officials. She discouraged tribalism and cultural divides within the ministry, stating that such an attitude was hypocritical and contrary to their mandate. The ministry is not set to change its winning formula and intends 2012 to be ‘business as usual.’ The ministry is in year three of a five-year strategy plan that includes comprehensive plans of action to combat child and spousal abuse.Sioka said she will push for the tabling and adoption this year of the Child Care Protection Bill. The bill is a revision of the Children’s Act of 1960, referred to by Deputy Minister Angelika Muharukua as a ‘relic of the colonial era.’ The new bill reportedly brings the original Act in line with modern Namibian society and will be more relevant to the problems of today.