The Omusati region recorded 465 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) during the 2025/26 financial year.
The statistics were revealed by Omusati governor Immanuel Shikongo during his state of the region address at Outapi on Friday.
“Despite government efforts, domestic and gender-based violence remains a social ill in our society, with 465 cases recorded during the 2025/26 financial year,” Shikongo said.
The governor disclosed that 204 cases of child physical abuse were reported during the same period, involving 82 boys and 122 girls.
“It is also disturbing to report that a total of 204 cases of child physical abuse have been reported,” he said.
Shikongo said the figures indicate that children continue to fall victim to abuse, abandonment and severe neglect.
To address the problem, he said vulnerable children have been placed in temporary shelters and designated places of safety, while various interventions have been implemented to assist children found living on the streets.
“Every child deserves safety, love and protection. Reducing the number of victims requires our collective corrective efforts and action,” he said.
The governor urged communities to break the culture of silence surrounding abuse and hold perpetrators accountable to ensure that the rights of every child are protected.
The governor did not give the statistics per constituency.
Meanwhile, Omusati regional police commander commissioner Ismael Basson says the delayed reporting of GBV cases remains a major challenge for law enforcement.
“It is mostly a crime that happens behind closed doors. The only thing we can continue doing is engaging communities, educating people and creating awareness. That remains our main focus,” Basson says.
He adds that many incidents are reported long after they have occurred.
“Most of the time, cases are not reported promptly,” he says.
The Namibian quoted Basson is 2024 as saying women and children were not safe in the region because of an increase in rape and sexual assault cases.
“Hardly a week passes by without a rape case being reported, perpetrated by fathers, uncles and other close male members who are supposed to be the guardian angels of these minors.”
