Women’s Day marked in Oshana

WOMEN in the Oshana Region celebrated International Women’s Day in Oshakati yesterday and the events will continue at Ongwediva tomorrow, with Member of Parliament Peya Mushelenga as the main speaker.

Women and men yesterday marched from the Oshakati Police station to the Oshana Governor’s offices, where they handed over a petition to the Chief Regional Officer, John Kandombo. The petition said many women and children were still being raped and domestic violence was rife; five years after the Combating of Rape Act came into force and two years after the Domestic Violence Act came into effect.It said women were suffering because they did not know their rights, or how to report cases of abuse.The women said although the Ministry of Health was reporting a decrease in new HIV infections, they believed rape was a contributing factor in the spread of the HIV-AIDS pandemic.They said rape cases should be made a priority in courts of law, rape victims should get more psychological support, and domestic violence should be a priority in official speeches, especially the President’s State of the Nation Address.The petition said many women and children were still being raped and domestic violence was rife; five years after the Combating of Rape Act came into force and two years after the Domestic Violence Act came into effect.It said women were suffering because they did not know their rights, or how to report cases of abuse.The women said although the Ministry of Health was reporting a decrease in new HIV infections, they believed rape was a contributing factor in the spread of the HIV-AIDS pandemic.They said rape cases should be made a priority in courts of law, rape victims should get more psychological support, and domestic violence should be a priority in official speeches, especially the President’s State of the Nation Address.