Young woman vows to tackle GBV

A YOUNG woman attending the third rural women parliament in Windhoek has vowed to tackle gender-based violence in her village.

The national council’s women caucus will hold the women parliament with male partners in the National Council chambers, parliament building for three days. The participants of the session came from all the 14 regions and consist of two female and one male participant from each region.

The rural women’s parliament is intended to empower and encourage rural women to be active in bringing about change in their respective regions and ensure that their voices are heard as they contribute to the social, economic and political matters affecting the country.

The theme of the event is “No Namibian woman or man should be left out”

Deseree Uamburu, who is one of the youngest participants, said this is her third workshop training since 2014 on issues affecting rural people. She is representing Okakarara constituency and lives in Okotjituo village. Uamburu said it makes her heart ache when she sees issues affecting both men and women are not addressed early enough, sometimes ending in tragedy. Uamburu said she has already started ploughing back in society what she has learned at the two workshops she attended.

“We have organised two workshops last year to educate men on how to treat women; how to handle anger and how to find the best way to deal with their feelings when hurt,” she told on the side of the workshop.

Uamburu said they also discourage women from living off men, saying they need to learn how to fend for themselves.

“Those who are unemployed should start up their own businesses and young ones should focus on school,” She said they have also started a garden in their community to reach out to those who cannot provide for themselves.

The garden – which employs about eight workers – grows onions, cabbage, beans, potatoes and mealies.

First Lady Monica Geingos, who was speaking at the official opening on Monday, applauded Uamburu and Nicoleen Kapi for being young participants, saying that is where women empowerment starts.

Geingos also said Namibians talk about gender-based violence as if it is an outside element but “the problem is in our homes, in our hearts. You cannot complain about tribalism when you are homophobic or look down on those poorer than you”.

Geingos added that the poverty Namibians suffer from is poverty of the mind. She said as much as there are no more legal barriers for people to achieve what they wish to, societal barriers are increasing.

She said the notion that women pull one another down, needs to be erased.

“We must give one another genuine support. We have deep problems and if we cannot realise what our problems are, we will inflict them on others,” Geingos said. She called on the empowerment of the boy child too, saying if this is not done, 20 years later people will realise they have dis-empowered men.

“Will there be strong educated capable men years later? As of now, the girl child is supported. Under-representation on either side is bad for society,”

Speaking from Geneva via Skype on Monday, Ebba Kalondo, international expert on communication, gave a presentation on gender-based violence in Namibia.

Kalondo said 258 gender-related cases in Namibia were reported in January 2015 alone. One-hundred and-ninety one of these cases are under investigation while 41 are on the court roll. This is in comparison to January 2010 where 141 cases were recorded, of wich 81 are under investigation and 26 are on court roll.She pleaded that gender-based violence be understood and not just turned into numbers.

“Let’s understand GBV. Let’s not talk about it only when women die. Lets engage and understand so that we can better fight it and not die in shame together. Let us not make it data/numbers/memorials or another funeral,” Kalondo advised.

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