Women leaders call for collective action to end GBV

The Young Women of Africa gender-based-violence workshop kicked off in Windhoek on Tuesday. The workshop running from 11 to 14 November aims to equip Namibians with the knowledge and skill set to effectively present and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) and the tools to effectively investigate cases of GBV to ensure adequate evidence-based information for victims to receive the justice they deserve. During the workshop leaders from different GBV prevention organisations and human rights advocates called for a united front in combating GBV, describing it as a national crisis that undermines peace and security. Police deputy commissioner and GBV victim protection division head Cathrine Walaula says ending GBV is not just a women’s issue but a human issue which people should work together on ending. She says if people work together, Namibia can strengthen understanding and the response to GBV. “Together we can build the equal and peaceful Namibia we all deserve,” she says. Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation director Horname Noagbesenu echoes the same sentiment, saying that GBV deprives young women of their rights. “Together we can create an environment where men and women live freely without fear,” she says. She commended Namibia for reducing GBV cases from 53% in 2020 to about 22% in 2024, encouraging other countries to follow suit. City of Windhoek councillor Sade Gawanas says GBV is not only a social problem but a development, economic and moral crisis. She says families and trust in communities are weakened and children carry trauma that affects them for life. “Survivors face economic dependency and lack of safe shelters and stigma that silence them. Services are stretched thin for victims and justice is often delayed,” she says. The Young Women of Africa was established in 2021 to build a better Africa through social and economic empowerment and fighting for gender equality.