BY: Finna Kahili

Media reports and police cases indicate that the Namibian landscape has been plagued by a surge in incidents of gender-based violence and rape, sparking significant concern.

Speaking to News on One, City Police Superintendent Marcelline Murapo revealed some alarming statistics, namely that from January to April this year alone, a total of 362 cases of gender-based violence were recorded. Disturbingly, among these were 22 cases of sexual assault involving minors, with victims being as young as six to nine years old.

Murapo revealed that many cases of GBV and rape go unreported and that among the common challenges that law enforcement face is victim’s reluctance to report cases due to fear, shame, stigma, and traditional beliefs that abuse signifies love or dependence on their abusers. Murapo also underscored the importance of the police’s victim’s support unit, which provides dedicated assistance to survivors.

“The challenge that we face is the reluctance from the victims, by this, I am referring to victims not coming forth when they want to report these cases. Some of them do that out of fear, and some of them it is out of fear and stigma, these are some of the challenges, and the other challenges are cultural beliefs. There are those that believe that if your partner is assaulting you it’s a sign of love and it’s a sign of disciplining you. You will find that there are some parents that will even tell their children that, do not report your husband he loves you, that is why he is disciplining you,” remarked Murapo.

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