The Association of Dependents of Veterans of Namibia (ADVN) held a demonstration in Windhoek demanding an amendment to the Veterans Act to accommodate benefits for children who were born in exile as well as dependents of war veterans.
 
They handed over a petition to the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs.
  
The Association says the Veterans Act No. 2 of 2008 should grant them the same rights and benefits as war veterans, from which they claim to have been excluded.
 
The Act aims to establish a framework for providing assistance to and registering veterans and their dependents, with the mandate to create a Veterans Fund, Board and an Appeal Board.
 
 
Secretary General of ADVN Petrus Nedongo claimed discrimination against the group, adding that they have been ignored and are forgotten children of the veterans of the liberation struggle that fought for Namibia’s independence.
 
 
The petitioners want the ministry to communicate on the progress of the Act, stating that children of the liberation struggle should also benefit from the veteran's fund in the same way as war veterans.
 
On behalf of the Ministry, Deputy Executive Director Thaddeus Erago accepted the petition.
 
“We have received your petition. I will transmit your petition to the office of the Minister. We will work hard to make sure that we give you your response within 14 days, as you have requested,” Erago added.