The increasing use of drugs and alcohol, especially among teenagers, has become a serious concern for residents of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in the Erongo Region.

This was shared during the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development, and Family Affairs consultations on gender-based violence and femicide in the towns.

Committee chairperson Gotthard Kasuto says consultations follow a petition in 2020 by the Shut It All Down Movement to Parliament seeking an end to sexual violence and femicide.

While the festive season can be a joyful time for many, it sometimes leads to underlying tensions within family relations that come to the surface.

Increased stress, financial pressures, and expectations during the festive season can contribute to an already volatile situation, leading to incidents of physical confrontation and gender-based violence (GBV).