The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, in collaboration with the European Union, is hosting a one-week workshop at Keetmanshoop on Women, Gender, and Gender-based Violence to empower Civil Society Organisations in the ||Kharas Region to address GBV and find solutions to break the cycle of violence against women, youth, and marginalised communities.

According to statistics, one out of every three women in Namibia has experienced or will experience GBV in their lifetime. To make matters worse, it is estimated that one out of five women is in an abusive relationship.

This form of violence leaves survivors with long-term psychological and physical trauma, which has a damaging impact on the social fabric of communities.

The workshop is attended by participants representing civil society organisations, traditional authorities, youth groups, and media practitioners.

Understanding interpersonal relationships and how power dynamics contribute to gender-based violence were equally highlighted as contributing factors to GBV in the region, as most violence occurs in communities; thus, their involvement is critical in addressing GBV.

Some of the participants representing civil society organisations in the region used the opportunity to call for more dialogue on GBV and for communities to speak out and report instances of violence to relevant authorities to address the negative impact GBV has on society.

The workshop ends on Friday.