nbc Digital News published a story yesterday about a 60-year-old retired soldier accused of raping his 14-year-old biological daughter and her 13-year-old friend, and who was denied bail at Ondangwa Magistrate's Court.

In the story, we decided not to reveal the identity of the accused person in order to protect the identities of the two victims.

The media does not only have a legal obligation not to publish any information that might reveal the identity of a rape victim, but also a moral one.

Namibia's Combating of Rape Act stipulates that no one should publish the complainant’s name and address, or photographs that reveal physical features or clothing that might identify the complainant.

The penalty for publishing information about the complainant’s identity without proper permission is a stiff fine of N$10,000, imprisonment for up to 1 year, or both.

Furthermore, the media has a moral obligation to protect the identities of rape victims, as doing so may result in them falling victim again.

And, in this case, the disclosure of the rapist's identity will inadvertently also reveal the identities of both victims.

It is against this background that we cannot reveal the identities of family members who commit such crimes against their close relatives.