Residents of Keetmanshoop have urged the government to step up action against the growing crisis of gender-based violence (GBV). 

Visually impaired Kleophes Petrus (32), a motivational speaker and founder of the Home-Full Organisation for the Visually Impaired, walked from Okahandja to Windhoek with the assistance of Namibian traffic officers to raise awareness about gender-based violence (GBV).

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Health, and Social Welfare, during its workshop in Otjiwarongo, has heard that men are also victims of gender-based violence, saying there is a need for the government to provide physical, emotional, and social well-being to all Namibians.

The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) in the Kavango East Region has recently held information-sharing sessions aimed at sensitising the communities on gender-based violence.

Reverend Nicole Ashwood of the World Council of Churches has urged the churches to engage with perpetrators of gender-based violence as part of a holistic approach to addressing the issue.

Residents of Dudu village in the Kavango West Region held a demonstration, demanding strict safety measures be put in place to curb gender-based violence.

This comes after the murder of 25-year-old Veronica Mate Kudumo at Sivara village, a neighbouring village of Dudu, in May.

Stakeholders have agreed to set up an integrated Gender-Based Violence Information Management System for Namibia by March 2027.

The stakeholders from the government, private and civil sectors made the decision at a high-level meeting at Swakopmund.

The police have recorded more than 4,400 cases of gender-based violence between April 2024 and February this year.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on traditional leaders to work alongside the government in combating domestic violence, particularly the abuse of women and children.

Landless People's Movement Youth Command Element leader, Duminga Ndala, says the rise in violent crimes against children is chilling, labelling it a national emergency that requires immediate and targeted intervention.