By: Uakutura Kambaekua
NUDO’s secretary-general Joseph Kauandenge says that Namibian domestic laws are directed at serving women, while there are hardly any laws to protect men.
He said that men are “on their own.”
Kauandenge made these remarks while delivering his contribution to the amendment of combating domestic violence act in the National Assembly this week. The combating of domestic violence amendment Bill was introduced in parliament on 24 February 2022 by justice minister Yvonne Dausab to improve the government’s response to gender-based violence and the protection of GBV victims from intimidation by perpetrators.
The Nudo SG said that it is a fact that many men are also in abusive relationships but often, when heard of, it becomes a question of how can a woman abuse a man.
“However, the reality tells us a different story that this is happening in our households on a daily basis, and the man folks are too ashamed even to approach the police station as he will be stereotyped as well,” said Kauandenge.
Kauandenge also reiterated that physical and emotional abuse perpetrated by women against men is evident, adding that the justice minister should also introduce laws that will protect men from emotional abuse as well.
“Any self-respecting man will take this emotional abuse for a very long time. However, one day he will expose, and when that happens, our laws and court systems will only look at the physical act of the man but hardly goes into detail about what led him to become physical in the first place. I respect our women folks that God gave them certain strength and abilities that he did not give us the man folks, but equally, he gave the
man folks strength and abilities that only they possess as well,” he said.
Kauandenge called for the society’s reformation, including laws that will protect women and men alike that are “non-discriminatory to both sexes.”
“I’m not making an excuse for those men who intentionally abuse their wives or girlfriends at home. They should be arrested, prosecuted and sentenced, that much we agree,” said Kauandenge.
He added that the ministers bringing these amendments to the August house must cast the net far and wide and “decolonise” their minds as well, to not only protect one gender while leaving one at the mercy of the other.
Kauandenge’s remarks were refuted by advisor to the First Lady and gender and child protection specialist Dr Veronica Theron. She said the laws protecting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Namibia are all gender-neutral to a point where the rape act definition was changed.
“The old definition before 2000 was rape is an act without the consent of a woman, where there was reference made to female. My experience before 2000 was boys and men were treated differently when they reported and disclosed rape. After 2000 it was totally done away with because you don’t have to prove it’s against a woman,” said Theron.
Theron further told the Villager that there is no reference made to a male or female but to a survivor or complaint, adding that people are struggling with the attitude and the insensitivity of first responders, including gender harmful norms and practices. She said the GBV Act has nothing to do with the legislation but with “our own perception, ideas, values and norms.”