Women and child abuse in Namibia: A case study of Oshana and Oshikoto regions

Abstract

The Namibian women and children experienced high rates of abuse. The government made positive strides to prevent and curb the increase of the problem. This study is about this government's intervention with specific focus on the national gender policy (NGP) of 1997. The paper assesses and evaluates the policy strategies intended to alleviate the problem, and moreover, examines the intent of the existing implementation mechanisms. The study covers primarily all the events that took place before the initiation of the policy, including the rationale behind its constitution, and goes on to research the effectiveness of the policy on women and child abuse in Namibia. The role of the ministry of women affairs and child welfare, the legal assistance centers, and the women and child abuse protection units as implementers is specifically highlighted. Oshana and Oshikoto regions are used as case studies. The main findings of the report indicate that current laws are not strong enough to prevent women and child abuse in Namibia.