KATIMA MULILO: State Prosecutor in the Zambezi Region, Bruna Mukoya, said there are many cases of domestic violence and elderly abuse which need to be addressed urgently in the region.

Speaking at the public hearings on the petition on sexual, gender-based violence and femicide at Katima Mulilo on Monday, Mukoya stressed that some domestic violence cases have received undeserving verdicts due to a lack of human resources and proper investigations, which at the end of the day sees them being thrown out.

‘We don’t have victim-friendly facilities to house and protect these victims,’ Mukoya stated.

Giving statistics from the police’s records, Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Detective, Warrant Officer Harris Mwangu, revealed that over 700 cases of domestic violence, dating back to January 2022, are yet to be resolved in the Zambezi Region. Mwangu added that most of the reported cases are between boyfriend and girlfriend or spouses, and that alcohol is usually involved.

‘Our bars and alcohol outlets operate unti
l late, mostly from morning to next morning. This also contributes to alcohol abuse and domestic abuse,’ Mwangu added

Other causes of domestic violence and sexual abuse, according to the police report, include child maintenance and drug abuse.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare registered cases of child neglect and baby dumping to be on the rise in the region, with five cases of baby dumping having been reported in 2023 in Katima Mulilo alone. One of the main reasons for this, according to a social worker In the ministry, Memory Matengu, is due to a lack of emotional and financial support from the father’s side. Matengu also highlighted that the issue of street kids remains an area of concern.

‘The ministry has been addressing the issue but these are children that have adapted to the lifestyle on the street, which means that they go to school in the morning and go back on the streets in the afternoon,’ she said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency