NewAfricanWoman Issue 35 - Flipbook - Page 19
the rural economy and only about 10% 15% of our population participates in the
urban economy. My focus is to focus on
initiatives, which removes the obstacles
which prevent the majority of the population from participating in the “urban”
economy.
One of the focus areas in the Office of
the First Lady therefore, is to evaluate the
issues holding us back and gender-based
violence certainly falls into that category.
So would I be right to say it’s very
difficult to pin down, in the Namibian
context for example, the push factors
of domestic violence?
Patriarchy is the overall cause but there
are many other push factors like broken
homes, fatherlessness, inability to control
emotions, alcohol and drug abuse, excessive forms of jealousy, possessiveness and
controlling behaviour, and the absence
of the necessary psychological intervention. Namibia’s done exceptionally well
in terms of identifying what those push
factors are and given the high prevalence
of gender based violence, it has become
urgent to implement measures to prevent
and prosecute abuse and protect victims.
How about the role of tradition?
There are some African regions
which reportedly some traditions
hinder ending this scourge?
Patriarchy has no tribal lines; it has no
racial lines therefore Gender-Based Violence is a global problem and not just in
Africa. Western countries don’t have the
traditional customs and norms you refer
to yet they are grappling with the scourge
of GBV, as we are. I think as Africans we
are sometimes too hard on ourselves and
are quick to blame traditional customs as
if every aspect of tradition is negative.
I don’t see myself as a politician.
I SAY TOO MANY
THINGS THAT
WOULD GET ME
INTO TOO MUCH
TROUBLE.
But what about those who don’t
observe traditions?
Yes, it’s not to deny that there are certain
traditional beliefs which contribute to
patriarchy and that is why one of the solutions is to widen the engagement of all
stakeholders, including traditional leaders
and community thought leaders.
So is this battle being won?
I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s being
won and it’s not one battle. It’s a number
of battles on a number of fronts. What
you see very clearly for instance, is in
Africa sometimes we try and tribalise is-
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