Allow me a space in your reliable newspaper to express my views on the name “Women and Child Protection Unit” which is a unit of the Namibian Police.  The aim of this unit is to protect the victims of gender-based violence.  To my regret, this important department is carrying a skewed name which clearly implies that it is only created for “Women and Children”.  This name implies four things, as follow:
·Women are the only victims of domestic violence,
·Children are abused exclusively by men,
·People with Disabilities are exempted of gender-based and domestic violence, and,
·The unit is specifically established to deal with the generally and traditionally perceived abusive men.
We, as citizen of this country, must not only try to do things in a fair manner but we must also be publicly perceived to be fair.  How can we, honestly and reasonably, convince men and people with disabilities that such unit with its current name is exclusively for women and children?  This is tantamount to telling people that the clour “red” is “blue”, and vice versa.  It feels provoking and insulting.  The name is discriminatory in nature and that most men have experienced maltreatment at the police stations and specifically that unit.  It seemed that we have a “Naming Deficiency Syndrome (NDS)” when one look at the naming of our local streets or places e.g. Kabila, Soweto, Kampala, Somalia, and Mugabe, etc.
Taking into consideration that in the past 15 years, there was a Department of Women Affairs resorting under the Office of the President.  This department was later turned into a Ministry of Women and Child Affairs by former Head of State, Sam Nujoma, which Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was appointed as a Minister.  During the Pohamba regime, since March 21, 2007, this Ministry’s name was rightly changed into the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare led by Marlene Mungunda, as a Minister.  Many men have expressed a sigh of relief because they are now feeling accommodated and counted.  I, personally, thought this was a commendable development as a corrective measure for the past mistakes.  To my surprise, President Pohamba ended it with the Ministry without ordering the similar change to the “Women and Child Protection Unit”.
I am therefore recommending that as we have consensually agreed on the recommendation from the National Conference on Gender-Based Violence on 19-22 June 2007, Windhoek, Namibia, at the Nampower Convention Centre; that there is an absolute necessity for the involvement of men in the fight against Gender-based violence and domestic violence.  I suggest that the unit be called “Gender, People with Disabilities and Children Protection Unit” in order to be inclusive of all.  Men must not only be physically involved to make the numbers but have to be spiritually, psychologically and emotionally integrated.  Let us do what the national conference slogan is saying: Unifying Action to Eliminate GBV (Gender-Based Violence).  Therefore our government’s actions must speak louder than its word!
Steven Mvula
Human Right Activist, Namibia