By: June shimuoshili
We often define GBV by its most visible forms: a woman beaten, a partner murdered, a child sexually abused.
But violence often begins much earlier.
It can begin with controlling behaviour.
With insults.
With humiliation.
With threats.
With isolation.
With checking a partner’s phone.
With controlling money.
With telling someone who they may speak to.
By the time physical violence appears, a pattern may already have been established.
This is why prevention must begin long before the first blow.
Young people need to understand what healthy relationships look like.
Parents need to be comfortable talking about emotions and boundaries.
Schools need to teach communication, consent and conflict resolution.
Traditional and religious leaders need to challenge messages that normalise controlling behaviour.
And couples need to know that seeking counselling is not a sign that a relationship has failed.
Sometimes people stay in harmful relationships because they have never learned what a healthy relationship looks like.
Others stay because they are afraid.
Some stay because they depend financially on their partner.
Some stay because their families tell them to endure.
Some stay because they have children.
We must therefore stop asking survivors, “Why didn’t you leave?”
Instead, we should ask: What would have made it safer for you to leave?
Namibia recorded more than 18,500 GBV cases during the 2025/26 financial year. That should force all of us to reconsider whether awareness campaigns alone are enough.
We need prevention.
We need services.
We need accountability.
And we need communities where people can ask for help without shame.
