Learning to Leave, Get Help, and Support One Another
BY: June Shimuoshili
As a youth advocate in Namibia, I see every day how gender-based violence (GBV) cuts across age, class, and region. It is not just a women’s issue, nor something confined to statistics—it is a reality shaping the futures of families and communities. Between April 2024 and February 2025 alone, Namibia recorded 4,405 GBV cases, including 1,345 rapes.
Recognizing a toxic relationship is one of the first steps to breaking the cycle. Warning signs include: repeated disrespect or humiliation; isolation from loved ones; controlling behaviour over money, time, or movement; gaslighting—where victims are made to doubt their reality; threats; and physical or sexual violence.
Why people stay is complicated: financial dependence, fear of stigma, pressure from families or communities, worry about children, or the hope that the abuser will change. For many survivors, not knowing where to seek help—or fearing they won’t be believed—keeps them trapped.
But support is available. Namibia has GBV Protection Units in all 14 regions offering medical, legal, and psychosocial help. Survivors can call the toll-free GBV helpline 106 or LifeLine/ChildLine Namibia, which also runs the child helpline 116. There are also eight government-run GBV shelters across the country.
