Namibia's First Lady calls on women to report gender-based violence cases

First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos said Tuesday that women should start talking about gender-based violence issue and report such cases.

Addressing a two-day workshop organized by the University of Namibia and the Embassy of Finland in Windhoek, Geingos, also the UNAIDS Special Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls, said women should tell the truth about gender-based violence.

The workshop, being attended by participants from Namibia, Botswana, the United States of America, Finland and Cameroon, is looking at various issues, among them sustainable developments goals, Agenda 2063 and Vision 2030 regarding the role of women.

Geingos singled out rural women as the most affected because they do not report gender-based violence for fear of victimization.

According to Geingos, most rural folks tend to protect family members who would have abused women.

She said it is time Namibians transform their homes from war zones to safe places.

"We have to talk about issues of sexual harassment and gender-based violence in our communities," she told the workshop whose theme is Women's Rights and the Role of Women in Poverty Eradication.

Finnish Ambassador to Namibia Anne Saloranta said she intends to organize a conference for women every year to discuss poverty eradication in particular and other issues. Endit