Namibia feminist group tackles gender-based violence through self-defense classes

Namibian feminist and women rights organization, Sister Namibia will avail self-defense classes on April 29, to 100 women in a quest to fight gender-based violence (GBV) in the country.

Media Officer at Sister Namibia, Elsarien Katiti, told Xinhua on Tuesday that these safety projects are conducted with funding from one of their donors who promote gender equality and peace.

"What we teach is how to stay safe and how to literally get away when someone surprise attacks. We do not promote violence, but safety and thus how to avoid violence," she said.

Gender-based violence is rife in Namibia, and Katiti said with these sessions, they seek to empower girls by creating a sense of urgency, so that they can realize they can protect themselves.

According to Katiti, participants are chosen based on the availability of time and money and since they commenced with the trainings in 2015, they have managed to reach out to 1,300 women.

"This year we wish to train trainers in addition to us conducting the workshops so that we can reach out to many other girls," she added.

In 2016 alone statistics from the Namibian Police show that more that 2,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in the country.

Meanwhile, besides embarking on the self defense classes, Sister Namibia also runs a project called SisterPADS, which is a pilot project aimed at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, through the use of reusable sanitary pads. Enditem