VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, CHILDREN PEAKED IN DECEMBER
By Catherine Sasman, Windhoek

January 19, 2004 – (New Era - Windhoek) A POLICE summary of reported violent crimes committed against women and children over the December period last year shows that an equal number of adults and minors were raped.

A total of 27 women were raped countrywide, with an equal number of rapes of minors reported in the same period.

The police indicated that primarily ex-boyfriends and "few strangers" raped women. Relatives, on the other hand, were the main perpetrators in the rape cases involving children.

In cases of violence against women, the perpetrators happened to be husbands, lovers or relatives. Parents were the main culprits in the case of children.

The police pointed out with some surprise that no cases of sexual molestation of children were reported in the Khomas Region for December. They said, however, that this was not a true reflection of the situation on the ground, but merely of the cases put before the police.

Nine attempted rapes were reported, involving three minors. Three cases of indecent assaults of children were also reported.

Twenty-five cases of assault of women, with grievous bodily harm, were reported. Nine such cases involving minors were reported.

Two children were reported kidnapped, and three cases of child neglect were also reported.

The Combating of Domestic Violence Act, as well as the Maintenance Act, was made into law on November 17 last year, but to date the implementation date has not yet been effected. This means that the police are still acting under the old laws pertaining to violent crimes - be they sexual or not - committed in a domestic environment.

"This Act [the Combating of Domestic Violence Act] will definitely resolve many domestic violence issues in terms of the free-of-charge restraint order called the Protection Order that can be obtained through the complaint of the survivor of violence, even if he or she does not wish to lay criminal charges, which is the current situation in most complaints of a domestic nature," the police pointed out.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200401190594.html