Culture violates many rights
DORCAS MHUNGU
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative to Namibia, Micaela Marques de Sousa, says neither culture, tradition nor religion should ever be used as an excuse to deny girls and women their fundamental human rights.
She made this remark while addressing delegates attending a workshop on harmful cultural practices at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region on Monday. The conference was organised by the Women’s Leadership Centre.
Marques said Unicef had a moral obligation to promote the protection and realisation of children’s rights. She said her organisation would support initiatives that raise awareness of the harm faced by women and children as a result of the violation of their rights through harmful cultural practices.
De Sousa said women and children had for long been subjected to harmful cultural practices that had devastating physical and psychological consequences and the prevalence of harmful cultural practices across Namibia is a reality.
“Practices such as child marriages, son preference, wife inheritance, wife-beating and gender-based violence, corporal punishment, polygamy, virginity testing and others have existed for too long among different communities and societies. Sadly, these attitudes, practices and behaviours are often considered and presented by perpetrators as part of the social and traditional fabric,” De Sousa said.
She said according to national census data on child marriage, 2 759 children, mainly girls, were in traditional marriages. The 2015 NGO Shadow Report also highlighted the prevalence of sexual abuse, incest, and rape to prepare girls for womanhood and other practices, De Sousa further noted.
“These harmful traditional practices result in pain, suffering, and humiliation especially for women and girls, often stemming from the socialisation process and the deeply entrenched views which groom girls to assume and accept inferior roles in life,” she told the delegates.
She reminded the delegates that Namibia, as well as most African countries, was a signatory to global conventions that seek to address harmful traditional practices. De Sousa however noted that despite the country having the Child Care and Protection Act of 2015, many of the harmful cultural practices trampled on this legislation.
The Act states that: “A person may not subject a child to social, cultural and religious practices which are detrimental to his or her well-being.”
It further says “a person may not give a child out in marriage or engagement if such child does not consent to the marriage or engagement or is below the minimum age for marriage.”
Said De Sousa: “Many of the harmful cultural practices which we have spelled out today violate this piece of our national legislature as well as other acts such as the Combating of Rape Act and the Domestic Violence Act.”
She however lauded the government’s initiative to train police officers, social workers, prosecutors and magistrates to effectively investigate, manage and prosecute cases of sexual violence against children.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative to Namibia, Micaela Marques de Sousa, says neither culture, tradition nor religion should ever be used as an excuse to deny girls and women their fundamental human rights.
She made this remark while addressing delegates attending a workshop on harmful cultural practices at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region on Monday. The conference was organised by the Women’s Leadership Centre.
Marques said Unicef had a moral obligation to promote the protection and realisation of children’s rights. She said her organisation would support initiatives that raise awareness of the harm faced by women and children as a result of the violation of their rights through harmful cultural practices.
De Sousa said women and children had for long been subjected to harmful cultural practices that had devastating physical and psychological consequences and the prevalence of harmful cultural practices across Namibia is a reality.
“Practices such as child marriages, son preference, wife inheritance, wife-beating and gender-based violence, corporal punishment, polygamy, virginity testing and others have existed for too long among different communities and societies. Sadly, these attitudes, practices and behaviours are often considered and presented by perpetrators as part of the social and traditional fabric,” De Sousa said.
She said according to national census data on child marriage, 2 759 children, mainly girls, were in traditional marriages. The 2015 NGO Shadow Report also highlighted the prevalence of sexual abuse, incest, and rape to prepare girls for womanhood and other practices, De Sousa further noted.
“These harmful traditional practices result in pain, suffering, and humiliation especially for women and girls, often stemming from the socialisation process and the deeply entrenched views which groom girls to assume and accept inferior roles in life,” she told the delegates.
She reminded the delegates that Namibia, as well as most African countries, was a signatory to global conventions that seek to address harmful traditional practices. De Sousa however noted that despite the country having the Child Care and Protection Act of 2015, many of the harmful cultural practices trampled on this legislation.
The Act states that: “A person may not subject a child to social, cultural and religious practices which are detrimental to his or her well-being.”
It further says “a person may not give a child out in marriage or engagement if such child does not consent to the marriage or engagement or is below the minimum age for marriage.”
Said De Sousa: “Many of the harmful cultural practices which we have spelled out today violate this piece of our national legislature as well as other acts such as the Combating of Rape Act and the Domestic Violence Act.”
She however lauded the government’s initiative to train police officers, social workers, prosecutors and magistrates to effectively investigate, manage and prosecute cases of sexual violence against children.
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