Uis: Erongo Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Nikolaus Kupembona, said the police continue to receive reports of digital violations and are strengthening investigative capacity and collaborating with telecommunication companies to trace perpetrators.
According to Namibia Press Agency, speaking at the Human Rights Day and International Women's Day commemoration at Uis on Wednesday, Kupembona stated that digital violations including harassment, impersonation, cyberstalking, non-consensual sharing of intimate images and social media manipulation, are on the rise and have become one of the most pressing human rights challenges facing communities, particularly young girls.
Kupembona emphasized that digital violence is real, and it destroys reputations, undermines mental health, breaks families and in some cases pushes victims toward self-harm. He noted that law enforcement efforts rely on legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act and the Child Care and Protection Act, but policing alone cannot stop digital violence as it thrives where communities remain silent. He urged parents to monitor their children's online activities and encouraged community members to report incidents without delay.
Erongo Governor Natalia |Goagoses remarked on the rapidly escalating danger of online exploitation. Citing UNICEF figures, |Goagoses highlighted that nearly one in 10 Namibian children with internet access has experienced some form of online exploitation. She mentioned government responses through initiatives such as the National Child Online Protection Task Force, awareness campaigns in communities, and digital safety programmes in schools, but noted that government alone cannot succeed.
The governor called for stronger collaboration between civil society, traditional authorities, families, churches, and community structures to reinforce protection against digital abuse. She also urged leaders to ensure that laws and policies, including the Combating of Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act of 2022 and the National Gender Equality, Equity and Equality Policy, are communicated and understood at the grassroots level. She emphasized that ending gender-based and digital violence requires discipline, compassion and responsibility, and silence must never protect perpetrators.
Chief Complaints Investigator at the office of the Ombudsman, Hermina Apollus, stressed that digital abuse violates fundamental rights protected by the Namibian Constitution and international human rights instruments, including the rights to privacy, dignity, safety, equality and freedom of expression.