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OYO touring Omusati Region to create awareness about gender violence

OYO touring Omusati Region to create awareness about gender violence

The Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO) is busy touring schools in the Omusati Region with their ‘gentlemen and supergirls’ project, funded by the Embassy of Finland in Windhoek.

The aim of the tour and project is to create awareness about gender violence and break the cycle of violence in the region.

OYO said the specific objective of their tour is to ensure learners know the different forms of violence and understand it better to report cases and seek help than to remain silent.

They explained that the piece they are showcasing, ‘Betrayed’, is a story about a girl who is raped by her uncle, but her parents do not realize what is happening to her. At a later stage the girl discovers, she is HIV positive, and rumours start spreading at school and in the community. Her parents think she sleeps with schoolboys and is very disappointed in her.

Her uncle threatens to kill her if she speaks out, leading to her depression and eventually she commits suicide.

“This piece is to discuss one form of violence sadly common in Namibia, ‘rape’ and to show to learners what can happen when one keeps quiet, it is a deeply emotional piece,” they concluded.


 

About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.