#Namibia africa women are mistreated how pdf#

“Throughout my life I saw things that were not right in my eyes-how a girl would be treated, and boys being treated better,” she says.Īfter a stint at university in Windhoek, she applied to become a police officer, and was stationed in Kahenge, in northeast Namibia, where she regularly dealt with cases of domestic violence against women.Īccording to the UNFPA, 33 percent of girls and young women aged 15-24 years have experienced physical violence in Namibia.

Irene’s interest in women’s issues developed early in life when she was growing up in different towns Namibia. “I am a feminist activist,” she says, “and I think I have always been-always saying: something is not right, it has to change somehow.” Irene is a community organizer with the Women’s Leadership Center where she organizes and facilitates trainings on women’s reproductive health and rights. But her appearance belies the gravity of the work that she does, which is helping to educate and empower some of Namibia’s most vulnerable populations. Looking at Irene, you might mistake her for a college student-clad in jeans and sneakers, and a checkered flannel shirt. It’s midday in the bustling Namibian capital of Windhoek, and we are sitting across from each other at an office complex in the southwest region of the city. “I was a rebellious child,” Irene Garoës says with a smile.

#Namibia africa women are mistreated how pdf#

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