Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The Office of the President of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has denounced the recent report of the sexual exploitation of a child that occurred in Otjomuise, Windhoek.
A 44-year-old woman has been accused of luring a six-year-old boy into a toilet to perform sexual acts. She appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
The accused, Petronella Swartz, faces charges of rape and contravening the Combating of Immoral Practices Act 21 of 1980.
According to police reports, the incident took place on Sunday between 14h00 and 15h00, when Swartz allegedly promised the boy N$5 to perform sexual acts.
A witness to the incident informed the boy’s mother, who then informed the police.
The incident was reported to the police on Monday.
In response, the PDM released a statement expressing their condemnation of the act, highlighting the sacrosanctity of childhood innocence and the collective duty of every Namibian to shield children from harm.
“Honorable McHenry Venaani is keen to recall the sacrosanctity of childhood innocence and the collective duty that every Namibian has to shield our children from any form of harm,” the statement read.
Venaani called on the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Child Welfare to intensify measures to combat violence against children.
“By safeguarding the rights of our children, we are inevitably strengthening the integrity of our society and the future of our country. More robust programmes should be implemented, providing children an avenue for reporting harm and abuse, while ensuring the swift prosecution of those who violate their innocence.”
PDM emphasised that children are the lifeblood of society and the torchbearers of the future.
“To desecrate their vulnerability by exposing them to such deplorable behaviour is to undermine the foundations of the world we hope to bequeath to them. It is a matter that strikes at the conscience of our nation, reminding us that the protection of our children is not a task for the few, but an obligation for us all. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.”
Spiritual social worker, Melky Pombili Shaalukeni underscored the long-term emotional impacts of such incidents.
“Children are scared for life, and you see the biggest impact is when they do not receive any kind of services or care like psychosocial support. Once the incident takes place and there is no proper follow-up, the emotional needs are often overlooked. This child needs to speak out about the incident and understand that the incident took place. The impact can cause the child to develop behavioural problems or issues with expressing emotions or relating to others due to a lack of trust,” said Shaalukeni
Shaalukeni also emphasised the importance of parental supervision and open communication and called for greater governmental action.
“Supervision is very important, especially during the holiday seasons when we leave our children unattended. We need to teach parents how to parent and to keep an eye on their children. Communication is key. The government needs to do more. We need to start talking about these matters in the same way we talked about Covid-19 and HIV/AIDS. Children are being abused daily by people they know and who claim to love them. We need to report such cases and ensure people are held accountable,” he said.
