CoW deputy mayor urges women to rise up and stop suffering in silence
WINDHOEK – City of Windhoek (CoW) deputy mayor Clemencia Hanases said women should rise up and defend themselves against any form of abuse.
Hanases made the remarks on Thursday while addressing her fellow councillors during the city’s fifth ordinary council meeting.
She said women should start raising themselves up, nurturing children with solid values, and actively participate in local and international arenas like business, education, politics, science, engineering, the medical and legal fraternities or vocational trades, manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
“We are the hope, salvation and mothers of our nation. The prevailingscourgeofgender-based violence and abuse of children is unacceptable. Whilst we look to lawmakers and enforcers, what are we as a collective doing to defend ourselves and teaching our children right from wrong?” questioned Hanases.
She said women use unnecessary energy on pulling each other down, competing against one another, and deriving pleasure from others’ misery.
Therefore, they should change that narrative and go forward because none of them is leaving earth alive one day.
She also challenged every woman in Namibia and Africa to start the inner work of selfreflection, meditating with “God
and honesty”.
“How many of us can truly admit that we are jealous, insecure, fake, using others for our own advantage? More importantly, how many of us are willing to acknowledge such character flaws, and change for the greater good of humanity and inner peace?” the deputy mayor asked.
She said women have the opportunity now to set the blueprint for a brighter, happier, safer future for their children, and leave behind a legacy from which future generations can benefit and improve and carry forth into the next millennium.
Women, she continued, should likewise acknowledge that they
are stronger together while they should remain resolute towards fighting injustices of all kinds and treating each other as human beings with rights to freedom, food, shelter, dignity, the right of association, freedom of speech, and survivors of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
Hanases told Nampa her comments were prompted by various issues around the country like gender-based violence, which in most cases involves alcohol abuse.
‘It’s about time Namibian women start participating in social issues that will move them forward, and not just negative things all the time,” she stressed.