There are no grey areas; consent is as simple as A, B and C.
All parties about to engage in a sexual act must agree, every single time. #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
The parties must all understand what they are about to do; that they are about to engage in a sexual act. #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
Parties giving permission to engage in any sexual act must give that permission without pressure, threats and/or other forms of coercion. #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
Consent should always be clearly communicated and free of doubt and mystery. A "Yes". An enthusiastic, "Yes". Not a, "maybe," or, "I guess." #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
Consent is given before the sexual act, and during the sexual act. When it is withdrawn, it is withdrawn. #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
Yes, consent can be withdrawn.
You can stop or change your mind at any time, and any party/parties engaged in a sexual act with you must respect that. #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
Consent granted for one sexual act does not mean consent granted for another or other sexual act(s). Consent is specific. #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
Most importantly, you should be excited to engage in the sexual act! Consent is enthusiastic. #ConsentIs#EndRapeCulture
Engaging in sexual activity that does not have enthusiastic and affirmative consent can constitute a sexual assault offense.
We've created a short brief on what rape culture is, and, most importantly, how each of us can help #EndRapeCulture in Namibia.
Please help us share these important notes! #MeTooNamibia
To #EndRapeCulture, we need to understand what it is, what causes it and the ways in which it manifests in our society.
These graphics help explain Rape Culture.
But, understanding Rape Culture may not always be enough for us to act.
Statistics from the Namibian Police (as published by @theconfidente) paint a horrifying [and yet, probably understated] image of the extent of SGBV in Namibia.
We hope that during the COVID-19 pandemic, each one of us is practicing sound hygiene in order to prevent and contain the spread of the virus, and to complement the government's efforts in averting a public health crisis.
Remember to wash your hands!
Since the virus is highly contagious, the containment of its spread requires us to maintain social distancing as far as we can.
Use this time to unlearn, relearn and re-energise your advocacy!
Although the virus has not been proven as "airborne", if you need to cough or sneeze, the practice pictured below is recommended.
The Combating of Rape Act 8 of 2000 defines Rape as, "the intentional commission of a sexual act under coercive circumstances."
This means that any sexual act where coercion is applied before or during the act constitutes a charge of Rape.
Any sexual act in which results from the application of physical force constitutes a charge of rape.
For example, if you beat someone up in order to have sex with them, it is rape.
Any sexual act which results from a threat to use physical force constitutes a charge of rape.
For example, if you threaten to strangle someone in order to have sex with them, it is rape.
We've kicked off our #IWDMeetAndGreet at Furstenhof Hotel!
If you're not here, you can follow the discussions from our official hashtag.
Our Chairperson, Ms. Saima Akawa, welcomes attendees and gives an overview of the #MeTooNamibia Movement.
Ms. Akawa calls us to do more in creating a safer world for women. #IWDMeetAndGreet
Ms. Akawa speaks on our responsibility, individually, but collectively, towards ensuring that we create a gender equal world. #IWDMeetAndGreet
We hope you'll join us on the 14th March from 10AM at Protea Hotel Furstenhof at our Meet and Greet in commemoration of International Women's Day.
It's the perfect opportunity to share advocacy ideas over the fine tunes of The Ell's, the warm words of @SheCantGo and light snacks!
We will also have a panel discussion which will center around Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), the work of anti-SGBV organisations and movements, and how we can all actively and intentionally create an equal and violence-free society for women.
Seats to this event are limited.
To RSVP, please e-mail hashikutuval@gmail.com
While we agree that we need to do more in order to fight the sexual violence that terrorizes our communities, we would be remiss to ignore the impact that the social media conversation, as well as #MeTooNamibia has had on our people.
Since inception in May, we have (co)-hosted four conferences on sexual violence, assisted various survivors in opening cases and receiving psychosocial support, convened an association of organisations willing and ready to assist more survivors 1/2
...and most importantly, started important conversations on sexual violence, consent, victim blaming and shaming, toxic masculinity and related matters. 2/2