Assault on Namibian transgender woman condemned

Several civil society organisations have hit out at the alleged assault of a transgender woman (21) by Gobanin Traditional Authority chief near Gobabis recently.

The alleged incident was recorded on a video that went viral on social media.

In the video, the transgender woman is tied to a chair and is being assaulted by someone who appears to be a Goagoseb.

The chief, a presidential candidate in the 2009 elections, can be seen using a donkey whip to get a confession from the victim, while calling her a dog and a moffie. He has since been arrested.

A joint statement was issued by several human rights organisations, including the Human Dignity Trust (an international organisation based in the United States), Wings to Transcend Namibia (WTTN), Positive Vibes, Aids Alliance of Southern Africa, Gender Dynamix, the Diversity Alliance of Namibia (DAN), the Transgender, Intersex and Androgynous Movement of Namibia, the Rights Not Rescue Trust of Namibia (RNRT), the Southern Africa Trans Forum and the Young Feminist Movement of Namibia (Y-Fem).

In the statement, the organisations said they are concerned about the gross dehumanisation, unlawful detention and torture of the woman.

"We note with grave concern the ensuing homo and transphobic commentary in our communities following the video clip," the statement said.

The organisation said following the release of the video, the victim has been subjected to community-wide scrutiny, threats and further discrimination, exacerbating the trauma she currently faces.

The organisations commended the rapid response of the ministries of justice and gender as well as the police for ensuring that the alleged perpetrator and his two accomplices (who recorded the video) were apprehended.

The statement said the barbaric acts were a gross abuse of authority and power as well as a clear demonstration of torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

"As a secular and democratic state, Namibia promotes and protects the fundamental rights and freedom of all citizens - irrespective of race, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity and age - as enshrined in the constitution's bill of rights," they added.

According to the statement, the incident highlights the gross abuse of power and imbalance, where someone entrusted with authority used it to subjugate a member of an already-marginalized community group.

"We would like to draw attention to Chapter 3 of our constitution - a chapter that underscores and cements the fundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens, in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) Namibians are included.

As a country, we have been progressive in policy and law, but widespread hate speech, transphobic attacks, the legitimisation and sensationalising of the torturous act by the community and online responses remove the dignity of the survivor and violate as many of the rights that we all expect for the advancement and betterment of our country," the statement reads.

The statement said the fact that Goagoseb saw it fit to threaten the survivor with police intervention during the assault speaks to prevailing othering of LGBTQI+ persons, erroneously justified by punitive, discriminatory colonial penal code and laws against LGBTQI+ people.

"While the attack was against one person, the video has fuelled an ever-ready onslaught and hate speech directed at the transgender community," the statement further said.

The organisations urged the government, the LGBTQI+ community and the media to stand by its policy of zero tolerance to human rights violations.